Review of Mighty Celt, The

Introduction

This is a weird one. For a start, it`s barely long enough to be considered a full movie, or even a movie-length TV special, running at something under 80 minutes. On the other hand, it`s bloody good, far better than it deserved to be given its oblique narrative and (at first glance) curious casting.

Gillian Anderson is perhaps the last person I would have considered casting as a feisty Irish lass, though following this viewing she`d now be at the front of my list. She looks, acts and seems to be the real deal without a trace of the X-files persona that she was in imminent danger of being typecast as.

I guess Robert Carlyle and Ken Stott were obvious choices, though it`s worth mentioning that both do a splendid job of disguising their native tongue. Perhaps the really great find in this cast though is the youngster, Tyrone McKenna, a 12 year old who plays his part with great conviction and subtlety. There`s no doubt that we`ll be seeing a lot more of him as `safe` child TV actors are few and far between.

`The Mighty Celt` is another film `about a boy`, this time set in so-called `post-conflict` Belfast. It`s written and Directed by Pearse Elliott, and according to his account in the `making of` feature, is pretty much autobiographical.

It`s a hard-knock life for Donal (Tyrone McKenna) who spends every spare hour he has working for a really brutally tough Greyhound trainer `Good Joe` (Ken Stott). Unable to mix properly with other children, he enjoys the company of the dogs, getting dangerously attached to them in a sport notorious for its cruel lack of sentiment or care for its animals.

Gillian Anderson plays the boys single mother, and Robert Carlyle his returning father (though this is not revealed until later), who has been `on the run` due to his involvement in `the troubles`.
Stott is repulsively brutal in his role, a part he seems very comfortable to play, though such is the subtlety of the movie that there is a residing possibility that he some fondness for his young helper.
Donal saves an inconsistent performing dog `Good Joe`s` throat-slitting blade, and calls him `The Mighty Celt` after a comic-book hero. He then sets about training up the dog to win the next race.

There`s a grittiness akin to `Billy Elliot` as the youngster then succeeds in his training, showing a natural talent set against a relatively bleak childhood. However - please be warned. This is no Disney film and whilst the ending may betray a hint of optimism, it`s still not the ending that a Hollywood focus group would have voted for.

Viewers should also be warned that there is much in the way of simulated cruelty on the animals here; it`s certainly queasy viewing, though could be argues essential in the telling of this tough tale.

Video

This is a nice transfer of a recent television movie. It looks like 35mm source though these days, with brilliant digital grading a possibility with HDTV, it`s difficult to tell. Whatever the case, no complaints to submit.

Audio

This is a movie full of dialogue, and it`s nicely mixed which is a boon as voices frequently go from

Features

There`s the obligatory trailer (what for? You`ve just bought/rented the movie?!) as well as a rather nice `making of` documentary which features lengthy interviews with cast and crew as well as some intriguing footage of Tyrone McKenna`s casting sessions.

Conclusion

`The Mighty Celt` is a startling `little movie`. (Barely 80 minutes and featuring the central cast of four for the majority of the movie), with a strong cast and a nicely penned script with sassy and believable dialogue.

It comes from that gritty anti-Disney school of reflection where childhood is bleak, tough and cruel (think `Kes`, `Billy Elliot` etc), and there are some scenes here that are definitely not for the squeamish.

Without doubt the most impressive feature of the movie is its strong cast, from the unlikely Gillian Anderson (who plays a convincing skinny, feisty Irish single mum) through to the more predictable inclusions of Ken Stott and Robert Carlyle, and the impressive young newcomer Tyrone McKenna.

It`s a gritty and thought-provoking movie that you`ll probably only want to watch once so one to consider renting.