The Parole Officer (2001)

A failed parole officer framed for murder must enlist the help of his former clients to clear his name.

Director:

John Duigan

Writers:

Steve Coogan, Henry Normal

Stars:

Steve Coogan, Emma Gilmour, Susan Jane Tanner

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Coogan	...	Simon Garden
Emma Gilmour	...	Secretary
Susan Jane Tanner	...	Stern Woman
Iain Mitchell	...	Tribunal Chairman
James Smith	...	Tribunal Man
Om Puri	...	George
Steven Waddington	...	Jeff
Ben Miller	...	Colin
Emma Williams	...	Kirsty
Stephen Dillane	...	Inspector Burton
Bruce McGregor	...	First Policeman
Lena Headey	...	Emma
Justin Burrows	...	Mills
Marc Goodhall	...	Death / Student (as Marc Goodall)
Clive Kneller	...	Deacon

Storyline

Failed parole officer Simon Garden (Coogan) is framed for a murder committed by one of Manchester's leading police constables. The only evidence proving his innocence is a CCTV video tape locked inside a bank vault. With the help of four inept ex-criminals and token love interest Emma (Lena Headey), Garden must break into the bank and steal the CCTV footage in order to clear his name.

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Plot Keywords:

cctv | framed | parole officer | bank | murder | 

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Taglines:

Steve Coogan Is....[The Parole Officer]

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexual content/nudity and language

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

10 August 2001 (UK)

Also Known As:

Das B-Team: Beschränkt und auf Bewährung

Filming Locations:

Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£902,028 (UK) (10 August 2001)

Gross:

£3,214,144 (UK) (14 September 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DNA Films, Figment Films, Toledo Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The stuffed koala with the drugs in it is a reference to director John Duigan's Australian background. It was originally to be a rabbit, so the ears of the stuffed toy could be seen peeping out of the top of Inspector Burton's bag.

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Goofs

The canal water is calm after Simon falls into it.

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Quotes

[demonstrating a remote-controlled toy fire-engine with a camera on the ladder]
Kirsty: What is it?
George: It's a GOTLER.
Kirsty: A what?
Colin: A George-operated time-lock equalising robot.

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Crazy Credits

During the first part of the credits there is footage showing the cast dancing to "Heroes" by David Bowie

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Connections

References The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Heroes"
Performed by David Bowie
Written by David Bowie and Brian Eno
Published by Tintoretto Music (BMI)/RZO Music Ltd, Screen Gems-EMI Music, Inc (BMI), Careers-BMG Music Publishing (BMI)
Courtesy of RZO Music, Inc

User Reviews

It's going to take a few watches.

This is a John Duigan movie, one of my favourite directors. I love the way he wraps an entertaining movie around an art film. Every time I re-watch one of his films I find more of the symbolism of the art film inside. I've only seen this one once so far -on Showcase in Canada-, so I'm holding any vote till later, if I can get it on DVD. Apparently it hasn't been released in North America yet.

What strikes me most so far are parallels with The Pink Panther. I love those films too, but hated Clouseau/Sellers. I have a feeling it will be the same here. Some people have pointed out that Sharif's cameo was pointless. But Sharif/Victor=Niven/Phantom complete with complicit wife and had to be in there somewhere. Duigan used the tale "Baba Yaga and the little girl" in Lawn Dogs, but Victor represented a different Baba Yaga reference similar to Bartok the Magnificent.

It takes a while to get into Duigan movies, but it is well worth the effort. I'm even willing to put the effort into Paranoid. I'll edit and expand on this next time I watch it which I plan to do many times.