The Mighty Celt

2005

1 hr. 21 min.

Drama

List

71%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

65%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A ruthless owner of greyhounds grudgingly agrees to let a schoolboy (Tyrone McKenna) raise a dog.

Read More

Read Less

Prime Video

Rent The Mighty Celt on Prime Video, or buy it on Prime Video.

Audience Member

Thought this was a "coming of age" movie in which a young boy saves a dog and patches his family together. Good story, until the dog's throat is realistically slashed and we watched it bleed to death. Pointless. Turned it off.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A little hard to watch because its so sad, but really great message/story and acting by all.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A reasonably straight forward real life drama with no-nonsense attitude. It might possibly narrow it's audience due to the strong Irish accent, but this is one of the many important ingredients that make, what could be a very average film - really good. Some inspired British style camera work together with a Dub-Celt soundtrack really give this film it's feel. And it all seems plausible, but not predictable. What does work particularly well is how each character and sub plot seem carefully balanced with their own importance in the storyline, nothing is wasted or filling time. Natural performances from all the small cast and a surprisingly good combo of Carlyle & Anderson adds a close personal feel and keeps this story easy to contain. If you don't mind a bit of swearing and kids smoking then this film is great for all ages and generations.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A delightful, yet powerful story. Touching. Heartbreaking. Well done...really could use some subtitles, though.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Tyone McKenna portrays Donal, a Belfast teenager who lives with his single mother, Kate (Gillian Anderson) and has an after school job working for local greyhound trainer, Good Joe (Ken Stott). When Donal sees Joe preparing to kill one of the greyhounds becuase he thinks the dog will only win the races it wants to win, Donal offers to train the dog. A bond between boy and dog ensues and after naming him The Mighty Celt after a character in Irish mythology, Donal strikes a deal with Joe... he can have the dog as long as it wins three races, otherwise it belongs to Joe to do with as he wishes. Alongside this, a figure from the town's past reappears in the form of O (Robert Carlyle) and enters Donal's and Kate's lives. When Joe becomes jealous of Donal's relationship with O, he goes back on his arrangement which leads to tensions exploding between Donal, O and Joe. I found out about this film when I visited Belfast roughly 18 months ago. I went on a guided pub walk and visited one of the locations used in the film (where O and Kate go out for a drink). Once I found this out, I had to get the film and although it is a quiet drama which doesn't set out to change the world, it is a good drama. Gillian Anderson delivers another good performance as Kate and her scenes with Tyrone McKenna are believable of those of a mother and her son. Her scenes with Carlyle are also effective as he tries to break down the barriers of woman whose previous relationship has broken down and whose brother was killed in a paramilitary operation involving O. Robert Carlyle is solid as usual in the role of O. He underplays the character and you do see a man who has become sickened by the violence of the "Troubles" after years on the run, of a man who has basically lost touch with a world that's moved on and a man who is now at peace with himself. Ken Stott is cast as an effective antagonist in the role of Good Joe and it's apparent from the first frames of the film that Joe is anything but good and Stott is powerful in the handling of his final scenes in the film. But it's Tyrone McKenna who is the star of the film as Donal. He effectively builds an on screen rapport with all three leads and with "The Celt". As I said it's a quiet drama but a solid drama which asks a very pertinent question for today's society towards the film's conclusion, who is the braver man - the one who embraces violence or the one who walks away.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Pearse Elliott

Director

Tyrone McKenna

Donal

Robert Carlyle

O

Gillian Anderson

Kate

Ken Stott

Good Joe

Pearse Elliott

Writer

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

46%

49%

Cassandra's Dream

71%

68%

Red

10%

61%

The Air I Breathe

64%

84%

Hachi: A Dog's Tale

TRAILER

for Hachi: A Dog's Tale

27%

%

Downtown: A Street Tale

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

First-time director Pearse Elliott manfully reins in the blarney, and there is something doggedly heartfelt about the movie's commitment to unextroardinary lives.

Mar 13, 2023

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 2/5

Aug 26, 2005

Full Review

James Mottram

The List

Aside from Elliott's sprightly direction and unsentimental script, The Mighty Celt's chief pleasure is the quality of the performances.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 26, 2019

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Nothing much to get excited about.

Rated: C

May 19, 2006

Full Review

Matthew Turner

ViewLondon

Anderson delivers a note-perfect Northern Irish accent that suggests her days as Dana Scully are well and truly behind her.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 27, 2005

Full Review

Joe Utichi

FilmFocus

Pearse Elliott's directorial debut is impressive, and it'll warm the cockles of the toughest of hearts, but it's ultimately far too black and white.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 21, 2005

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

A ruthless owner of greyhounds grudgingly agrees to let a schoolboy (Tyrone McKenna) raise a dog.

Director: Pearse Elliott
Screenwriter: Pearse Elliott
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 23, 2017

Most Popular at Home Now