Kneecap

by Mike McGranaghan

Kneecap instantly joins 8 Mile, Hustle & Flow, and Straight Outta Compton as one of the great movies about rap music. It’s a fictionalized take on the true story of an Irish rap group called Kneecap, whose members play themselves. Professional actors round out the cast. The approach is effective. Even if you don’t like rap, there’s plenty to pull you in because the story deals with the power of politically charged music.

Ireland is in the middle of turmoil, with some wanting English to be the country’s official language and others wanting to preserve the traditional Irish language. A chance encounter brings together music teacher DJ Provaí (JJ Ó Dochartaigh) and two self-described “low-life scum,” Naoise Ó Cairealláin (a.k.a. Móglaí Bap) and Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh (a.k.a. Mo Chara). They’re drug dealers with a gift for writing lyrics that celebrate substance use, wanton behavior, and political rebellion. Plus, they rap in Irish, which no one else does. Naoise was schooled in activism by his father Arlo (Michael Fassbender), a rabble-rouser who’s been hiding from the law for a decade.

With DJ Provaí providing the beats and Naoise and Liam penning the lyrics, the newly formed Kneecap begins to make waves. Not everyone is happy about their success. A local cop wants to nail them for peddling substances, and a group called Radical Republicans Against Drugs intends to end their burgeoning career by any means necessary, including violence.

The members of Kneecap, especially Naoise and Liam, are immensely charismatic. This is not a case of real people stiffly portraying themselves on-screen. These guys come off as smart and witty, and their anti-establishment vibe is legit. You have to appreciate the dynamic among the trio, with DJ Provaí serving as the nervous schoolteacher who knows being caught associating with two hooligans will wreck his career. It doesn’t help that his wife Caitlin (Fionnula Flaherty) is fighting for the Irish language in a more traditional way. Big laughs are generated from how the younger men corrupt the older one with their vices.

Kneecap has some of the same untamed energy as Trainspotting. It’s loud, raucous, and funny. Director Rich Peppiatt employs flashy camera and editing techniques to create a sense of anything-goes anarchy. (He also has the song lyrics appear in English text so we know what's being said.) That quality is essential since it serves to capture the essence of the rappers themselves. These guys aren’t professionally trained musicians, they’re unrepentant hedonists who have been negatively affected by sociopolitical factors in Dublin and are subsequently pissed off. They use what they know – rap – to let out their rage while still having fun doing it.

Underneath the comedic hijinks, the film smartly points out that rap music is potent because it has historically given a voice to groups that didn’t previously have them. Speak with enough force and the powers-that-be will grow nervous. The guys rap in Irish, knowing anyone who understands the lyrics will get the meaning behind them. It’s a way of defiantly giving the finger to forces who are trying make the language – and therefore the very act of being Irish - secondary.

With good music, appealing performances, and a vibrant countercultural spirit, Kneecap is a dazzling movie that leaves you feeling exhilarated at the end.

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