Saipan

"Anger. Management."

2025 1h 30m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 23

DramaHistory

Synopsis

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On the eve of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Irish captain Roy Keane forfeits his place in the squad at the team's preparation base in Saipan, following a heated disagreement with manager Mick McCarthy.

“Anger. Management.”

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Cast

Éanna Hardwicke
Roy Keane
Steve Coogan
Mick McCarthy
Alice Lowe
Fiona McCarthy
Peter McDonald
Mick Byrne
Harriet Cains
Theresa Keane
Jamie Beamish
Dickie Moloney
Alex Murphy
Eddy Power
Oliver Coopersmith
Jason McAteer

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Glenn Leyburn
Writers: Paul Fraser
Languages: English
Countries: Ireland, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Glenn Leyburn, shot by Piers McGrail. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Holmes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Gavin Buckley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Éanna Hardwicke and Steve Coogan and Alice Lowe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Anger. Management.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Glenn Leyburn directs. Piers McGrail behind the camera. David Holmes scores. Gavin Buckley cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Ireland, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released last year.
3International production across 3 countries: Ireland, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland.
4Directed by Glenn Leyburn, shot by Piers McGrail. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by David Holmes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Gavin Buckley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Éanna Hardwicke and Steve Coogan and Alice Lowe carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Anger. Management.".
9IMDB entry: tt33093531 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 23 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 15 themes, including "world cup", "controversy", "based on true story", "football (soccer)".

The technical file

Cinematography: Piers McGrail
Original score: David Holmes
Editing: Gavin Buckley
Makeup / hair: Polly McKay
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Saipan (2025)

Also by

Glenn Leyburn

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-01-29
★ 6/10
Talk about open goal? I remember the controversy back in 2002 as the Irish team struggled to prepare for their World Cup campaign. You’d also have had to have been living under a large rock not to have known that Roy Keane was an independently minded individual whom even Alex Ferguson had difficulty in keeping under control, and that Mick McCarthy (Steve Coogan) was charged with managing a national side with less resources that the average English championship side. When they arrive in Saipan, they discover a pitch better suited for sheep, an hotel that had seen better days and believe it or not, they have no footballs! What now ensues had me firmly in Keane’s (Éanna Hardwicke) corner. This depiction clearly showcases him as the only professional amongst some players bent on boozing, golfing and enjoying themselves. Now I dare say that Messrs. McAteer, Quinn et al might dispute their characterisation here but the thrust of just how amateur things were is hard to disbelieve. With that established, and having already taken a swipe at the FAI gravy-train blazer-brigade, we settle down to something designed to expose the angry and sometimes irrational conflict between the captain and the coach - and for me, this is where it just doesn’t work. Hardwicke does fine, but Coogan is completely unconvincing. Indeed, had the real McCarthy been that inept I doubt they’d have made their flight from Dublin in the first place. There simply isn’t anywhere near enough effort put into his personification, especially for people who don’t follow this sport, and what we end up with here is something more akin to a shadow of the man. At times, the production is a mess with some actuality quite clumsily mixed in with the drama that makes it difficult at times to separate fact from fiction, and so many of the set-piece confrontations appear dramatically contrived as this over-written affair lurched to what I felt was a remarkably shallow evaluation of some very highly paid, spoilt, brats. I did like that fact that his paper boy wore a Beckham shirt, though.

Production companies