The Mighty Celt

After waiting a year for this movie (everyone on GAGC was waiting from pre-production onwards!), I must say that it was indeed worth the wait. The acting was superb (wee Tyrone McKenna was some discovery! Hope to see him in other productions!) and the accents virtually flawless considering that the main actors aren't even Northern Irish. I found this film to be engrossing and had to prevent myself from almost chanting "Go Celt!" during the greyhound-racing sequences! It's not often that you find a film you can't take your eyes off, but I'd definitely count this as one of them! This is a wee gem of a film and if you get a chance to see it on the big screen, GO FOR IT!!!

The story line on this is fairly mainstream, but set in an Irish framework.

The accents here are noted as being "very realistic" by friends who appreciate Irish lore, history and culture, but are fairly difficult to discern by those of us who are "dialect-challenged". Other comments note the accuracy of the accents, but do consider turning the subtitles on with this one in order to catch the idiom and other nuances.

The character development is middle-of-the-road, and the cinematography is nicely done.

The story develops predictably, with only a few bumps in the road for younger viewers while more than adequately maintaining the interest of the adult viewing crowd.

Donal (Tyrone McKenna, outstanding) loves greyhound dogs and works for a questionable owner/trainer "Good" Joe (Ken Stott). Joe has some fast dogs for the track, no doubt, but he is horrible to the dogs which do not win. As Donal is the son of a single mother, Kate (Gillian Anderson), in their Northern Ireland home, he needs the work and truly tries to check Joe's dark impulses. Meanwhile, O (Robert Carlyle) , a former IRA member who is released from prison, comes back to the same town to stir up uneasiness for Kate. for they have a past. In truth, O seems a reformed man who gets a respectable job and turns his very damaged apartment into a nice abode. Soon, Donal falls for a dog he names the Mighty Celt, who loses his first race badly. Pleading with Joe not to "get rid of him", he says he will train Celt personally and asks that if MC wins his next three races, Joe will give the dog to Donal. Amazingly, Joe agrees and indeed the dog wins his next two races. But, Joe has a black heart and sees a money winner he will have a hard time letting go. What will happen? This film, first, has great stars in Anderson, Carlyle, Stott and especially young McKenna. What a joy to watch them. Also fabulous is the put-your-eyes out scenery in Northern Ireland, being beautiful beyond description. The direction is quite meticulous and as for the story, what a heart-squeezer! There is a time for tears, so be cautioned. But, as it ends happily, please don't skip the film! Beyond a doubt, the movie is a mighty miracle.

Gillian Anderson as a single mother from Northern Ireland. Never in my days of salivating over her in the X-Files (though not in a 'Tooms'-like fashion) did I think that I'd see her playing such a role in such a movie as this. It's basically a down to earth, straightforward story of a boy growing up in a nation that itself is only beginning to grow after 30 years of 'the Troubles' (a local war with Nationalist and Unionist terrorists along the lines of modern day Iraq but not half as brutal and deadly). The boy in question has an interest in and love for greyhounds which race for money, much as in horse racing. His relationships with the greyhound trainer that he's known for years and a new male influence in his life, who returns to Northern Ireland after being on the run for years, inevitably leads to conflict which ultimately leads to a simple resolution which is just a bit too clean and rushed in the final reels. There are no alarms and no surprises and everyone acts well enough. Despite the lack of deep thought, complicated plots, astounding cinematography, explosive special effects, etc. it's not bad though and neither is Anderson's accent. A time filler for an 84 minute gap in your life that you have little else to do with.

Low budget indeed, but worked with intelligence, feeling and genuine talent. A sincere and clean view towards the relationship between dogs and humans.

From the professional point of view, it's also entirely commendable. Well chosen and managed actors - the boy was surprisingly natural and expressive, and the trainer composed a credible and complex portrait. The director had the skill to build up very realistic tensions between the two leading characters, dramatically working up his way to the tragic peak of the dog's slaying - a scene that literally tears one's heart, and not by using cheap tricks!

Not only the movie touches the deep soul of all the people who love, understand and respect animals, but is also depicts a honorable piece of good cinematic work. Congratulations - and thanks! :)