Myles Horgan Movies

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Strength and Honour: 2007; R

A man who has turned his back on violence must reclaim his skills as a fighter for the sake of his family in this sentimental drama. Sean Kelleher (Michael Madsen) is an amateur boxer who goes too far while sparring with his brother and accidentally kills him; horrified by his actions, Sean pledges to never enter the ring again and pursues a career as a car salesman. After a rare cardiac ailment takes the life of his wife, Sean learns that his young son, Mikey (Luke Whelton), has contracted the same disease, and that his only hope for survival lies in experimental surgery that can only be performed by one doctor in the United States. The cost of the operation would be 250,000 dollars -- money Sean doesn't have -- but he learns of an annual underground bare-knuckles boxing tournament held each year by a band of gypsies called the Travelers. The purse for the winner would cover the price of the surgery, and Sean signs on to compete. A neighborhood priest who once coached boxing (Richard Chamberlain) helps Sean train for the contest, and he's embraced by a family of Travelers led by Papa Boss (Patrick Bergin), but the odds don't look good for Sean when he learns that he'll have to fight Smasher (Vinnie Jones), a hard-as-nails boxer who won the Travelers' contest in the previous year and has already killed two men in the ring. Strength and Honor was the first feature film from writer and director Mark Mahon. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Starring:: Michael Madsen, Vinnie Jones, (more)

The Wind That Shakes the Barley: 2006; Add The Wind That Shakes the Barley to Queue Add The Wind That Shakes the Barley to top of Queue

Two brothers are caught on differing sides of the battle for Irish freedom in this politically minded historical drama from veteran British filmmaker Ken Loach. It's 1920, and Damien O'Donovan (Cillian Murphy) has recently graduated from medical school. Damien plans to leave the small village in Ireland where he was born to take a job in London, much to the annoyance of his brother Teddy (Padraic Delaney), who is an Irish loyalist and wants to see the British stripped of their rule of his land. While visiting Peggy (Mary Riordan), a longtime friend of the family, Damien and Teddy witness a visit by "Black and Tans," British soldiers who supposedly keep the peace in Ireland; the soldiers turn violent and murder Michaeil (Lawrence Barry), Peggy's grandson, when they discover he only speaks Gaelic. Damien is radicalized by the event, and with Teddy joins the local chapter of the Irish Republican Army, who use violence to drive British troops out of the country. While the IRA is a poor and ill-equipped fighting force, their willingness to give their lives for their cause is taken very seriously by the British, who step up their reprisals against the locals; the Black and Tans even begin directing their violence and torture against women and children, including Damien's girlfriend, Sinead (Orla Fitzgerald). In 1921, Britain attempts to end the violence in Ireland by creating the Irish Free State, a compromise government which will give the Irish greater autonomy while Great Britain still retains final political control of the nation. Teddy sees this as a victory and believes it's an important first step to a truly free Ireland, but Damien sees the IRA's goal as nothing short of complete independence, and the brothers and allies soon become rivals in a battle neither side can win. The Wind That Shakes the Barley received the Golden Palm award as Best Picture at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Starring:: Cillian Murphy, Liam Cunningham, (more)

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