''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 (arts), theme. It is a production in which a sport or a sports-related topic is prominently featured or is a focus o ...

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 ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

, 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), Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a populatio ...

Rochestown Rochestown is a primarily residential area in Cork City, Ireland. Originally a somewhat rural area in County Cork, housing developments in the 20th and 21st centuries have connected the area to Douglas, Cork, Douglas and nearby suburbs. The area ...

, Passage West and the un-opened maternity ward of the

Cork University Hospital Cork University Hospital () is a large university teaching hospital in Wilton, Cork in Ireland. Its academic partner is University College Cork and serves as one of two major trauma centers for Ireland: the other is Mater Misericordiae University ...

as well as the new airport. The film had its market premiere preview screening at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

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 ''Slumdog Millionaire'' is a 2008 British drama film that is a loose adaptation of the novel '' Q & A'' (2005) by Indian author Vikas Swarup. It narrates the story of 18-year-old Jamal Malik from the Juhu slums of Mumbai. Starring Dev Patel ...

'. Later the same year,

Michael Madsen Michael Madsen (born September 25, 1957) is an American actor. Alongside his frequent collaborations with Quentin Tarantino—''Reservoir Dogs'' (1992), ''Kill Bill: Volume 2'' (2004), ''The Hateful Eight'' (2015), and ''Once Upon a Time in Hol ...

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 (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, reigning since 2005. Born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, Albert is the second child and only son of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace. He attend ...

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 Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is an English actor, presenter, and former professional footballer. Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, C ...

as "Smasher" O'Driscoll *

Patrick Bergin Patrick Connolly Bergin (born 4 February 1951) is an Irish actor and singer. In 1991, he starred opposite Julia Roberts in '' Sleeping with the Enemy'' and played the title character in ''Robin Hood''. His other roles include terrorist Kevin O' ...

as "Papa Boss" *

Richard Chamberlain George Richard Chamberlain (March 31, 1934 – March 29, 2025) was an American actor and singer who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show '' Dr. Kildare'' (1961–1966). He subsequently earned the title "King of the Mini- ...

as Denis O'Leary * Gail Fitzpatrick as "Mammy" McGrath * Michael Rawley as "Chaser" McGrath * Luke Whelton as Michael Kelleher Jr. * Finbar Furey as Chosky Boss * 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 The Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival (DTLAFF) is an annual film festival based in Downtown Los Angeles. History The festival was founded in 2008 and the venue used is the Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live. The Grammy Museum helped sponsor the fes ...

* 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 English-language sports drama films