Kneecap (2024)

I once heard a joke that the Irish are the only race of people who would be so light-hearted that they can name a bloody thirty-year conflict "the troubles". Most of the battles took place in the city of Belfast, a place still staunchly divided today between Irish and British nationalists and one of the major losses of the war is the slow decline of the Irish language itself. As this film points out, there are only 6,000 native Irish speakers in the whole of Northern Ireland and more people speak Polish. Leave it to this film, an utterly frenzied, drug-fuelled extravaganza to bring this issue to the fore. 

Rich Peppiatt's directing debut begins knowingly with a montage of every story you usually see about Belfast - cars blowing up, riots, gangs of balaclava-wearing youths charging the police etc. - but instantly subverts the usual narrative with the narration "Every f*ckin' story about Belfast starts like this, but not this one. And don't be actin the f*ckin' balloon." From there we are introduced to two drug-dealers at the lowest societal wrung of West Belfast and launched feet first into their lives of mayhem. The plot centres around the lives of real Irish rap-group 'Kneecap' and the three leads are played by members of said band. In the story however they begin as two drug-peddling rappers and a music teacher, brought together by circumstance and fate to make politically turbo-charged riot music for the masses. 

From the start, Peppiatt's style is somewhere between 'Lock, Stock', 'Trainspotting' and 'Human Traffic', or maybe a combination of all three. Whatever the case, the pace is breakneck. It rarely slows down and matches the energy of the music almost seamlessly. Because this is Belfast, and because these boys are all from the Orange, White & Green side of town, there are also inevitable ties to the aforementioned "troubles". Michael Fassbender, adding some star power to proceedings, plays the father of one band member who also happens to be an active IRA paramilitary. There is also the politicisation of the Irish language itself, with the unionists taking the view that those who wish for it to remain do so because they wish for Northern Ireland to be part of the motherland and for us Brits to feck off forever. For what is essentially a comedic romp, there is a lot going on. 

The main thrust of the story, however, are the three musicians and their rise to fame. Their whole act seems tailormade to piss people off. For example, the DJ wears an Ireland flag balaclava and bares his naked arse, inscribed with the words 'Brits Out', at multiple gigs. The music itself does wonders for the Irish language and shows why hip hop became, and still is at its core, the voice of oppressed people, although the band have more in common with Rage Against The Machine than Jay-Z. To see such matters addressed with such comedic levity makes for a wonderfully refreshing take on things and, let's be honest, takes some serious balls. From that point of view, the film is utterly fearless and tackles subjects like imperial rule, and the complications that go with it, with a cheeky line of MDMA and a cracked joke. Not something you see every day, that's for certain and the smart thing that 'Kneecap' seems to have figured out is that this approach will likely resonate with many more people as a result. That's not to say there aren't emotions at the core of this story too. The family-drama aspect is also there and, by the end, hits you with a gentle unexpected wallop. 

All of this leads to a rocket-fuelled, funny and completely unique take on the tried and true coming-of-age-romantic-comedy-drama genre. Where it falls short is the sheer style of the thing. From the off there is a certain technique at play - that sort of hyper-frenetic, let's throw every idea into the pot, type of energy - and there is nothing inherently wrong with that. After a while however it starts to feel like a gimmick and typically in situations where style is so heavily relied on, it is because there isn't much substance in the first place. However, this story has such a never-ending supply of substance (no pun intended) that you wish the whole thing was simply allowed to breathe. Indeed the movie works best when the gimmicks slow and the story does the talking. This is the problem with modern filmmaking though - directors are expected to wow you with technical wizardry, otherwise it's almost like they are not doing their job. Which is a shame because there is enough here to be monumental, but a lot of it gets somewhat overshadowed by all the tricks and treats. 

That said, this is still a fantastic effort and it will be interesting to see what director Rich Peppiatt does next. The three leads have chemistry and charisma by the bucketload and do a wonderful job of carrying the film. Fassbender also does what he does, adding gravity to proceedings every time he appears on screen. Overall this is a rich, highly original, immensely enjoyable, blitzkreig of a film. The band themselves seem to give absolutely zero fucks, and have gained a huge fanbase because of it, but what they have inadvertendtly done is bring attention to several important issues and, despite it's flaws, the legacy of this film not only matches their spirit, but enhances their legacy for a whole new legion of fans to enjoy. 

JB.