Saipan (2026) – Film Review

Directors: Lisa Barros D’Sa & Glenn Leyburn.
Cast: Éanna Hardwicke, Jack Hickey, Steve Coogan
Certificate: 15

By Steve Crabtree

As a Manchester United season ticket holder who barely missed a match Roy Keane played for the club, I don’t need reminding what he brought to a football pitch. He wasn’t just influential, he was a central force. When Keane played, he led you into battle, and your team went in fighting.

What sits alongside his world-class traits as a player, though, is the uncomfortable truth that Keane missed out on some of football’s biggest moments. Sometimes that came down to bad luck, sometimes timing, and sometimes his own doing. Saipan is about one of those absences. About the World Cup he didn’t play in. And about the fact that in 2002, Roy Keane could have been there, but ultimately wasn’t…

“Simmering build-up”

Nearly 25 years ago, there was almost as much drama surrounding Ireland’s World Cup preparations as the entire tournament had itself. The film leans into that drama, and shows that what happened in Saipan wasn’t a freak explosion that came out of nowhere, but the result of a slow, simmering build-up that’s still debated today.

And the film kicks off with a montage of real news footage and commentary around Roy Keane going home on the eve of the 2002 World Cup finals. Pundits weigh in, journalists have their say, and even the Irish Prime Minister appears, emotionally hoping that things might somehow be resolved.

As Saipan gets going, time is taken to properly set the scene for what we know is coming.

“Personalities, standards and situations”

Before Keane comes home, we’re reminded that questions were often raised about his commitment to Ireland during his international career. Injuries and availability in the lead-up to the 2002 tournament meant there were frequent discussions about how often he missed smaller games, even during qualification, while others carried on.

Those questions grated on some of the footballing public and some of his teammates. But they also grated on Keane too, in a different way. Questioning his commitment to football was akin to lighting a blue-touch paper, particularly when it comes from his manager, Mick McCarthy. McCarthy is the other main player in this whole thing, who was the opponent in many of these clashes.

Whether you agree with the framing or not, it adds one of many layers to an already complicated situation that Saipan nicely puts in to pictures. This wasn’t just about one bad training pitch in Japan. It wasn’t just about the lack of footballs to practice with. While those elements are handled well in the film, this was really about frustrations that came to a boiling point.

It presents personalities, standards and situations, then steps back. You’re allowed to agree, disagree, or sit somewhere in the middle.

“Mood and manner”

Éanna Hardwicke steps into the captain’s role in Saipan, and his portrayal of Roy Keane is very good. There’s a resemblance, but more importantly he captures his mood and manner. The silence, the judgement, the way Keane can make a room feel tense without raising his voice. You understand why teammates might admire him while also finding him difficult to be around.

Then there’s Steve Coogan, one of my favourite actors and comedians. He takes on the role of Mick McCarthy, and while I’ll always admire Coogan, this isn’t his most convincing performance. The broad Yorkshire accent of the Barnsley-born Irishman doesn’t quite get out of Coogan’s mouth, and echoes of Alan Partridge were there most of the time. I found myself working a little too hard to fully buy him as McCarthy.

One piece of casting that really stands out, though, is Jack Hickey as Niall Quinn. It’s an uncanny performance and easily the most convincing character match in the film. Every scene he’s in feels like it could be the real thing, and it adds weight to the film.

“Carefully observed”

Although a dramatised version of events, I liked the way the film documents what unfolded for the Republic of Ireland. It brings the realities of life away from family, and the psychological side of football into sharp focus. Which is a nice breather from newspaper headlines and studio-based pantomime debates.

There are moments that stretch credibility, though. Any football fan is likely to question just how much partying the squad is shown to be doing, and I do have reservations about Mick McCarthy being portrayed more as a bumbling buffoon than the firm, no-nonsense character who often comes across as cocky.

But on the flip side, some almost incidental bits of the whole saga unexpectedly pop up, and they make you smile. The recreation of Keane walking his dog the day after returning home is particularly effective. The pacing, the camera angles, the early-2000s Diadora gear, it all feels carefully observed. and reminds you that you were watching this unfold when it happened all those years ago.

“Collision”

There’s a particular moment early on in Saipan that sets up exactly where this story is going to come to a head. As the squad set off for Japan, Mick McCarthy offers up a mild, well-meaning speech on the coach. Then Keane steps on and cuts through it with three words: “It starts now!” The players react instantly. McCarthy notices, and visibly feels undermined.

From there, it’s clear this isn’t a slow-burn mystery, it’s a collision waiting to happen.

So, when that collision finally comes during a hastily arranged team meeting, the film gets it right by not overplaying it. The row is fierce but controlled, and crucially you’re not told what to think. You’re left with the same question that’s lingered for years: was Keane sent home, or did he walk? The film lets you decide, and it’s stronger for doing so.

I appreciated that the film doesn’t try to settle that argument for you. I went into it neutral, and I came out of it neutral too.

The Verdict

Saipan is very much a film made for football people. It understands the emotion, frustration and sense of responsibility that comes with the game. For anyone who’s never felt that, and prefers to dismiss football through tired stereotypes, it might look like a silly argument over preparation. For those who have, it’s an intriguing watch.

In the end, the film succeeds by taking something that was often treated as tabloid circus fodder and giving it proper context again. It doesn’t excuse anyone entirely, but it does allow space to reconsider what went wrong, and why one of the game’s great competitors ended up watching a World Cup he was good enough to shape.

I enjoyed it. Most football fans will too. Whether Messrs Keane and McCarthy do is another debate entirely.

Main Image: Aidan Monaghan

Steve Crabtree( Writer )

Give Steve music, give him food, give him theatre, tech or travel… and he’s a happy man. He’s been writing professionally since 2003, turning to journalism in 2017 when it offered him the chance to enjoy a lot of his existing passions, and learn some new ones at the same time. Steve can be found spending many of his summer nights watching bands at The Piece Hall in his hometown of Halifax, or enjoying a bite to eat and a drink with his wife anywhere in Yorkshire at any time of year. Random fact: He does the best impression of Zippy and George from Rainbow that anyone has ever heard.

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