S.L.I.F.F. Review: ‘Strength and Honour’

Travis:

Director Mark Mahon makes his feature film debut with an Irish drama about a father who is willing to do whatever it takes to save his son. Unfortunately, he finds that the decisions that have to be made are not ones he can easily come to terms with. Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs) plays former top fighter Sean Kelleher. ‘Strength and Honour’ opens with Sean sparring with his friend and fellow boxer. The two fighters are going at it hard and Sean finishes the fight with a nasty uppercut. As Sean takes a moment to rest, their trainer realizes that the other fighter is dead. Devastated, Sean slips into a long bout with guilt and regret tormented by more tragic events to follow.

Sean made a promise to his dying wife that he would never fight again and raise their son as best he could. Despite Sean’s apathy for life, he gives everything he has to raising his son Michael. When he learns that his son has a rare genetic heart condition leaving him a mere 18 months to live, Sean finds himself at a loss until the doctor tells him about an experimental and expensive operation in the States that may save Michael’s life. Vinnie Jones (The Condemned) plays Smasher O’Driscoll, a big brutal man who holds the title of King of the Travellers. The time comes again when the title is up for grabs during an annual bare knuckle fighting tournament where Smash has killed several men. Sean makes a decision to break his promise and retrain to fight Smash for the large cash prize in order to save his son.

‘Strength and Honour’ isn’t a groundbreaking film that introduces anything new to the genre of boxing films, but it is a good drama that entertains, even if it is slightly predictable. The best part of this movie is watching Michael Madsen and Vinnie Jones really get into their characters. Two of the coolest badass character actors in the business come together to brawl with each other. For me, if it’s an Irish film it’s a film I’ll watch no matter how good or bad it is because I love the language… well, the accent really. Fortunately, this is an enjoyable film that takes some time to get past the unhappy events before our mood is brought back up at the end. On a side note, the score for ‘Strength and Honour’ had an equally positive impact on the film as the accents did, utilizing traditional Irish music.

[Overall: 3.5 stars out of 5]