Political Analysis Of In The Name Of The Father Movie Review

In essence, this movie circulates around four people falsely accused of a bombing which killed a few innocent people. What is fascinating is that this movie has its grounds set in reality, and is based upon factual information. Due to the reason that the area bombed was the Guildford pub, the trials of these four people infamously became known as the Guildford Four Trials. The aim of this paper is to observe the political concepts underlined in the movie, and the most prevalent one was the absence of a sound justice system. The government under the pressure of the public is forced to arrest the most likely suspects for the bombing and when one of suspects arranges for a lawyer his father is arrested for being part of an IRA network. The most ironic aspect regarding the system of justice is that just because the judges couldn’t find a reason to hang the four innocent people, they were sentenced for life. The problem in this scenario is that innocent people are convicted, whereas dangerous felons run free and that is the tragedy of our generation. Crimes are rampant, and the criminals are free.
Corruption in the political system and performing jobs not based on what’s right, but based on what people would is really common theme in the movie. The police aim to seemingly secure the environment for the people, by arresting people who aren’t at fault, just so people can have mental satisfaction. There is an absence of them being answerable for their actions and being exposed to any form of repercussions.
A very important period in European history has been discussed by this historically rich movie. Other than the fact that it represents an actual event of the Guildford Four Trials, it also observes the actions of the IRA in detail. The IRA or the Irish Republican Army was basically an organization situated in Ireland focusing mainly upon eradicating British rule and enforcing its own rule. This was done particularly through coercive means, by carrying out terrorist attacks. This movie shows a few of the tragedies that is paramilitary organization has caused. It was using the label of something that people wanted to achieve its own aims, which is not uncommon in today’s political scenario. USA kills millions of people in Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan using the name of global security and eliminating global terrorism. The idea related to how such an organization has immunity from national security aims is appalling, and the movie focuses on this political trauma amongst others as well. It seems that it’s highly justified to kill people in the name of fighting for their own rights.
It was true that the main character in the story had been to the police several times for shoplifting and other harmless crimes. This was in no way comparable to bombing and killing innocent people. But, the fact that he had been exposed to the police made him an easy target, along with the other three people as well. The realization that the police, FBI or the entire system couldn’t catch or lay the blame on IRA members is dictated by this very fact. That a government could be a monarchy or democracy in nature, but other organizations do have its hold within the political structure. Even the Prevention Terrorist Act document held no power in these circumstances and according to the benefit of the police was declared to be ‘expired’ law. Even though, a country’s parliament or executive could possibly be weak, a good judicial system would make up for that in this case. But, that was absent here. The judiciary was unable to uncover the truth, and because of no other option, completely innocent people were given a life sentence. Despite continuous hearings, their innocence still wasn’t noticeable. The police even forced them to make confessions regarding things they did not do.
An ill fated political structure is noticeable in the entire movie from every angle. It might seem like the police in a nation like Britain or Ireland, is taking care of the people. But, this movie shows that this might not be the case. Lies and deceit surround this false reality. People are made to believe that they are secure, when terrorists and murderers are running free and moving according to their own will. An innocent person has all his human rights taken away because of being likely to perform a certain crime. Where’s the justice in that?
The guilty person is not even given the right to hire a lawyer. Getty’s father is forced not to hire a lawyer who could fight for the rights of his son. This is one of the basic human rights, everywhere in the world. The right to representation in case of a court conflict was not given to all of the Guildford Four suspects. This was obvious, because had there been a lawyer, the police would have been unable to force a confession out of the innocent men and the lawyer would’ve helped them regain their freedom and status within the society. The corrupt and inactive status of politics is shown within the system and the violence associated with the IRA contrasts with the peaceful political parties found in democracies Rather than gaining support through enlightenment they focus on coercion and mass crimes of hatred.
Lastly, this ‘In the Name of the Father’ was very touching and through political concepts it made us see much deeper into the relationships that are defined during problematic times, brought about due to errors of those in the country that are in power. Slowly, as the story progresses the movie looks at how meaningless lives are for the IRA, how their crimes go unnoticed, how the police in inefficient, how the judiciary is not based upon truth, and how the judges convict the innocent. Minor aspects of every country’s political structure are shown on a very radical and revolutionary front.