Kneecap is a raw, fresh, and feverish comedy that finds the sweet spot where politics intersects with art. Rich Peppiatt’s highly entertaining film is in-your-face and obscenely hilarious. Peppiatt’s film has more on its mind than pulling back the curtain on the importance of musical political activism and protest.
There is a manic energy infused with its political insurgency that separates Kneecap from other films of the same ilk. Behind the lightning-quick cuts, vibrant characters, and stylized violence, the film immerses the viewer in a story of modern-day Irish appropriation that takes real risks and makes no apologies for it.
The movie also has the best role, albeit supportive, for Michael Fassbender in years.
Kneecap Review and Synopsis
The story follows the highly fictionalized “origin” story of the Irish hip-hop act Kneecap and its humble beginnings. Many would call it fate. A school teacher from Belfast moonlights as an Irish language interpreter who speaks Gaeilge. His name is JJ (DJ Próva, playing himself), an apathetic teacher asked to interpret for Liam (Mo Chara, playing himself), who’s under arrest.
Liam claims he doesn’t speak the Queen’s language. The detective (Josie Walker) interrogating him doesn’t believe it for a second. She pulls out Mo’s small notebook and asks JJ to interpret it. He finds the book filled with lyrics about the Irish Civil Rights movement, protesting the English control. JJ immediately envisions the untapped potential of a new kind of musical movement.
Meanwhile, Liam’s mother (Peaky Blinders’ Simone Kirby) hasn’t left the home in years. She has made her own, whereas others have gone to prison for the cause. That’s because her husband, Arlo (Fassbender), faked his death fighting for native rights. Liam’s brother, Naoise (Mógla Bap, playing himself), is the only one in contact with him, providing Arlo with support from their drug sales.
Kneecap Makes No Apologies For It’s Fresh, Raw, and Feverish Story and Vibrant Characters
Peppiatt, who wrote the script with Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Próvaí, has made the next great comedy biopic. Peppiatt and the hip-hop trio do not apologize for their feverish story and vibrant characters. It’s a trip to watch the trio form their band in a series of chaotic, surreal, and intense scenes stitched together to describe their unlikely rise as a voice of a Northern Irish generation.
Kneecap has its own unique look and feel, with half the film spoken in Gaelic, the first of its kind at 2024’s Sundance Film Festival. This is an adrenaline-fueled “Gailpop” (G-Pop?) film, with a score from Michael “Mikey J” Asante, that sets a tone for a comedy film that straight rips and has an intense energy that leaves a mark. Also, it’s worth noting again how Kneecap is obscenely hilarious.
Not to mention, many of the situational comedic sequences the main characters find themselves in are smartly written and well-drawn out. My favorite scene is the unspoken interaction and communication between JJ and Liam in the interrogation room. And don’t get me wrong, the film has a healthy helping of raunch to go along with some raw comedic wit.
Is Kneecap Worth Watching?
Kneecap is also worth watching for its sharp and insightful commentary on cultural assimilation. This is modern-day colonialism. While based on some truth, the group’s story is highly fictionalized (I mean, what biographical film isn’t nowadays?). It puts a European white face on what it means to be cultural identity, inclusion, and the power of gatekeeping shared histories for the next generation.
While the film isn’t perfect, some of the drug party scenes and a subplot involving Outlander’s Jessica Reynolds seem out of place. However, Kneecap is a breath of fresh, unfiltered, and unashamed air. Some may call the film irresponsible, but the trio and director aren’t asking you to approve or condone their actions.
No, Peppiatt and friends present you with the realities while pushing the downtrodden too far and providing an outlet to voice those harsh truths. The result is a bold, comedic, supercharged, and gritty hip-hop Gaelic overload of the senses from a new wave of emerging voices, making Kneecap one of the year’s biggest surprise films.
You watch Kneecap only in theaters August 12th.
9/10
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