The Mighty
| The Mighty | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Peter Chelsom |
| Produced by |
Simon Fields Jane Startz Don Carmody Executive: Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein Julie Goldstein Deborah Forte |
| Screenplay by | Charles Leavitt |
| Based on |
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick |
| Starring |
Elden Henson Kieran Culkin Sharon Stone Gena Rowlands Harry Dean Stanton Gillian Anderson James Gandolfini |
| Music by | Trevor Jones |
| Cinematography | John de Borman |
| Editing by | Martin Walsh |
| Studio | Scholastic |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
| Release dates |
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| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100,000 |
| Box office | $2,652,246[1] |
The Mighty is a 1998 drama film directed by Peter Chelsom and based on the book Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick.
Plot
Kevin is a 12-year-old boy who suffers Mucopolysaccharidosis IV, or Morquio syndrome. He is extremely intelligent and prone to flights of fancy, but is physically crippled and is forced to walk with crutches and a brace.
Max is an over-sized, yet, good-natured boy suffering from dyslexia who lives with his grandparents. He has flunked the seventh grade twice and is tormented by Blade, a teenage gang leader. When Kevin is assigned as Max's reading tutor, they form a bond of friendship over the similar circumstances they share, such as both being outcasts and their fathers abandoning them.
Kevin and Max go to a local festival to watch fireworks and get attacked by Blade and his gang. The two escape into a nearby lake with Kevin riding on Max's shoulders. Kevin then witnesses that same gang of teens putting someone's purse in a sewer later. Kevin goes and bangs on Max's window to get the purse.
They retrieve the purse, but, are once again confronted by Blade and his gang the Doghouse Boys. They attempt to attack Kevin, but Max stops them. Max then becomes angry and the gang (fearing for their lives) run away. Both Max and Kevin see the purse belongs to a lady named Loretta Lee. Kevin and Max return the purse to Loretta and see that she is married to Iggy Lee, a former gang leader.
Loretta recognizes Max from when he was a child and, after some questioning, she and Iggy learn that Max is the son of the infamous murderer Kenny "Killer" Kane, who was an old friend of Iggy's from prison. Afterward, the two help each other out with Kevin acting as Max's brain, and Max acting as Kevin's legs by carrying him around everywhere on his shoulders. One day, Kevin showed Max where he'd be rehabilitated at a research center. Kevin said he'd be the first one and that he'd be just like a robot.
On Christmas Eve, Max is kidnapped by his father, Kenny "Killer" Kane (James Gandolfini) who has recently been released from prison on parole. Max is taken to Loretta's home by "Killer" Kane, who tries to strangle Loretta after she attempts to help Max escape, causing Max to remember when "Killer" Kane killed Max's mother, which was one of the reasons why "Killer" Kane went to prison in the first place.
Kevin, having tracked Max and Killer Kane to Iggy and Loretta's, breaks in with a squirt gun and tells Killer Kane that he has sulfuric acid in it. Kevin shoots Killer Kane with the squirt gun and Kane thinks his eyes are burning despite the actually harmless compounds that are in the vial (soap, vinegar, and chili powder).
An angered Killer Kane attempts to attack Kevin. Max reacts and attacks his own father in order to prevent him from harming Kevin. Police come and arrest Kane, who was never given a parole again and was sentenced to prison for life. Max and Kevin go home and celebrate Christmas. After exchanging gifts, Kevin gives Max an empty book and tells Max to write in it.
The next morning, Kevin dies in his sleep, due to cardiac troubles. Max, not bearing to leave his friend, chases after the ambulance. Recalling an earlier conversation with Kevin on how he would get a new body from a research center, Max heads there immediately, only to discover that Kevin had lied and the research center is in fact a commercial laundromat. Max breaks down among the workers. For the next few weeks, he continues going to school, but spends his spare time locked in his basement, even missing Kevin's funeral and Kevin's mother moving away. However, after running into Loretta (now wearing a neck brace) at a bus stop, she reminds him that "[doing] nothing's a drag", he decides he has to go on, and even works up the courage to answer a question his teacher presents to the class.
Inspired by their bond, Max remembers Kevin and all the adventures they had and he decides to write it all in the empty book Kevin had given him. Max eventually gets writers block on the last page so he puts an illustration of King Arthur's grave, which reads, "Here Lies King Arthur, Once and Future King", to symbolize his belief that he will see Kevin again. Max takes the old ornithopter (his mechanical air plane) that belonged to Kevin and he winds it up, making it fly. Max narrates the final sentence, "So now you have heard the story of Freak the Mighty, who slayed dragons, saved maidens, and walked high above the world."
Cast
- Elden Henson as Maxwell "Max" Kane, The Mighty
- Kieran Culkin as Kevin Dillon, Freak.
- Sharon Stone as Gwen Dillon
- Gena Rowlands as Susan "Gram" Pinneman
- Harry Dean Stanton as Elton "Grim" Pinneman
- James Gandolfini as Kenny "Killer" Kane
- Gillian Anderson as Loretta Lee
- Meat Loaf as Iggy Lee
- Jenifer Lewis as Mrs. Addison
- Joseph Perrino as Tony D. (Blade)
The author of this film is Mattia Geremy.
Reception
The film received positive reviews, currently holding a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes; the consensus simply states: "Heavy-handed and overwrought."[2]
References
External links
http://www.miramax.com/movie/the-mighty
- The Mighty at the Internet Movie Database
- The Mighty at allmovie
- The Mighty at Box Office Mojo
- The Mighty at Rotten Tomatoes
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