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Local Hero (1983)

 -  Comedy | Drama  -  17 February 1983 (USA)
7.3
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Ratings: 7.3/10 from 11,684 users  
Reviews: 181 user | 34 critic

An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected.

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Title: Local Hero (1983)

Local Hero (1983) on IMDb 7.3/10

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Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Mac
...
Ben
...
Norman Chancer ...
Moritz
...
Rikki Fulton ...
Geddes
...
Watt
...
Marina
Jennifer Black ...
Stella
Christopher Rozycki ...
Gyearbuor Asante ...
Rev Macpherson (as Christopher Asante)
...
Cal (as John Jackson)
...
Donaldson
Tam Dean Burn ...
Roddy
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Storyline

Oil billionaire Happer sends Mac to a remote Scotish villiage to secure the property rights for an oil refinery they want to build. Mac teams up with Danny and starts the negotiations, the locals are keen to get their hands on the 'Silver Dollar' and can't believe their luck. However a local hermit and beach scavenger, Ben Knox, lives in a shack on the crucial beach which he also owns. Happer is more interested in the Northern Lights and Danny in a surreal girl with webbed feet, Marina. Mac is used to a Houston office with fax machines but is forced to negotiate on Bens terms. Written by Matthew Stanfield <mattst@cogs.susx.ac.uk>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

oil | beach | shack | village | scotland | See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

17 February 1983 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

A kisvárosi hős  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 3,626,858 (Sweden)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The asteroid "7345 Happer" is named after actor Burt Lancaster's Happer character in this movie who is keen on astronomy. It also fulfilled Lancaster's wish to have a comet named after him. See more »

Goofs

When Mac first sees the meteor shower the audio says 'Holy cow" but his mouth is saying something different. See more »

Quotes

MacIntyre: What's the most amazing thing you've ever found?
Ben Knox: Impossible to say. You see, there's something amazing every two or three weeks.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Tayna chyornykh drozdov (1983) See more »

Soundtracks

"Local Hero"
by Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits)
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Simply the best, perfect little film ever made.
24 April 2001 | by (Ontario, Canada) – See all my reviews

A real sleeper of a movie. I rented it without knowing anything about this film beforhand and was taken prisoner from start to finish. I honestly didn't want the movie to end. Full of interesting and amusing characters, a terrific musical score, wryly satirical without being demeaning of anyone; it invites you into a totally believable world where you begin to care about the fate of everyone and there are no false notes in the script, direction or performances.

If anyone ever doubted the importance of a screenplay in the success of a movie or thought that a big budget, lots of pyrotechnics and loads of special effects could cover up a movie's shortcomings - see this film. It should be required at all film schools as an example of what can be accomplished on a little budget but with good ideas and lots of talent. A perfect 10 - times 2!


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Local hero killed Pennan rallan5000
How many times have you watched Local Hero? rthomp-8
No longer available on DVD? solovoyager
who is the Local Hero william-blaik
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So what happens to the townfolk now - still rich? rkw2705
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