‘Riveting’ drama based on controversial events now streaming | Films | Entertainment

An ‘intense’ Irish drama film inspired by notorious real-life events has quietly become available to stream.

Viewers can now watch the film Saipan from the comfort of their own homes. Just a few months after its cinematic release across the UK, it has been added to Prime Video’s vast library.

According to the film’s synopsis, it follows events unfolding on the eve of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Then Irish captain Roy Keane relinquishes his place in the squad at the team’s training base in Saipan, following a bitter row with Irish manager Mick McCarthy.

The storyline draws on real-life events that made headlines across the world and continues to divide Irish football supporters to this day.

Without giving too much away, the dispute at the centre of the story erupted during the team’s training camp on the Pacific Island of Saipan.

Keane expressed his frustration at what he considered to be inadequate training facilities and poor preparations arranged by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI). Although initially convinced to remain after threatening to walk out, Keane subsequently gave a candid interview in which he sharply criticised the conditions , reports the Mirror.

Following the interview’s publication, McCarthy convened a team meeting – during which Keane reportedly unleashed a fierce verbal tirade before ultimately being sent home.

Steve Coogan takes on the role of manager Mick McCarthy, while Eanna Hardwicke, whose previous credits include A Very Royal Scandal, portrays Roy Keane. The film boasts an impressive 93% rating on website Rotten Tomatoes, with one critic declaring it: “A film that manages to be both riveting and uproariously funny at various points.”

A further reviewer wrote: “At a game-length 91 minutes, Saipan smartly comes and goes with speed (for all of its anger, it’s also a breezy, funny time) but it’s the rare football movie that’s worth a replay.”

The film comes highly recommended to all audiences, regardless of their interest in football, as one viewer noted: “It was intense and a good film about a clash of egos and a study of personalities. You don’t need to be a fan of football to enjoy it and follow what was going on at the time.”

They went on to add: “I wasn’t sure how you could make a whole movie about this story, but Steve Coogan did an excellent job of playing Mick McCarthy and collectively they got nailed.”

Not everybody, however, has been won over by the production. Notably, those depicted in the film are said to have taken a dim view of it. According to TalkSport, McCarthy attended an event in Dublin where he admitted he could only bring himself to watch approximately 20 minutes.

He reportedly told the crowd: “My family and I all went to look at it, and it’s a heap of s*** to be fair, and my concern is, he’s about 5ft 8in, Steve Coogan, and in the film Roy towers above him, for f***’s sake.

It depicts me as an easy-going, northern numpty who was there for a f****** good time and not to win, and I wasn’t competitive. If anyone wants to come and f****** tell me that, I’ll have a fight with him on the f****** stage.”

Irish viewers who have already seen the film appear to be divided in their opinions. In an online discussion about the film on Reddit, one user wrote: “It was traumatic viewing, inaccuracies aside I thought Hardwicke was an outstanding Keane.”

Saipan is streaming on Prime Video.