Honour

Name: Honour
Genre: Thriller
Released: July 11, 2014
Duration: 104 min
Rating: 53

2014

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Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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Honour

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Movie Details & Credits

108 Media | Release Date: July 11, 2014 | Not Rated

Summary: After a failed attempt at an honour killing at the hands of her family, Mona (Aiysha Hart) is forced to go on the run. The family, desperate to save face, enlist the services of a bounty hunter (Paddy Considine) to search the streets of London to track her down.

Director: Shan Khan

Genre(s): Thriller

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 104 min

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Critic Reviews

Rex Reed

Jul 10, 2014

Aiysha Hart delivers a mesmerizing performance. Read full review

Jeannette Catsoulis

Jul 10, 2014

Mr. Khan displays a strong visual sense that makes pivotal scenes pop. The unlikely ending strains credulity, but what this confident debut lacks in subtlety, it more than makes up in execution. Read full review

Stephen Dalton

Jul 10, 2014

An uneven mix of serious issue movie and sensational thrill ride, Honour is no masterpiece, but it is an accomplished debut. Read full review

The Guardian Leslie Felperin

Jul 6, 2014

It's as if the film-makers felt they couldn't deliver the didactic lesson unless they wrapped this up in pulpy, thriller trappings. Read full review

Danny King

Jul 10, 2014

Khan’s orchestration of suspense impresses. Read full review

Empire Simon Crook

Jul 6, 2014

An interesting premise but stodgy, suspense-free execution. Read full review

Ed Gonzalez

Jul 6, 2014

Paddy Considine's benumbed ambiguity at least works against writer-director Shan Khan's reduction of honor killings to grist for the cheapest of pulpy thrills. Read full review

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Devilmath

Sep 27, 2015

It is thought that up to 12 honour killings happen each year in the UK. Honour killings are violent acts of vengeance, committed by male family members against female relatives who allegedly brought dishonour upon the family. Refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of aIt is thought that up to 12 honour killings happen each year in the UK. Honour killings are violent acts of vengeance, committed by male family members against female relatives who allegedly brought dishonour upon the family. Refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of a sexual assault, seeking a divorce and committing adultery are all valid reasons to sentence a family member to death.

Honour presents the story of Mona, a young and beautiful Muslim British girl who lives with her (originally Pakistani) family in London. Since her dad passed away, she has been sharing the house with her strict mother and her two brothers: Kasim, a policeman who tries to play the worthy head of the household, and Adel, the naïve younger brother. Mona is all but submissive; she works as estate agent, wears heels, refuses to wear a headscarf. It is thanks to her job that she meets Tanvir, a Punjabi colleague whom she falls in love with. Due to the fundamental incompatibility between their cultural and religious backgrounds, they decide for a reckless getaway. This is too much for her family to bear, and the film opens with what seems to be the ending, the same ending many young girls still endure: Mona is attacked by her family.

The plot unfolds in a non-linear way: many details of Mona’s life roll on the big screen, all contributing to give depth to her doomed character. The expedient works only partially, making you wonder if this is just a trick to make up for the plot’s lack of complexity. But the rhythm is engaging; the more we learn about Mona, the more we want her to escape from the gloominess that dominates her life. One of the main characters who cross Mona’s path is Paddy Considine’s (Hot Fuzz, The Bourne Ultimatum, director of the acclaimed Tyrannosaur) Bounty Hunter, hired directly by her mother to track her and bring her home; this is just one of many dirty affairs he settles for a living. “You understand: do what you must do”, demands the tyrannical woman as she offers him a bundle of money. A sinister doubt arises: is this scene really taking place before the attack on Mona’s life?

Honour tackles a difficult topic that not many films have addressed before, and partially hits the mark. It tells a striking, riveting tale of hate and longing for freedom, and raises numerous questions on cultures that legitimise violence as a valid solution to problems. This is a harsh critique to both sides: Asian and Muslim culture, and the Western world’s cult of money. Honour also hints at the possibility of redemption: Adel resigns himself to his family’s demands, but he understands his sister’s need for a different life; even the ruthless and shady Bounty Hunter starts questioning his priorities. Both their roles, however, are hardly as substantial as the director, newcomer Shan Khan, may have intended. His choice to give a commercial appeal to the film spoils its credibility: by trying to soften the tone, he ends up watering down the story that kept us on the edge of our seats. It’s only fair to doubt the authenticity of a project that exploits one of the most dramatic modern tragedies to create easy-going entertainment. Ironically, when the thriller plot kicks in, we can’t help but wonder what happened to the interesting film we were watching half an hour earlier.… Expand

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