“The world’s a lot better when you’re winning.”
You know that feeling when you think you’re in the right, but someone else’s point of view is ultimately more precise? It’s not always a fun experience to admit when you’re wrong, especially when your pride gets in the way and you let others down.
But what if your incorrect assumptions let an entire nation down in the process?
For Irish professional soccer player Roy Keane (Éanna Hardwicke) and manager Mick McCarthy (Steve Coogan), their real-life spat in 2002, weeks ahead of Ireland playing in the World Cup, is the stuff of legend. “Saipan,” directed by Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa and premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, details the so-called Saipan incident in which Roy and Mick disagree on the Irish soccer team’s preparations leading up to their much-anticipated World Cup appearance. Roy leaves the team days before the World Cup as a result, a move that divides Ireland, with some seeing him as a spoiled brat and others wanting him to continue playing.
Spoiler Alert: Ireland doesn’t do very well in the World Cup without Roy Keane.
“Saipan” doesn’t introduce new information for its audience about a famous occurrence that possibly could have been avoided. Instead, the film provides context into the two men at the center of the argument, leading to some heated exchanges that could further complicate the matter at hand. It is left up to the audience to decide who is right and who is wrong, though the filmmakers’ point of view is strongly suggested in Roy’s favor.
The first 15 minutes of “Saipan” jump around quite a bit with rough cuts of fluff surrounding Roy’s childhood dreams of becoming the greatest soccer player who ever lived, to an early aughts reality when the Irish soccer captain is well-respected but somewhat an afterthought to the British rock star player known as David Beckham. It’s 2002 after all, and wild montages of popular game shows and Ireland’s reputation as a sports laughing stock set the scene for an uphill battle. Choppy and a bit disorienting at first, Leyburn and Barros D’Sa’s directing style takes some getting used to.
To prepare the team for the heat and humidity that awaits them at the World Cup in Asia, Mick flies all of his players to the island of Saipan for what is supposed to be several weeks of acclimation, active training and alignment on team goals. To Roy’s surprise and horror, however, the island’s training facilities are subpar and the team isn’t equipped with soccer balls or other necessary equipment, though management doesn’t seem too worried. Nothing to do all day but party and relax in saunas, the rest of the players take advantage of the calm before the World Cup storm.
Under less-than-stellar conditions and amid growing disagreements between Roy and Mick over how to prepare their team for the fight of their professional lives, the island becomes the setting for a knock-out, drag-out verbal fight that leaves the world stunned before the first match is ever played.
“Saipan” is a reflection of power dynamics at a time when sports superstars represented a country’s standing in the world. Their celebrity egos often get the better of their wild ambitions. The film is mainly viewed through Roy’s eyes, and the filmmaking team uses harsh, quick edits to frame Roy’s state of mind as he devolves into more anger and resentment at his fellow players’ lack of preparation.
As the weight of the country’s hopes and dreams rests on Roy and Mick’s shoulders, managing that pressure while maintaining their self-importance is a delicate balance that comes with its own set of complications.
Hardwicke and Coogan are tremendously talented actors who give Roy and Mick, respectively, a story worth exploring. For an American with no knowledge of this famous incident, “Saipan” opened my eyes to the contention between individuals and the catastrophe that awaits the hierarchy of influence as a result. The movie provides enough context to question whether Roy’s manic behavior should have been tolerated or if Mick’s reluctance to lead might have changed the course of Ireland’s trajectory on the pitch.
The film is at its most self-reflective (and oftentimes destructive) when the tension between the two men at the center of the premise is illustrated for the audience like a pot of water nearly boiling over. “Fail to prepare, then prepare to fail,” one newspaper headline reads, perfectly encapsulating a moment in time when ego and sportsmanship collide in unnatural ways.
