''Strength and Honour'' is a 2008 Irish

sports drama A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme. It is a production in which a sport, sporting event, athlete (and their sport), or follower of sport (and the sp ...

film written, produced and directed by Mark Mahon. It was shot in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, Ireland. Filming took place in the city and county including

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 ( ...

, 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 The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

in May 2007, and won the "Best Picture" and "Best Actor" awards at the

Boston Film Festival Boston Film Festival (BFF) is an annual film festival held in Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It has been held annually since 1984, usually in early September. The Boston Film Festival premiered such notable films as '' The Last Kiss' ...

. 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 Michael Søren Madsen (born September 25, 1957) is an American actor. He has starred in many films and television series, frequently collaborating with director Quentin Tarantino, most famously in the latter's debut film '' Reservoir Dogs'' (1 ...

and Mark Mahon appeared on the TODAY show in New York, as there was such strong word of mouth about the film. On 17 March 2010, Mark Mahon and the film's main cast were invited by

Prince Albert of Monaco Albert II – Website of the Palace of Monaco (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, since 2005. Albert was born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, and he is the second child and only son of Prince Rai ...

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

as Sean Kelleher * Vinnie Jones as "Smasher" O'Driscoll * Patrick Bergin as "Papa Boss" * Richard Chamberlain as Denis O'Leary * Gail Fitzpatrick as "Mammy" McGrath * Michael Rawley as "Chaser" McGrath * Michael Kelleher Jr. as Luke Whelton * Chosky Boss as Finbar Furey * Coco McGrath as Sheridan Mahon * Baby McGrath as Krystal Mahon * Barry Leacy as Myles Horgan * Fixer Ward as Michael Galvin * Gary Cashman as "Blackie"

Reception

The film initially received negative reviews on both its test AmericanVariety (Ronnie Scheib)
/ref> 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: * 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 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.

References

External links

* *
Official Strength And Honour website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strength And Honour 2008 films 2008 drama films 2000s sports drama films Films scored by Ilan Eshkeri Films shot in County Cork Irish boxing films Irish sports drama films 2000s English-language films