In Belfast 2017, disaffected youths Naoise and Liam Óg flee from a rave where they are selling drugs. Liam is arrested but refuses to speak English. The police call in prepossessing JJ, a schoolteacher and Irish language campaigner to translate. He reads the boys book of poems, or ‘scribbles’ as they call them and persuades them to rap them to beats he creates in his garage. The rap verses tell tales of sex and drugs with proud republican rebellious streak, so to keep his job JJ wears a balaclava on stage and the trio become ‘Kneecap’.
Rich Peppiat’s film bursts with energy. It moves at a rapid pace, providing some very funny lines and a number of electrifying musical sequences. The three leads all play themselves and all give natural and accomplished performances, particularly JJ Ó Dochartaigh, who I assumed was a professional actor throughout the movie. Michael Fassbender is the one recognisable face in the cast, and he also makes his presence felt in his small role.
With the real people involved, it sticks more to the facts than many supposed true stories, and that does not harm its dramatic impact. The only problem I had was that the group’s lyrics, and therefore a lot of the film’s focus, was more about the drug taking than the politics, so at times the film drifts into Trainspotting territory and that is a film that has not aged well.
This is an audacious crowd pleaser that I am sure will attract a substantial cult following.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10