Summary

• Kneecap is a fresh and original dramedy that balances humor with grounded depictions of resistance in Belfast.
• Michael Fassbender shines in Kneecap, drawing parallels to his earlier roles in Hunger and Frank.
• The movie blends dark humor, Irish history, and mental health themes to create a compelling, meta narrative.

2024’s new Michael Fassbender comedy Kneecap combines two of the actor’s most overlooked movies in a story that feels fresh, raw, and entirely original. Director Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap is a dramedy revolving around the Belfast rap trio of the same name. Established in 2017, Kneecap consists of rappers Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara and the band’s DJ, DJ Próvaí. Kneecap’s story chronicles the band’s rise to fame, combining a charming coming-of-age story about life in West Belfast with a heady dose of drugs. Perhaps the most surprising name in Kneecap’s cast list is Michael Fassbender, who plays Móglaí Bap’s father, Arlo.

A republican paramilitary who the two rappers idolized in their early childhood, Arlo is a ghostly figure for much of Kneecap’s runtime. Either dead or on the run from the British government, the character serves as a constant reminder of Belfast’s bloody struggle against colonial rule. Kneecap is one of Kneecap’s incredible Rotten Tomatoes rating wouldn’t have been possible without the ing star’s stellar turn. Fassbender’s screen time might be limited, but his role oddly mirrors two earlier parts the actor played.

2024’s Kneecap Combines Two Earlier Michael Fassbender Hits

The Rap Group’s Biographical Dramedy Draws From Hunger and Frank

Kneecap’s fast-paced, funny story is a perfect blend of 2014's Frank and 2008's Hunger, as unlikely as this may sound. Frank, like Kneecap, is a dark dramedy about a mismatched group of troubled musicians who succeed despite the odds stacked against them. Hunger, like Kneecap, sees Fassbender play a member of the Provisional IRA who makes unimaginable personal sacrifices for his cause. As unlikely as a mashup of these two movies might sound, much of Kneecap’s appeal comes from the movie’s ability to blend these two discordant tones effectively. It’s not unlike the soundtrack's Irish language hip-hop.

Kneecap focuses less on Arlo’s personal struggle with leaving his family and more on how this impacted Móglaí Bap and his mother.

Frank saw Fassbender hide behind a mask for much of its runtime, much like DJ Próvaí dons a tricolor balaclava when the moonlighting schoolteacher is worried his students may recognize him at a gig. The similarities between Arlo and Hunger’s Bobby Sands are even more obvious, with characters jokingly referring to Arlo as a wannabe Bobby Sands at numerous points. In contrast with Hunger’s period setting, Kneecap focuses less on Arlo’s personal struggle with leaving his family and more on how this impacted Móglaí Bap and his mother. Kneecap concerns itself with the intergenerational trauma of growing up in a war zone.

Kneecap Builds On Michael Fassbender's Star-Making Role

The Comedy-Drama's Story Jokes About Bobby Sands

Like most Irish-language movies, Kneecap isn’t overly concerned with holding the viewer’s hand when it comes to matters of Irish history. Causal references to Michael Collins may leave some viewers scratching their heads, but this lived-in awareness of Irish culture results in a hilarious meta nod to Fassbender’s star-making role. Early on, Arlo’s wife mocks him for acting like he's Bobby Sands, a winking reference to the fact that Fassbender played Sands in his star-making role. Arguably Steve McQueen’s best movie, Hunger is a painfully slow, raw, and realistic depiction of Sands’ slow death during a hunger strike.

Kneecap’s repeated refrain that “Every word spoken in Irish is a bullet fired for Irish freedom” rings true as the movie’s story continues.

In this regard, Kneecap seems a million miles from McQueen’s tragic drama. However, Kneecap’s repeated refrain that “Every word spoken in Irish is a bullet fired for Irish freedom” rings true as the movie’s story continues. The struggles of Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Próvaí might seem less existential than Sands’ life-or-death protest. However, the soft power of censorship leveled against the band, the threats from police and politicians, their disavowal by other Republicans, and their very real fear of losing their livelihoods all combine to make free expression almost impossible for the trio. Thus, Kneecap shares Hunger’s central conflict.

Kneecap’s Fassbender Role Makes 2014's Frank Even Better

Lenny Abrahamson's Underrated Dramedy Also Focused On A Troubled Musician

Both Hunger and Kneecap are stories about protagonists struggling not only against external threats, but against a colonial force that tries to reshape their very worldview. In this regard, Kneecap manages to borrow from Fassbender’s earlier indie hit Frank while simultaneously paying tribute to McQueen’s movie. Director Lenny Abrahamson's black comedy Frank saw its eponymous hero struggle with ill mental health, something Kneecap foregrounds throughout its punchy, confrontational story. The major difference is that, as Kneecap’s antiheroes note, their struggles with ill mental health are closely linked to their material conditions and the limited job opportunities and futures awaiting them.

As sardonically noted in the movie’s song “Sick in the Head,” Kneecap’s heroes are more concerned with making enough money to get by than solving their struggles with ill mental health. This resonates with the plot of Frank, which sees Domhnall Gleeson’s young musician attempt to profit off the talent of Fassbender’s titular oddball. The unpredictable dramedy eventually reveals that Fassbender’s Frank wears his ever-present mask because he struggles with ill mental health, but Gleeson’s protagonist has already done all he can to capitalize on Frank's talent. His inability to see past his ambitions clouds their friendship, something Kneecap avoid.

Kneecap's Reliance On Fassbender's Earlier Roles Is Ingenious

The Irish-Language Movie Is Playfully Meta

From the narrator directly addressing the audience to casting Fassbender in a role so closely linked to Sands, Kneecap maintains a self-aware sense of humor despite its heavy themes. Movies set in the North of Ireland can often end up either downplaying the region’s history of oppression or leaning into this aspect and feeling painfully one-note. Instead, Kneecap succeeds precisely because it borrows from both Frank and Hunger. Unlike Hunger, Kneecap expands its focus beyond one individual’s fight for freedom and out into their broader community. Unlike Frank, Kneecap situates mental health struggles within a historical and social context.

The Irish indie movie has already enjoyed massive critical success and an impressive cinema run in the US.

While both Frank and Hunger were stellar star vehicles for Fassbender and strong movies on their own , Kneecap’s remix of their themes feels entirely new and original. The Irish indie movie has already enjoyed massive critical success and an impressive cinema run in the US, earning almost $1 million in its two weeks of limited release. Fassbender’s role in the movie might be a ing one, but Kneecap’s entire story engages with the actor’s oeuvre in a meta sense. Michael Fassbender’s roles in Frank and Hunger make Kneecap’s story even stronger, building on the movie’s themes and characterization.