The Mighty Celt

CINEQUEST
Street: July 15
Prebook: now
> Heartfelt family drama looks at the difficulties of greyhound racing.

Dog lovers beware: The Mighty Celt is a bit harsh right out of the gate. Within the film's first few minutes, a character named Good Joe (Ken Stott), who trains greyhounds for a living, rids himself of a dog that doesn't perform to his standards. But beyond the brutal opening lies a genuine film about family, pursuing one's passions and carving out a place in the world. Tyrone McKenna gives a winning performance as Donal, a boy whose love for dogs makes him a natural at working in the kennels and training with one of Good Joe's greyhounds. The film tells the parallel story of Donal's mother, Kate (Gillian Anderson with a surprisingly good Irish accent), who is dealing with the reappearance of an old flame, O (Robert Carlyle), in her life. The film does veer a bit more into soap-opera territory than necessary, but it mostly holds up due to its strong performances and willingness to deal with difficult material.

Shelf Talk: As the new X-Files movie makes its way to the big screen, the presence of Anderson in The Mighty Celt should draw interest from consumers who would have otherwise overlooked this film. It also works nicely as both a dog-racing drama and as a family film, but the animal cruelty initiated by its villain could be problematic for some.