Film Review: Kneecap

Kneecap
Director: Rich Peppiatt
Fine Point Films and Mother Tongue Films
In Theaters: 08.02

The problem with word of mouth is that while it can help a film by generating interest, it can also hurt it by creating unrealistic expectations. Kneecap, the dramatized story of the origins of the titular Irish hip-hop group‚starring the actual members playing themselves—is a good enough movie that doesn’t live up to the massive hype that its most passionate fans have generated since it premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2024.

In the Gaeltacht Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2019, JJ Ó Dochartaigh, a music teacher at a Catholic school, is trying to motivate his students to learn the Irish Gaelic language, while working with his girlfriend, Caitlin (Fionnuala Flaherty, Out of Innocence, Lost & Found) in the organized campaign for national recognition of the language. JJ is called into the police station to translate for Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, a young man who has been arrested and refuses to speak any English to the police. The two men form a connection, and Liam gives JJ a notebook that contains lyrics for hip-hop songs that Liam has written in Irish. JJ encourages Liam and his friend, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, to do something with their talent, and the three form a rap trio which they dub Kneecap, named after the traditional paramilitary practice of punishing criminals by shooting them in the kneecaps. The band plays some small gigs—with JJ wearing a balaclava and going by the stage name  “DJ Próvaí”  to keep his involvement from becoming known to the school, or to Cailtin—and they quickly earn a reputation as exciting musicians and rabble-rousers. The group’s anti-British messages and near-constant drug references put them on the radar of the police, radical Irish Republican groups and politicians who want to silence them.  The rising stars must learn to balance their newfound fame with the ramifications to their personal lives. While the group threatens to come between JJ and Caitlin, it also effects Naoise’s fling with Georgia (Jessica Reynolds, Derry Girls), a protestant girl whose aunt happens to be Detective Ellis (Josie Walker, Belfast, The Wonder), a police office who has it out for the group. Also impacted is Liam’s strained relationship with his father, Arlo (Michael Fassbender, X-Men: First Class, The Killer), a fugitive rebel who faked his own death  after being involved in some car bombings.

Kneecap is a fast-moving and spirited comedy-drama with engaging characters and an irreverent sense of humor. It’s also full of highly fictionalized contrivances that strain credibility and feel a bit hackneyed—the connection between Naoise and Detective Ellis feels forced, to say the least— and while the titular group certainly doesn’t mind being portrayed as slackers and drug users/dealers, the portrayal of the band’s political influence, creativity and fearlessness feels self-serving, even if it is fact-based. The movie is at its best when focusing on the music and the mission to celebrate Irish identity, language and cultureThe passion to preserve the language and what it symbolizes to those fighting for it is quite compelling. When it’s focused on wild antics and drug use, it often feels a bit like Danny Boyle’s 1996 cult favorite Trainspotting collided with This Is Spinal Tap. The characters,and the drama between them,kept me invested in the film, however, and regardless of how exaggerated it undoubtedly is, it makes for an entertaining story.

The acting is quite strong, with Ó Dochartaigh bringing such a natural presence and impeccable comic timing that, as someone coming into the film having never seen or heard the band before, I had to double check if it was really him, having jumped to the conclusion that while the other two members played themselves, a seasoned character actor surely must have been brought in to play DJ Próvai. Ó Cairealláin is roguishly charming, and Ó Hannaidh is believable and lucky enough to have all of his best scenes revolve around his interplay with Fassbender, who is the kind of actor who lifts up those around him rather than trying to steal focus. Walker proves that you don’t have to be given the best character in a film to give the most nuanced performance, and Reynolds is quite arresting as the fiery Georgia.

If I’m rating Kneecap by the standard of whether it’s the groundbreakingly brilliant and wholly original film that its most vociferous admirers paint it to be, it comes up quite short. If it’s judged on its own merits, Kneecap is a solidly entertaining,if formulaic,underdog story and a very rare film in the Irish language; there’s a lot to enjoy here. This one undoubtedly has a future as cult movie with midnight screenings and perhaps even sing-alongs, and it will be particularly appealing to hip-hop fans, people who can’t get enough of stoner comedy or those with an affinity for Irish culture. –Patrick Gibbs

Read more film reviews:
Film Review: The Fabulous Four 
Film Review: Deadpool & Wolverine