timmy242
I have been a fan of native Irish movies for some time now and recently stumbled upon this title while scanning the Sundance channel. For me, an American Celtophile, the title alone was worth a look. I was surprised and pleased with the movie overall, and was quite moved by this simple story of a boy's love and loss of a tawny winning greyhound who's name gives the film its title. The setting for this story is a still turbulent, post-war Northern Ireland where the effects of the country's troubles can still be seen. What was most interesting to me was the acting, which was quite good, especially McKenna's and Anderson's. Mostly, I was impressed that Anderson could actually pull off a passable accent. Admittedly, I am not from Ireland but I've heard enough Irish accents over the years to pick out a bad one. In fact, I first caught this film about 15 minutes into it and was stunned to see this excellent performance from an actress who looked an awful lot like Gillian Anderson. I'll have to keep an eye out for this girl, I said to myself. I wonder who she is? The only downside of this movie for me was that it seemed a bit short, like something was missing from the character or plot development. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this film and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves kids, dogs, coming of age tales, and an Irish sense of the dramatic.
catemh1
This film is reminiscent of Ken Loach's "Kes" (1969) but without the 'grim up North' tone.The plot centres around Donal (Tyrone McKenna), a teenager who loves animals and enjoys helping Good Joe (Ken Stott) run his kennel full of greyhounds. He persuades Joe to buy a dog, who Donal is convinced is a winner and later names The Mighty Celt.Gillian Anderson is convincing as Donal's mother who is unsettled when her old flame, ex-IRA man O (Robert Carlyle) shows up and becomes friends with her son.The film is both tear-jerking and uplifting and the performances from the cast make for an excellent production.
pandabat
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.
CoffeeSmoker
I found TMC to be a well made, well conceived piece, funny, touching, distressing (intentionally) and the tone was just right. Apparently there was a reel missing, I didn't notice, but am looking forward to see the final cut, hopefully there is more of Gillian is in it, as I felt she should have been used more in this film. She brings wonderful comic timing, and the expertly repressed emotional angst, which admirers of her work will have become accustomed to. With one look, her eyes tell more about her character's emotional state, than a thousand words uttered by any lesser actress. There is one scene in particular that this is apparent, when there is a close-up of Kate is looking in the mirror, psyching herself up for the day.Robert Carlyle gives a sensitive performance as ex-IRA member O. He could so easily have played the part as either someone shifty and not to be trusted, or gone the other way and played the martyr, luckily, the role was written very well, with no judgement either way of the political situation in Belfast, so the audience never feels they are having a political agenda shoved down their throat, we are just witnessing a slice of life as seen from the perspective of a young boy.Witch brings me to Tyronne McKenna, who steals the movie from underneath everyone else. An (as yet) unknown actor, he shows an remarkable emotional, without ever seeming insincere or overacted, not like other child actors who make you want to scream into a pillow! He is in most scenes of the film, and he carries the burden with aplomb.All in all, I was impressed by this film, a great way to open the Dublin Film Festival, and part of, what could be, a golden year for Irish cinema.
AD
