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:

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

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:

[dying words]
Lou Kramer: I still... don't like your face.

One of Roger Moore's best movies

Actor Roger Moore is best known for his work as Agent 007 in the James Bond movies but during his stint as James Bond he made a number of other movies of variable quality. One of the best was this 1979 adventure (it was released in 1980 in the US under the title "Ffolkes") in which Moore stars as an eccentric British adventurer with a disdain for women and a fondness for cats. Moore leads a small underwater commando group that does the occasional favor for Lloyds of London. The British government has a problem. Two oil rigs in the North Sea and a Norwegian Cargo Freighter are being held to ransom. A terrorist group has overrun the freighter and has both it and the two rigs fitted with booby trapped bombs. The economic, environmental and human cost if the British refuse the ransom could be astronomical. Unwilling to negotiate with hostages the government decides to contact Lloyds with a view to using their private specialized methods for dealing with problems. This is where Moore's character Ffolkes comes in. With a truly exceptional cast including James Mason, Anthony Perkins and David Hedison "North Sea Hijack" (aka "Ffolkes") is an enjoyable romp that is high on action and good humor. I highly recommend this movie.