‘Kneecap’ review: ballsy, brave and one of the best music biopics ever made

This unassuming NME writer first went in blind to see Kneecap’s self-titled film one nondescript Thursday morning back in March, knowing little of what went into it or what to expect. Dumbfounded upon exiting the cinema, a simple seven word email was sent to band’s PR: “Holy shit, fuck me, what a film”. Weeks later, that line would come to adorn movie posters around the world. Some months and several viewings later, we figured you’d deserve a more considered review.

• READ MORE: Kneecap on the cover: giving peace, protest and partying a chance

Kneecap is a semi-dramatised biopic of the formation and rise of the controversial, headline-grabbing Irish language hip-hop trio, recalling how rappers Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara would write lyrics to reflect their everyday Belfast lives as well as their nights spent scoring and selling drugs or running from the police. One night, after being arrested and refusing to speak English to the police, local music teacher JJ O Dochartaigh is brought in to translate from Irish. Taking Chara’s side after discovering his lyrical prowess, the humble teacher encourages him and Bap to pursue music and offers to lay down some beats – in bid to make Irish language music relevant to a new generation and “set the dodo free”.

Not only does the dodo break free from its museum case, but it takes a big bag of ket and starts a riot. Working with Chara and Bap reawakens JJ’s days of raving and hedonism, soon adoring the now iconic tricolour balaclava to become the fearsome DJ Próvaí. The band’s rise to the top is set against the battle Northern Ireland’s Identity and Language Act – but are the band doing more damage than good? The police are also out to get them, not helped by the fact that Bap’s IRA father – played by Hollywood’s own Michael Fassbender – is reported dead, but is actually in exile. Some slapstick local dissident Republicans also take issue with Kneecap’s drug-addled ways, and Chara finds himself in a dangerous kind of love.

Essentially, Kneecap are pissing off everyone on all sides of the social and political spectrum – when all they want to do is speak their truth in their own tongue. As they put it, it’s a fight to be seen in a place that never wanted you to exist. Bringing their aggy music to life, loaded with thrills, pills and bellyaches, while sensitively reflecting the hangover of The Struggles, the film lands as a clash of 8 Mile and Trainspotting with a dash of Steve McQueen’s Hunger.

Just like their insane live shows and debut album ‘Fine Art’, it’s one hell of a laugh. However it’s also full of heart; telling a real working class story as a call for unity without punching down or patronising. Anyone who compares it to People Just Do Nothing or The Young Offenders can get in the bin.

Also, we need to talk about the performances. Fassbender is magnetic as ever and there’s a real star turn by Chara’s firey love interest Georgia (played by Jessica Reynolds), but the band themselves naturally leap out of the screen. Anyone who’d never seen DJ Próvaí’s face before would be forgiven for thinking he sat this one out and a pro actor had been hired instead. Here’s a band with so much to offer. Sign us up for a sequel, please.

Unapologetically ballsy and brave, Kneecap has no business being as good as it is – not only one of the standout films of 2024, but arguably one of the best music biopics of all time. So, with much thought and time to percolate, here’s your full analysis: Holy shit, fuck me, what a film.

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