Francis Urquhart is too experienced a politician not to know that everything must end, even his long career as British prime minister. In order to secure his retirement and establish ...
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S1.E4
Not having secured enough votes on the first ballot to retain the party leadership, Francis Urquhart plots to not only keep him in place as Prime Minister but to win the next general election. He is ...
S1.E2
Having sacked his Parliamentary Private Secretary, Urquhart casts about for a replacement. At the suggestion of Geoffrey Booza Pitt he gives serious consideration to backbench MP Claire Carlsen, ...
S1.E3
Having resigned as Foreign Secretary, Tom Makepeace launches a blistering attack in the House of Commons directed not only at the government in general but at the Prime Minister in particular. He ...
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Title: The Final Cut (1995)
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2 wins & 1 nomination.
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Francis Urquhart is too experienced a politician not to know that everything must end, even his long career as British prime minister. In order to secure his retirement and establish monument to himself, he takes part in negotiations aimed at ending the Cyprus conflict. However, that same island hides the secrets from Urquhart's youth - secrets that could destroy him. Written by Dragan Antulov <dragan.antulov@altbbs.fido.hr>
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prime minister | tv mini series | psychopath | politics | member of parliament |Genres:
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Tom Makepeace: To quote the prime minister, "You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment."
Francis Urquhart: You bastard!
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Michael Dobbs, the author of the original book, was angered at the opening scene depicting Margaret Thatcher's funeral. As a result he demanded his name be removed from the credits which just say "Based on the novel The Final Cut" without mentioning his name. See more »Goofs
When the security man at No. 10 enters the Urquharts' bedroom with his pistol drawn and at the ready, the gun actually has no live round in the chamber and is thus not ready to fire (we can tell this by the fact that the Glock's trigger is to the rear, which would not be the case if the action had been cycled to chamber a round). See more »Quotes
[Prime Minister Urquhart is watching Makepeace being interviewed on television]Tom Makepeace: To quote the prime minister, "You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment."
Francis Urquhart: You bastard!
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Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
4 February 1996 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Final Cut See more »Company Credits
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'House of Cards' is superlative. 'To Play the King' is great. The third series of the trilogy 'The Final Cut' (1995) may be the weakest of the three but is still very good.
Everything that made 'House of Cards' and 'To Play the King' is here in 'The Final Cut' and work brilliantly. Unlike the previous two series however, a few parts veer on the improbable and the ending felt unsatisfying in its predictability and not having the punch or clarity of the ending of 'House of Cards' (the ending of 'To Play the King' was the weak link of that series but was more convincing than here). The previous two series are paced a little tighter too. Having said all this, the deviations from the source material again don't detract and the spirit and attention to character and mood detail are present.
On the other hand, 'The Final Cut' visually looks wonderful, full of elegance and atmosphere in the design and class and style in the way it's filmed. It's also beautifully scored by Jim Parker with a very memorable main theme, and the direction lets the atmosphere and drama breathe but still never undermines the momentum.
Andrew Davies once again also deserves a lot of the credit. The script has dry cynicism, sharp wit, dark bite and class, with some deservedly iconic lines that have since become part of popular culture. The nation's mood is brilliantly captured and the political elements are handled so truthfully and don't feel shoe-horned (it's actually essential here) or heavy-handed. The storytelling is mostly very absorbing, the depth and richness of the previous two series in the trilogy not lost.
Ian Richardson is once again absolutely incredible in his best and most justifiably best known role, dominating the whole proceedings with ease. Diane Fletcher has a bigger role in 'The Final Cut' and again shows completely believability in a role that one doesn't see from her usually.
Paul Freeman is especially good in support, which is mostly pretty solid apart from Nikolas Grace's sleaziness being more over-the-top than creepy.
Overall, while the weakest of the three 'The Final Cut' still has a huge amount to enjoy, primarily Richardson. 8/10 Bethany Cox