Strength and Honour
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMark Mahon
Written byMark Mahon
Produced byMark Mahon
StarringMichael Madsen
Vinnie Jones
Richard Chamberlain
Patrick Bergin
CinematographyAlan Almond
Edited byKate Coggins
Music byIlan Eshkeri
Distributed byEclipse Pictures
Release date
  • 30 November 2007 (2007-11-30) (Ireland)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryIreland
LanguageEnglish

Strength and Honour is a 2008 Irish sports drama film written, produced and directed by Mark Mahon. It 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 preview 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 20 November 2007 in Ireland and was market tested on a limited capacity in the United States on 7 December 2007. It was given a 15A rating in Ireland. After the US testing, the film was re-cut taking 13 minutes off it and the film was fully completed in 2008.

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.[citation needed]

On 17 March 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, Glory is Forever".

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 to raise the substantial funds needed for the surgery that could save his son’s life.

Cast

Reception

The film initially received negative reviews on both its test American[2] and Irish releases. It was released on 20 November 2007 in Ireland and was market tested on a limited capacity in the United States on 7 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 US testing, the film was re-cut taking 13 minutes off it, and the film was fully completed in 2008. It then became a film festival favorite and built a significant fan base.

Awards

It then went on to win the following awards:

Strength and Honour also had official selections from several film festivals, including selections at several non-competitive festivals such as Cairo, Cambridge, Portugal, Moscow, Rome, Seville and Shanghai. The film was also selected by the Beijing Olympics Committee for their Sports Film Screening Week in 2008.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ RTÉ.ie Entertainment: Irish film wins at Boston Film Festival
  2. ^ Variety (Ronnie Scheib)

External links

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