North Sea Hijack (1979)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

Jack Davies (novel)
Jack Davies (screenplay)

Release Date:

May 1980 (Austria)

Genre:

Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

When the next 12 hours could cost you 1,000 million pounds and 600 lives you need a man who lives second by second. [UK Theatrical]

Plot:

When terrorists take over two oil rigs and threaten to explode them if their demands are not met, a unique commando unit is sent in to stop them.

Plot Keywords:

Terrorist | Oil Rig | North Sea | Oil | Commando

Cast

Roger Moore	...	Rufus Excalibur Ffolkes
James Mason	...	Admiral Sir Francis Brindsen
Anthony Perkins	...	Lou Kramer
Michael Parks	...	Harold Shulman
David Hedison	...	Robert King
Jack Watson	...	Captain Olafsen
George Baker	...	Fletcher
Jeremy Clyde	...	Lord Privy Seal Dennis Tipping
David Wood	...	Herring
Faith Brook	...	British Prime Minister
Lea Brodie	...	Sanna
Anthony Pullen Shaw	...	Robert F. Ackerman
Philip O'Brien	...	Art Webb
John Westbrook	...	Dawnay
Jennifer Hilary	...	Sarah

Also Known As:

Assault Force (USA) (TV title)
Esther, Ruth and Jennifer (UK) (working title)
ffolkes (USA)

Runtime:

West Germany:100 min | USA:95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:PG | South Korea:15 | West Germany:12 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) (1987) | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Galway City, County Galway, Ireland

Company:

Cinema Seven Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

Rufus Excalibur Ffolkes has a black cat named Enoch. This is an obvious dig at the famous British anti-immigration politician -- Enoch Powell.

Goofs:

Continuity: Ffolkes uses military time couple of times, which is expected. But when on the rig and getting ready to go the ship, he has everyone sync their watches to 1114 rather than military time of 2314.

Quotes:

Lou Kramer: You'd better take that pussycat grin off your face or this guy's liable to carve it off.

Nice change of pace for Roger Moore

Throughout his career critics have placed Roger Moore in a catagory with such alleged actors as George Hamilton and Pamela Anderson. Individuals whose celebrity status has been maintain by good looks rather than talent.

It is not hard to understand why. From the start Moore has been typecast in the same basic charactor mold; the ruggedly handsome high competant womanizer. James Bond, Maverick, The Saint, they are all virtually the same. Only on rare occations has Moore been able to overcome the stereotype and prove his versitility as an actor. The 1979 action yarn Ffolkes is one such occation.

In the title role Moore is anything but his typical ladies man. The product of a messy divorce, Rufus Excaliber Ffolkes resents women. He considers them inferior at best and a blight on society at worst. He now prefers the company of cats.

Ffolkes is also a gruff reclusive genius with little tolerance for lesser intellects. This is neatly demonstrated when a secondary charactor addressing Ffolkes's intellectual prowess flippantly states,

"You must be one of those people who finish the (London) times crossword puzzle in ten minutes."

"I assure you." Ffolkes angerily responses. "I have never taken ten minutes!"

But Fflokes is no braggart. His genius is quickly proven when a vital British oil drilling platform is taken over by a group of blackmailing terrorists led by Tony (Psycho) Perkins. Ffolkes, an expert in counter terrorism anticipated such an attack months in advance and has a well trained group of handpicked specialists standing by to lead an assult.

Despite the misgivings of the Royal navy command who consider him a loose cannon the prime minister commissions Ffolkes to liberate the platform. What follows is some of the best high action drama in movie history.