Local Hero

source: Local Hero

Oddly enough, from the comments thus far about the film, nobody, as in not a single viewer, has commented on the absolutely stunning performance by Peter Riegert. It is the best of right on low key performances of all time: if somebody told him that leprosy had just overtaken the island he might have batted one eyelash. Yet no matter how low the key it is never off key. And yes, yes, it has a lot of other things going for it, but nothing like his performance. Somehow the director got the right guy for the job, so much so, that it is impossible to conjure anybody in all Hollywood that could have done so well. Moreover, the movie moves about him so tightly, and he takes the load so effortlessly, it is almost not surprising that nobody has noticed just how good he is here. In fact were there even a smidgen of fireworks from him, this would just be another movie. Time is gonna treat this film very well, when ninety percent of most films are forgotten, this will continue to rise in the ranks of the remembered.

In this cynical age of image counting for all and increasingly small minded audiences being baffled by anything approaching subtlety, this film represents a much needed haven for the more cerebral viewer. It's pitch perfect lampooning of the massive gulf between supposedly similar cultures is a joy to behold over and over. That fact that not much really happens is, in fact the whole point. It is a modern comedy of manners, the humour being in how characters react to alien situations. It is exactly the kind of film Ealing studios would have produced had they survived into the 80's, and as such is to be praised for trying to show how simply taking an off centre look at real life can inform and entertain more eloquently than those who shout their satire from the rooftops.

I first saw this film in 1983 when I was living in Chicago. At every line of dialog, I expect the trite or cliché and, in every instance, I am subtly drawn into the filmmaker's viewpoint and away from my own cynical, sarcastic, pessimistic viewpoint. I laugh at myself and my expectations and I am charmed into experiencing the many dimensions of human character that I find in this film. I am thrilled to find so many others who appreciate this film. It is one of the few videos that I own. I watch it every year and I have never been dissatisfied with it. And, for the record, I am female. When I toured England, Wales and Scotland, I was completely unprepared for the beauty and magic of Scotland. This film has become more dear to me since then, because it reminds me of Scotland. The scenery is beautiful, but always secondary to the human landscape. The underlying strength of the film is that all the human beings, in their unexpectedness and diversity, are equal players in the tapestry of the whole. Many of the value systems of humanity today are portrayed in one village. But the happiest person is the one who works for his living by harvesting the gifts washed up by the sea. (And, in his shadow persona, pockets all the fresh baked goods at the ceilidh :-) ) Now I live in Kansas City and view life from the heartland. I come away from Local Hero wanting to view humanity from the heart, not from the trite or the cliché or my prejudices. This is quite an accomplishment for a film. Added in 2013: After 30 years, I still love this film. I finally know what the final scene means to me - but I will let you figure that out for yourself. I finally appreciate, consciously, the soundtrack - which was just part of the whole for the first 20 viewings of the film. I am still charmed by this beautiful, magical subtle work of art. I hope you like it too!

I just can't see why this film was named as some sort of artistic sleeper by so many critics after its release. I saw this movie with two other people and afterward we all looked at each other and said a collective "huh?". It just seemed very dull and detached from start to finish. Its all about an American oil company wanting to secure oil in the middle of nowhere in Scotland. Performances by Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert just couldn't jar me out of the boredom that set in as I watched the film. By the end, I just wanted them to go back to America and for the movie to end. It's too bad, because I am the type person that usually LOVES movies that are "anti-Hollywood" like this one--I really WANTED to like it. UPDATE--4/15/06--originally, I scored this movie a 2. One IMDb user asked me to reconsider my score, so I wrote him that I would see the movie again and change my review, if appropriate. While I enjoyed it more than I first did, I still think the movie is rather pretty to look at but not all that interesting. But, considering that there are so many that LOVE the film, maybe it just isn't everyone's cup of tea but to SOME it's a great film. As for me, it was mildly diverting and that's really about it.

What a lovely, quiet film this is. Mac personifies modern man--out of touch with nature,out of touch with his own soul, who needs "electricity" to function. He is all technology of that period. Although he is a "telex man" (this was before the computer-cellphone era), he reluctantly goes in person to buy a village in a remote area of Scotland for the glory of oil production. The place he finds is paradise. No urban sprawl. No locked doors. Gradually, Mac is seduced by nature, which culminates in the death of his electronic watch--it drowns in a tidal basin after he removes it in order to collect sea shells. By degrees, he sheds his identity, represented by his business suit and fashionable shoes, and becomes a beachcomber. He is amazed when he sees the Northern Lights for the first time, a celestial phenomenon the locals take for granted. Mr. Happer the president of Knox Oil and Gas, is Mac's opposite--Happer inherited the family oil business and has done well, but his eyes are on the stars, the things of nature. He allows others to run the company while he watches the sky in search of comets. What makes a film memorable are great moments, and this film is a series of great moments that stay with you long after the film is over. I will offer no plot summary. You must see this magical film for yourself. But be forewarned: if you are in love with all that modern technology can offer, you will not like this film. You may find it too slow; too outdated; too sentimental. But, if (like me)you yearn to be away from the horror that modern technology has created in us and around us, you will love and dream of your own remote village by the sea. And it is very funny, too. Wonderful characters.

In Local Hero, Scottish director Bill Forsyth allows us to see the environment not as something to possess or control but as a privilege granted to all. A young corporate executive for a Texas Oil Company, Mac MacIntyre (Peter Reigert), is sent to a small fishing village on the coast of Scotland to work out plans to buy a piece of coastal property that includes the entire town as a drilling site. The great Burt Lancaster plays Mac's boss, Felix Happer, a starry-eyed tycoon of Knox Gas and Oil who is more interested in the stars and getting rid of Moritz (Norman Chancer), his "abuse therapist" than his business. Strangely, he asks Mac to keep an eye on the constellation Virgo when he reaches Scotland to see if he can see a comet in its vicinity. MacIntyre meets up with his Scottish partner Danny Oldsen (Peter Capaldi) and they rent a room at an inn run by the local accountant Gordon Urquhart (Denis Lawson) and his wife Stella (Jennifer Black). Eventually, Mac and Danny settle in and get to know the town, walking the beach, talking to the black pastor of the village church, and meeting the idiosyncratic villagers. Mac slowly and without any expectations develops an attachment to the town and its people while Danny falls for Marina (Jenny Seagrove), a marine biologist with webbed feet who dreams of building a laboratory for biological research. When Urquhart agrees to act as the intermediary between MacIntyre and the locals in the negotiations, we are set up to expect the ruthless exploitation of country folk by the big city capitalists. Ironically however, it is the villagers who are captivated by the prospect of the money and more aggressive in its pursuit than Big Mac. The deal seems ready to be consummated when it is discovered that Old Ben (Fulton MacKay), who lives in a shack on the beach, actually owns six miles of beach property and does not want to sell. When the townspeople threaten to turn into an ugly mob, Happer arrives from Houston in his helicopter to add the final twist to a most unpredictable plot. Local Hero creeps up on you slowly then delivers its payoff so convincingly that, by the end, you feel as if you have a lifelong relationship with the characters. Mac's transformation from being a corporate sycophant to a caring individual who experiences a sense of belonging, perhaps for the first time, is one of the great pleasures of the film and reminded me of a similar transformation in Kiarostami's The Wind Will Carry Us. Supported by a wonderful score by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits and beautifully photographed by Chris Menges, the film captivates with its offbeat humor and charm and reminds us of what it means to be human without resorting to sentimentality. If technology is seen as an imminent threat to humans, Local Hero allows us to focus our attention upon that which is most threatened: respect for people's individuality, reverence for the land, the sea, and the sky -- and really good Scotch whiskey.

A refreshing change of pace; a whimsical, off-beat comedy with just enough plot to keep it going, just enough surprises in it to keep it interesting, and lots of great characters played by actors who really deliver. The music by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits adds richness to the experience, and the cinematography vividly contrasts tangled, sterile, modern-day Houston with the cool, gorgeous, emerald green Scottish landscape and the peaceful, pristine coastal village of Furness. Well worth the trip.

I really cannot praise Local Hero enough; it is simply one of the best films ever made and certainly, without any shadow of doubt, my number one favourite movie of all time. Fans of Ealing Comedy will relate to this film instantly. The humour is extremely subtle, going for the quirkiness of human behaviour rather than prefabricated belly-laughs. For example, the two farmers arguing which is the better vehicle for transporting winter lambs, Massarati or Rolls Royce. And the African preacher who has to explain that he's "not Scottish either" but still has the surname McPhearson. At first glance, the story of Local Hero is hardly one which would engage fevered interest. A big Texan oil company wants to buy a huge chunk of Scottish coastline and a representative is flown over to close the deal. Chosen because it's thought he is of Scottish origin, McIntyre (Peter Riegert) complains to a colleague that he could do the deal over the wires in an afternoon and that his parents chose the surname when they got off the boat from Hungary because they thought it sounded American. But what grabs the attention and is the fundamental beauty to the film is "Mac's" journey from a materialistic Texan yuppie to one who falls in love with the simple things of life and by the film's end, when Mac returns home, has been changed forever by his trip. Mac plays his part very well from a character who depends on his expensive suits, his Porsche, quad hi-fi and personal health insurance to one who collects shells on a Scottish beach and drinks 40 year-old malt whisky in the bosom of the small community that he suddenly finds himself a part of. Burt Lancaster plays the wonderfully eccentric oil company CEO who is more concerned with dicovering a comet of his own than making millions of dollars. Then of course there is Denis Lawson as the estate agent / taxi driver / hotelier, Peter Capaldi as the bungling company trainee and Jenny Seagrove who prefers being underwater to life on land, along with all the various yokels and locals that give this film its very unique charm. And the plot twist? A fabulously subtle one-liner that gives the whole thing away. But of course, one cannot talk about this movie without mentioning the soundtrack. Many years ago I felt compelled to watch this movie because (being a big Dire Straits fan at the time) i had the soundtrack and was instantly hooked. Mark Knopfler does sterling work in adding musical flavour to the film. Lazy acoustic guitars match perfectly the breath-taking scenary that the director, Bill Forsyth, has captured of the Scottish Highlands. Overall, I would have no hesitation in recommending this film to people. Every recommendation I've made has been met with the same response: a gem of a movie that simply cannot be ignored. Local Hero will be my own personal number one for ever! 10/10

This is a nice entertaining movie to watch. The humor isn't in your face or dark. It sets a comfortable pace and you get to watch one guy's journey from having everything he wanted to finding what he did not know he needed(well, two if you count his boss played wonderfully by Burt Lancastor). The main character's's change throughout the movie isn't even realized until it's nicely hinted to when you see he does not miss his expensive watch left on the sea shore. All the characters are the kinds of people you wish you knew. And it The music is haunting and scenes are beautiful of the Scottish countryside. Both go a long way to making the movie on you want to see over again.