Tommy's Honour

First Hit:  I liked the historical and romantic aspects of this film. Tom Morris (Peter Mullan) is thought of as the father of golf and golf courses. Although he owns St. Andrews land, is the green’s keeper of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, he and the club is controlled by the Captain of the club, Alexander Boothby (Sam Neill). The Captain heads a consortium of men who run the club and the betting on golf games at the club.

Tom has accepted his station in life, green’s keeper, caddie, golf club maker, golfer, and golf course land owner. His son Tommy (Jack Lowden), however, doesn’t believe he needs to be relegated to this lower station in life, and his resentment shows in many scenes.

He and his father often played golf together representing the wealthy who bet on them, resulting in huge cash winnings to the bettors. They, in turn, gave Tom and Tommy a small cut of the winnings. Tommy thought this whole arrangement was wrong and demeaning and struck out to change the relationship between the bettors and the players. He wanted to be in control of the winnings and give the bettors their due after the tournament.

Along with wanting to change those social norms, Tommy also met Meg Drinnen (Ophelia Lovibond) a slightly older woman who was a waitress in a restaurant. He falls in love with her despite his family’s reticence to accept her. As their relationship grows and his golfing prowess becomes well known throughout Great Britain, Tommy’s mother Nancy (Therese Bradley) searches for and finds out about Meg’s past. Social convention of the time stated that Tommy should not marry Meg, but Meg’s kindness and strength win the family over.

I loved the scenes they use to attempt to show what golfing was like in the late 1800's; teeing up with sand, the clubs they used, greens that were not manicured, and playing in all types of weather (rain and snow). I liked seeing the old balls and clubs used but wondered about and wanted to know more about the slots in the club face when it was brought up by a competitor.

Mullan was wonderful as the father. His pride for his son just barely showed through which would have been perfectly appropriate for the time. Lowden was OK as the son. My issues with this role was that the film didn’t show any of the hard work that must have gone into him being the best golfer of the time. It takes more than just swagger. I did think that he did a great job as Meg’s lover and husband. Neill was strong as the Captain. His arrogance with his position was appropriate. Lovibond was divine. Her kindness, humbleness, and strength was perfect for the role. Bradley was wonderful in an antagonistic role. Her softening towards Meg was perfectly done. Pamela Marin and Kevin Cook did an OK job of creating an interesting script. I would have preferred more information about St. Andrews and the work that Tommy had to put in to become the winner of The Open tournament so many times in a row. However, in covering the love, dedication, and support of family was well conceived. Director Jason Connery did a good job of creating and showing characters from this script. However I couldn’t get over how little practice Tommy did to be so good at golf. I played golf in my younger years and know how difficult the game is to learn.

Overall:  This film and story is about love, the history of golf, social classes, and family, not a bad story to tell.

The Hunter

First Hit:  An interesting and sad commentary on how we misuse the natural resources on the planet.

Martin David (played by Willem Dafoe) meets up with two suspicious characters in a high-end airport looking bar.

The deal they cut is that he is to kill and retrieve something. He wants to work alone, but the obvious and increased camera cuts to one of the two men, give the audience the thought; we’re not through with this guy yet.

Arriving at his location in Tasmania we learn that he is hunting, what is believed to be, the last Tasmanian Tiger known to exist. When he gets to the home where he will be staying he finds a little girl and boy named Sass and Bike (played by Morgana Davies and Finn Woodlock respectively) taking care of their drugged and depressed mother Lucy (played by Francis O’Connor).

We learn that Lucy is this way because her husband has disappeared on a project she wasn’t fully aware of – however, the audience knows. While Lucy is struggling, Jack Mindy (played by Sam Neill) is sort of taking care of the kids and Lucy but there is something sinister or not “all in” about his character.

This film is even paced and the highlight to me was Bike and Martin’s interaction about the Tasmanian Tiger and his Bike’s father. There is a subplot about loggers needing work and ecologists / environmentalists wanting to save the forests.

Seeing the beautiful landscape of Tasmania and how logging both helps and hurts the economic roots of this small specific area added to the hunting of, and possibly killing of, the last Tasmanian Tiger was sad.

Dafoe displayed a wonderful combination of intense, kind, focused and perplexity in this role. Davies was enchanting and perfect as the smart unafraid little girl. Woodlock was amazing as the boy who didn’t speak but was smart beyond compare. O’Connor was good as the children’s mother who’d lost her best friend and husband. Neill was strong as creating just enough creepiness to make one always suspect his motives. Wain Fimeri’s adaption of Julie Leigh’s novel was not remarkable but solid. Daniel Nettheim directed this cast with a clear vision.

Overall: I thought it was an interesting film but not everybody’s cup of tea.