North Sea Hijack (1979)

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

Jack Davies (screenplay)
Jack Davies (novel)

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	...	Ffolkes
James Mason	...	Admiral Brindsen
Anthony Perkins	...	Kramer
Michael Parks	...	Shulman
David Hedison	...	King
Jack Watson	...	Olafsen
George Baker	...	Fletcher
Jeremy Clyde	...	Tipping
David Wood	...	Herring
Faith Brook	...	Prime Minister
Lea Brodie	...	Sanna
Anthony Pullen Shaw	...	Ackerman
Philip O'Brien	...	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 | UK:100 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) (passed with cuts) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Galway City, County Galway, Ireland

Company:

Cinema Seven Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

Ffolkes is a subtle play on "007" - if you mirror the FFO, you get 077 as the European crossed 7, and the FF0 substitutes for the 007. This film was an opportunity for a comedic turn for Roger Moore.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Ffolkes looks at his watch after coming aboard near the ending, his Seiko divers watch clearly shows a French language day/date "VEN 29". Highly unlikely that a loyal Scotsman would have a watch with French wording.

Quotes:

ffolkes: [to one of his frogmen] Do that again, Harris, and I'll have your balls for breakfast!

Completely Entertaining

This film is the archetype for the Die Hard franchise and their ilk, only the Roger Moore character of ffolkes is about twice as interesting as Bruce Willis ever was. The situations, the way they deal with the terrorists are all completely real (barring a few questionable things - would it really take so long to get together $25 million?).

Anthony Perkins, James Mason, and Roger Moore all turn in outstanding performances. There is a female lead as one of the captives who, though not dressed sexy, is somehow incredibly hot. Moore is particularly entertaining as a curmudgeon of a man who openly dislikes women, loves cats, Scottish booze, and needlepoint. The movie builds steadily, keeping tension throughout while retaining a strong sense of humor.