When I bought my ticket to Kneecap, the ticker seller asked what the movie was. I shrugged and explained what I knew… it was about an Irish musical duo who insist on rapping in Irish. I shrugged and said, “If you’re gonna make a movie, I guess that’s something to make a movie about.” A little flippant perhaps, especially when it turns out the movie is based on a very recent true story.

Yes, it’s about a pair of lower class lads who perform as a rap duo in Irish… a fading language that many authorities do not like. The boys resist calls to quit performing leading to problems with the police and local thugs.

This is a remarkably current story from as recent as 2022 (when a law was passed recognizing Irish as an official language). Not sure how accurate every point is, but I’m wiling to go with it when the movie is this thumpingly exciting.

Yeah, this film is propulsive and energetic… borrowing not a little from a Guy Ritchie style of editing, pacing, and music. The music is so thrilling, it made me want to stream the soundtrack and raise my fist for Irish language dominance. And I didn’t know or particularly care about the language.

In fact, the film’s biggest victory is making me care. Plenty of movies have the heart and soul but only convince me the characters care, but don’t often convince me. This movie did… and it’s “just” about a language (spoiler alert: it’s actually about national identity).

Very much recommend this funny, dramatic, and electric story. Might have to bring your ears to understand their accents when speaking English… and your eyes when half the movie is spoken in Irish with subtitles. It’s a fun movie even if the importance of the topic is lost on you going in.

Score: 88