North Sea Hijack (1980)

When terrorists take over two oil rigs, and threaten to blow them up if their demands are not met, an eccentric anti-terrorism expert volunteers his unique commando unit to stop them.

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

Jack Davies, Jack Davies (from his own novel: "Esther Ruth & Jennifer")

Stars:

Roger Moore, James Mason, Anthony Perkins

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roger Moore	...	Ffolkes
James Mason	...	Admiral Brinsden
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

Storyline

A terrorist (Anthony Perkins) holds an offshore drilling rig and production platform for ransom in the North Sea. Ffolkes (Roger Moore) a wealthy mysogynistic eccentric, volunteers to send his crack team of soldiers in to stop the terrorists. With few other options available, the British Government reluctantly accepts his help.

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Plot Keywords:

1980s | ship | terrorist | oil | oil rig | 

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Taglines:

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]

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Norwegian dockyard port scenes were filmed not in Norway, but in Galway, Ireland. The Galway docks were made-up to look Norwegian. The 35,000 people who lived in the Galway district were amused to see their little village turned into a Norwegian port. Filming in and off Galway, in the Galway Bay area, took five weeks.

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Goofs

When ffolkes is explaining his background, he says; "Both my parents died tragically in childbirth." His mother perhaps, but whose father has ever died in childbirth? This ironic statement is explained in the novel Esther Ruth and Jennifer by Jack Davies, in Chapter 1. His father, Augustus ffolkes, had succumbed to a heart attack after witnessing his premature birth, thus making him the only child to have had a father die in child birth.

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Quotes

ffolkes: [drinking Scotch on the train]

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Alternate Versions

The original UK cinema version had the sight of one of the hijackers unbuttoning the blouse of a female captive removed for an 'A' rating (the same as today's 'PG' rating). All subsequent video and DVD releases have been uncut and rated '15'.

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Connections

Spoofed in My Name Is Bond... James Bond (1979)

User Reviews

Nice change of pace for Roger Moore

Throughout his career critics have placed Roger Moore in a catagory with such alleged actors as George Hamilton and Pamela Anderson. Individuals whose celebrity status has been maintain by good looks rather than talent.

It is not hard to understand why. From the start Moore has been typecast in the same basic charactor mold; the ruggedly handsome high competant womanizer. James Bond, Maverick, The Saint, they are all virtually the same. Only on rare occations has Moore been able to overcome the stereotype and prove his versitility as an actor. The 1979 action yarn Ffolkes is one such occation.

In the title role Moore is anything but his typical ladies man. The product of a messy divorce, Rufus Excaliber Ffolkes resents women. He considers them inferior at best and a blight on society at worst. He now prefers the company of cats.

Ffolkes is also a gruff reclusive genius with little tolerance for lesser intellects. This is neatly demonstrated when a secondary charactor addressing Ffolkes's intellectual prowess flippantly states,

"You must be one of those people who finish the (London) times crossword puzzle in ten minutes."

"I assure you." Ffolkes angerily responses. "I have never taken ten minutes!"

But Fflokes is no braggart. His genius is quickly proven when a vital British oil drilling platform is taken over by a group of blackmailing terrorists led by Tony (Psycho) Perkins. Ffolkes, an expert in counter terrorism anticipated such an attack months in advance and has a well trained group of handpicked specialists standing by to lead an assult.

Despite the misgivings of the Royal navy command who consider him a loose cannon the prime minister commissions Ffolkes to liberate the platform. What follows is some of the best high action drama in movie history.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Assault Force

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$805,511, 20 April 1980

Gross USA:

$2,993,772

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,993,772

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Seven Productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1