Kneecap (18)

★★★★ Belfast rappers Kneecap use the Irish language as their weapon in Rich Peppiatt’s exhilarating comedy drama co-starring Michael Fassbender; a fictionalised origin story which is one of the funniest films of the year. ~ The Observer.

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Raucous, infectious and unapologetically rude, Rich Peppiatt’s debut feature tells the real life story of how an anarchic Belfast trio became the unlikely figureheads of a civil rights movement to save and reinvigorate their mother tongue. 

Of the 80,000 native Irish speakers, 6,000 live in the North of Ireland and three of them became a rap group called Kneecap. 

Childhood best friends Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh and Naoise Ó Cairealláin live chaotic lives in modern day Belfast, selling drugs and partying to pass the time. When they inadvertently cross paths with JJ Ó Dochartaigh – a frustrated school teacher and Irish language activist – the trio form an unexpected bond. 

Kneecap is formed: an anti-establishment musical experiment celebrating the creative and political possibilities of Irish Gaelic. Facing resistance in their personal lives, as well as pressure from both sides of the Republican-Unionist divide, the members of Kneecap fight to make their mark and become an improbable symbol of Irish youth culture, national identity and cultural pride. 

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★★★★★ Ballsy, brave and one of the best music biopics ever made, the headline-grabbing Belfast rap trio blend '8 Mile', 'Trainspotting' and 'The Hunger' into a hedonistic but heartfelt film for the ages. ~ NME.

★★★★★ Believe the hype. Funny and original, Rich Peppiatt’s warmly anticipated comic drama has been doing the rounds since January, when it became the first Irish-language feature to premiere at Sundance. ~ Irish Independent.

★★★★★ Mixing profundity and profanity, Kneecap's Irish-language phenomenon has finally come home, seven months on from its rapturous world premiere in the US and with a great debut album also sounding the charge. ~ RTE.

★★★★✭ Turn off your English loyalty and turn on the bassline for the cheeky semi-fictionalised origin story of Northern Irish hip-hop band Kneecap. ~ Little White Lies.

★★★★ Trainspotting meets the Troubles in this anarchically fun Irish-language rap comedy. This fictional biopic starring the hip-hop trio Kneecap is a raucous portrait of the lost generation growing up in post-ceasefire Northern Ireland. ~ The Telegraph.

★★★★ A sweary, crude and brilliantly political Irish comedy. ~ The Independent.

★★★★ An unruly mosh-pit of bawdy humour and energy, Kneecap lands its ideas with bracingly entertaining vigour. ~ Total Film.

★★★★ It's endlessly entertaining while making articulate, thought-provoking points about youthful rebellion, the unifying power of music and the preservation of a nation's heritage and culture. ~ Radio Times.

★★★★ Having the mordant wit and tonal confidence to parlay The Troubles into a punchline, Kneecap has laughs, smarts and verve to spare. Get on board or, as the characters put it, fuck up. ~ Empire.

★★★★ ~ Irish Times.

★★★★ ~ Time Out.