Director: Shan Khan
Writer: Shan Khan (Screenplay)
Starring: Aiysha Hart, Paddy Considine, Faraz Ayub, Shubham Saraf, Harvey Virdi, Nikesh Patel
Plot: A story centered on a young woman is targeted by her family for an “honour killing” and the bounty hunter who takes the job.
Tagline – Bound by tradition. Betrayed by blood.
Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Tense Look at Shocking Culture
Story: Honour starts as a young Indian woman Mona (Hart) is looking to breakout of the family traditions of arranged marriage and certain religious expectations from her mother (Virdi). She meets Tanvir (Patel) a man who also is due to marry his family’s choice of bride as the two start an affair.
Mona looks to run away with the support of Adel (Saraf), but her brother Kasim (Ayub) and mother have other ideas, they hire a bounty hunter (Considine) to locate her, bringing her home, only the hunter is starting to question why he is gone down this road for his career.
Thoughts on Honour
Characters – Mona is a young woman, being forced into a marriage, following family traditions and religious beliefs. She meets a man that she wants to run away with, which only sees her have her family turn on her, meaning she will need to fight for her own life. The nameless bounty hunter is known for helping the Muslim community stop the breaks on the family traditions, he has gone too far in the past, which is why he isn’t happy for the work he is going through now. Kasim is the police officer brother of Mona, he is willing to break the law to make sure the family traditions are followed. Adel is the closest brother to Mona, he is the one she would turn to most for help even if he gets pushed into helping Kasim follow the family traditions.
Performances – Aiysha Hart in the leading role is strong, we get to see just how far her character must go to get away from the life, she makes us believe her desperation. Paddy Considine is one of the best performers here because he is torn between both sides of what he is doing. Faraz Ayub brings to light the horrific side of the culture that will see him make us hate him for his action.
Story – The story follows the idea that we have the Indian Muslim culture turning on their family if they believe their traditions honor has been put in question. We see the extreme which sees a hit being put out on a daughter that goes against the family traditions and how she must look to escape. The story shows the clash of cultures because the bounty hunter isn’t willing to follow through as he learns she hasn’t done anything wrong. It shows how we need to start letting people make choices and not just expecting them to follow the old fashion culture. The bounty hunter’s storyline is interesting too because he learns that he hasn’t always been doing the right thing. The weakness with the story comes from the time between different times in the story, it doesn’t help make this as easy to follow.
Thriller – The film uses the thriller side of the film to try to make us see just how dangerous the escape for Mona would be, how she must elude her own family for safety.
Settings – The film is set in London, which shows the clash of culture in the city, we see how every corner could be dangerous too.
Scene of the Movie – The rooftop.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The way the story is told.
Final Thoughts – This is a strong thriller showing the culture problems the world is still experiencing and just how much will be risked escaping this type of life.
Overall: Thriller that is gripping throughout.
Rating
