Strength and Honour
| Strength and Honour | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mark Mahon |
| Produced by | Mark Mahon |
| Written by | Mark Mahon |
| Starring |
Michael Madsen Vinnie Jones Richard Chamberlain Patrick Bergin Luke Whelton Gary Cashman |
| Music by | Ilan Eshkeri |
| Cinematography | Alan Almond |
| Editing by | Kate Coggins |
| Distributed by | Eclipse Pictures (Ireland) |
| Release dates | November 30, 2007 (Ireland) |
| Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
Strength and Honour is a boxing film that was shot in Cork, Ireland. Filming took place in the city and county including Kinsale, Rochestown, Passage West and the un-opened maternity ward of the Cork University Hospital as well as the new airport.
The film had its market premiere screening at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2007, and won the "Best Picture" and "Best Actor" awards at the Boston Film Festival.[1]
It was released on the 20th of November 2007 in Ireland and was tested on a limited capacity in the United States on the 7th of December 2007. It was given a 15A rating in Ireland. After the U.S. testing, the film was re-cut taking 13 minutes off it.
In 2009, the Film was selected to screen at the Writers Guild of America and received a review in the Los Angeles Times that described it as 'another Slumdog Millionaire'. Later the same year, Michael Madsen and Mark Mahon appeared on the TODAY show in New York, as there was such strong word of mouth about the Film.
On March 17, 2010, Mark Mahon and the film’s main cast were invited by Prince Albert of Monaco to a private Royal screening at the Palace of Monaco.
The film's tagline was: Wounds Heal, Scars Fade, Hope is for Everyone".
Plot
Strength and Honour tells the story of an Irish-American boxer, Sean Kelleher (Michael Madsen), who accidentally kills his friend in the ring and promises his wife that he will never box again. However, years later, when he discovers that his only son is dying of the same hereditary heart disorder which has taken his wife, he is forced to break his promise in order to raise the substantial funds needed for the surgery that could save his son’s life.
Strength and Honour is a story of hope and love, sacrifice and devotion, set against the violent underground world of Irish bare-knuckle boxing.
Cast
- Michael Madsen ... Sean Kelleher
- Vinnie Jones ... Smasher O'Driscoll
- Patrick Bergin ... Papa Boss
- Richard Chamberlain ... Denis O'Leary
- Gail Fitzpatrick ... Mammy McGrath
- Michael Rawley ... Chaser McGrath
- Michael Kelleher Jr. ... Luke Whelton
- Chosky Boss ... Finbar Furey
- Coco McGrath ... Sheridan Mahon
- Baby McGrath ... Krystal Mahon
- Barry Leacy ... Myles Horgan
- Fixer Ward ... Michael Galvin
- Gary Cashman ... Blackie
Reception
The film received largely negative reviews on both its American[2] and Irish releases. It was released on the 20th of November 2007 in Ireland and was tested on a limited capacity in the United States on the 7th of December 2007. Mark Mahon was nominated for an I.F.T.A. (Irish Film and Television Academy Award) for his efforts. It was given a 15A rating in Ireland. After the U.S. testing, the film was re-cut taking 13 minutes off it. The film currently holds a 'rotten' rating at Rotten Tomatoes with only 6% of critics giving it a positive review.
Awards
It then went on to win the followings awards:
- won the "Best Picture" and "Best Actor" awards at the Boston Film Festival
- Winner – Festival Prize – 23rd Boston Film Festival
- Winner – Best Feature – 23rd Boston Film Festival
- Winner – Michael Madsen, Best Actor – 23rd Boston Film Festival
- Winner – Best Feature – 2008 Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival
- Winner – Michael Madsen, Best Actor – 2008 Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival
- Winner – Best Feature – 2008 New York International Film Festival
- Winner – Best Director – 2008 New York International Film Festival
- Winner – Michael Madsen, Best Actor – 2008 New York International Film Festival
- Winner – Best Score – 2008 New York International Film Festival
- Winner – 56th Annual Columbus International Film Festival (Chris Awards)
- Winner – Best American Independent Feature – 2008 Mount Shasta International Film Festival
- Winner – Best Performance in a Feature – 2008 Mount Shasta International Film Festival
- Winner – Best Foreign Feature – 2008 International Action On Film Festival
- Winner – Best Director – 2008 International Action On Film Festival
- Winner – Best Screenplay – 2008 Alan J. Bailey Excellence Award
- Winner – Best Supporting Actor – 2008 Alan J. Bailey Excellence Award
- Winner – Best Soundtrack – 2008 Malibu International Film Festival
- Winner – Best Picture – 2008 Apra Foundation for Film, Music and Art (AFFMA)
- Winner – Best Director – 2008 23rd Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
- Writers Guild of America Selection in Pete Hammond’s Screening Series
- Winner – Best Picture – 2009 Aurora Awards
- Winner – Best Picture – 2009 Moscow Sports Film Festival
Strength and Honour also had official selections from film festivals all across the globe, including selection for some of the world's most prestigious non-competitive festivals such as Cairo, Cambridge, Portugal, Moscow, Rome, Seville and Shanghai. A great honour was the Film's selection by the Beijing Olympics Committee for their Sports Film Screening Week in 2008.