Rating: 
Summary: Top 10 List
Review: If I had to name one film off my personal top 10 that was nearest to my heart, this is it. I've enjoyed watching it for the last two decades and was very happy when it finally found its way to DVD.
The last scene was the most poignant and brought it all home, literally. Anyone who found this film boring amuses me, I'd love to see their reaction to the original Wings of Desire, also on DVD in recent years.
Rating:
Summary: Marvelous, quirky and fun movie
Review: "Local Hero" is a story about beating the odds. When a huge oil corporation decides that they need to build a refinery off the coast of a Scottish town, MacIntyre (Peter Reigert in a marvelous deadpan performance) becomes the can-do guy sent to negoiate with the people of the town to turn their lovely village into another eyesore. He's send because he has a Scottish name although he's clearly NOT Scottish.Mac doesn't count on the charm of the locals. While many are happy to go along and follow the almighty dollar, there are those that just won't deal including Ben (Fulton MacKay) a scavenger that lives in a shack smack dap in the middle of the beach property the oil company needs. Happer (Burt Lancast)the head of the company must eventually come out to see the town that has stopped one of his top men dead in his tracks. Delightful and quirky, "Local Hero" captured everyone's attention for good reason. This off-beat and charming comedy will keep a smile on your face throughout its two hour run.
Writer/Director Bill Forsyth keeps the pace moving at first glance at a glacial speed but, ultimately, it's the pacing and the environment of the town that wins you over. Mark Knopfler's (of Dire Straits fame) wonderful film score is lyrical and full of melodic guitar playing. Filled with marvelous dialogue and a storyline laced with ironic wit, "Local Hero" may not be everyone's cup of tea but it sure was mine. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it in theaters and became an instant fan of Bill Forsyth. Although he hasn't been busy of late, his films remain, for the most part, remarkably funny, vital and focus on the off-beat moments in life.
The DVD transfer is quite clean with sharp images and good clarity. While there isn't much in the way of extras provided, the movie by itself makes this all worthwhile. Pick it up and see how the world could be.
Rating:
Summary: Wish I could give this more than 5
Review: One of my all-time favorite movies. Very funny, great characters, and a town I would like to live in. First DVD I bought when I got a player
Rating:
Summary: This film is almost perfect
Review: This is my fav film, so i'm bias. It dosen't matter that this film is over 20 years old. If you love fighting, guns and sex, This is not a film for you. If you have ever loved someone or thought about what it would be like to totally change your life, you are going to love this. A romantic love story between an american oil man and the scottish village way of life all held together by one of the most beautiful soundtracks.
Having lost the $5000 watch, ruined the $3000 suit, decided to ditch the 911 the beautiful moment is when Mac realises he has never been happier and he has indeed be seduced by this quirky, beautiful way of life. I live in the Uk and have visited the film sites a few times....the number for the phone box in penan is on the net.....'lads, have you got any 10p's?, gentleman here wants to call america'
Rating:
Summary: You can go home again.
Review: A very charming movie that bears up well under repeated viewings. Bill Forsyth has done so many good movies over the years, but I think this remains his best. Certainly, it is the closest to home, as he beautifully plays off the American-Scotland theme and the sense of misplaced identity.Peter Riegert is great as Mac, a representative of a large Houston oil company who has been chosen to close a deal on a harbor village in the north of Scotland, because of his presumed Scottish ancestry. Turns out Mac is of Hungarian, not Scottish descent, as his parents thought MacIntyre was an American name. Nevertheless, Mac soon finds himself adapting to the rugged North Sea coast, picking seashells from the tidal pools and adopting a rabbit his driver had inadvertantly hit on the road. Forsyth introduces the viewer to a wonderfully eccentric cast of characters in the small village, led by the amicable Gordon Urquhart, mayor, innkeeper, accountant and jack of all trades. Mac finds himself falling in love with Gordon's wife, but the playful romance is treated more in jest than in an attempt to foil the plot. It is in a grizzled beachcomber that we find the perfect foil to the land deal, which eventually brings the head of the oil commpany, Mr. Knox (played to perfection by Burt Lancaster) to Scotland. You will fall in love with this movie, as I did, carried along by its charm and beautifully poignant moments. Forsyth doesn't miss a beat in this playful movie.
|
