Restless Natives (1985)

Two Scottish friends become local folk heroes and tourist attractions when they start holding up tour buses with novelty items.

Director:

Michael Hoffman

Writer:

Ninian Dunnett

Stars:

Vincent Friell, Joe Mullaney, Teri Lally

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vincent Friell	...	Will
Joe Mullaney	...	Ronnie
Teri Lally	...	Margot
Ned Beatty	...	Bender
Robert Urquhart	...	Baird
Bernard Hill	...	Will's father
Mel Smith	...	Pyle
Bryan Forbes	...	Driver
Nanette Newman	...	Passenger
Ann Scott-Jones	...	Will's mother
Rachel Boyd	...	Ilsa
Iain McColl	...	Nigel
Dave Anderson	...	Illingworth
Eiji Kusuhara	...	Presenter
Ed Bishop	...	Reporter

Storyline

Two lads in Edinburgh embark on a non-violent spree of robberies. They dress up in clown masks and act as modern highwaymen, robbing coach loads of tourists in the highlands. In the process they become folk heroes to the locals. Their adventures make for a whimsical and gentle comedy, in the Bill Forsyth vein.

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Plot Keywords:

robbery | mask | motorcycle | edinburgh scotland | bandit | 

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Taglines:

They're bigger than the lochness monster!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Touristenfalle

Filming Locations:

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films, The Oxford Film Company, Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Scotland the Brave"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Arranged by Jim Johnstone
Chappell Recorded Music Library

User Reviews

nostalgia outweighs flaws

A film that improves with age for anyone who is/was a resident of Edinburgh as it has a nice nostalgic feel to it. Technically, the film is beautifully shot with a combination of Edinburgh council estates and the more tourist friendly city centre and the sprawling backdrop of the Scottish highlands. The acting is acceptable at most but a common complaint with any film set in the east coast is the west coast accents used throughout. Another confusing matter is the use of Glasgow in some scenes (the cemetery scenes)although these problems would appear to be superficial to anyone outside Edinburgh. Overall a pleasant, pre - irony slice of Scottish cinema.