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Saipan

Play trailer Saipan 2025 1h 31m Biography Drama History Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 11 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
On the eve of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the Irish captain Roy Keane forfeits his place in the squad at the team's preparation base in Saipan, following a heated disagreement with the Irish manager Mick McCarthy.

Critics Reviews

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Benjamin Lee Guardian 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. Rated: 4/5 Sep 8, 2025 Full Review Matthew Creith TheWrap “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. Sep 8, 2025 Full Review Donald Clarke Irish Times Supporters of both men – the nation is still divided – will find plenty to agree with and plenty to rail at as the film drifts towards a conclusion that will astonish nobody who was alive at the time. Rated: 3/5 Sep 5, 2025 Full Review Terence Johnson Le Noir Auteur This isn’t a movie that goes for easy answers and instead drops us into the maelstrom and asks the audience to decide for themselves. Sep 17, 2025 Full Review Gregory Ellwood The Playlist Two decades later, it all lands with a thud. The end result has nothing significant to say about sports, media, or how competitors interact with each other. It all feels like an exercise to document a moment in history that is fading in relevancy. Rated: C Sep 17, 2025 Full Review Stephen Saito Moveable Fest Befitting of chronicling an entirely new era in sports where everyone had to come to play in a different way, “Saipan” feels fresh, vital and a whole lot of fun. Sep 14, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Lisa Barros D'Sa

Director

Glenn Leyburn

Director

Steve Coogan

Actor

Eanna Hardwicke

Actor

Aoife Hinds

Actor

Harriet Cains

Actor
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Saipan

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Movie Info

Synopsis On the eve of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the Irish captain Roy Keane forfeits his place in the squad at the team's preparation base in Saipan, following a heated disagreement with the Irish manager Mick McCarthy.
Director
Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn
Producer
Trevor Birney, Oliver Butler, Macdara Kelleher, John Keville
Screenwriter
Paul Fraser
Production Co
Wild Atlantic Pictures, Finepoint Films
Genre
Biography, Drama, History
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 31m