Director: Shan Khan
Starring: Paddy Considine, Aiysha Hart, Harvey Virdi, Nikesh Patel, Shubham Saraf, Faraz Ayub
Running Time: 104 minutes
Certificate: 15
The shocking opener of HONOUR really sets the pace for this tense thriller, as a young woman is killed by her brother and mother for bringing dishonour on the family. However, as the film soon shows, this really is just the beginning of Mona’s story.
Led by the superb Paddy Considine as the bounty hunter sent to track Mona down and Aiysha Hart as Mona herself, HONOUR is a gripping tale of prejudice, judgement and societal pressures in a multi-cultural society.
Considine’s bounty hunter is a horrifying white supremacist, happy to take on the jobs of tracking down these disloyal Muslim girls as one less in the world is just fine by him. Hart plays the role of Mona with class, portraying her love for her family whilst illustrating her need to dress and act more like those non-Muslims around her. When she falls for another Muslim man, she wants nothing more than to be with him – but he is promised to another and her family would certainly not approve of the relationship. She carries on regardless, unable to deny her feelings and when she decides to run away with him she thinks it is the start of her new life. However, when her boyfriend arrives and says that they need to slow things down, she must decide whether or not to go home or just keep running.
The story is cleverly interwoven, jumping back and forth through time to add layers to the story which then shed new light on what you may have previously thought. It is fascinating to explore each character’s backstory, gradually adding depth to this complex tale.
HONOUR is a compelling and dramatic thriller, filled with passion and intensity. It’s very exciting to see what writer/director Shan Khan will come up with next after such a powerful film debut.
[usr=4] HONOUR is available for digital download from 18th April. The DVD will be released on 28th April.
