In the Name of the Father (1993)

In the Name of the Father is a powerful, true‑story drama about wrongful conviction, family loyalty, and the long fight for justice. The film follows Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day‑Lewis), a troubled young man from Belfast who is swept up in the aftermath of a 1974 pub bombing in England and, along with three others, coerced into confessing to a crime he did not commit. When the police investigation expands, Gerry’s father Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite) and other relatives are also accused, plunging the family into a nightmare of incarceration, shame, and relentless legal obstacles. Determined to clear their names, Gerry and his allies work with dedicated lawyer Gareth Peirce (Emma Thompson) to expose the truth behind the convictions. If you watch the film you’ll experience an emotionally wrenching journey: tense, often brutal interrogation and prison sequences, tender and heartbreaking father‑son moments, and the slow‑burn indignation of a legal battle against institutional failure. The performances—especially Day‑Lewis’s volatile, vulnerable Gerry and Postlethwaite’s quietly proud Giuseppe—anchor the film, while the courtroom and investigative scenes build moral outrage and ultimately a cathartic sense of vindication. Gritty, compassionate, and enraging in equal measure, the movie is both a character study and a critique of miscarriages of justice, leaving viewers moved and provoked long after the credits roll.

Actors: Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, Alison Crosbie

Director: Jim Sheridan

Runtime: 133 min

Genres: Biography, Crime, Drama

5.6 /10 84 /100 8.1 /10 7.4 /10