Last Orders (2001)

A group of old friends reminisce about their lives over the years after the death of one of their crew.

Director:

Fred Schepisi

Writers:

Graham Swift (novel), Fred Schepisi

Stars:

Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Tom Courtenay

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Caine	...	Jack
Tom Courtenay	...	Vic
David Hemmings	...	Lenny
Bob Hoskins	...	Ray
Helen Mirren	...	Amy
Ray Winstone	...	Vince
JJ Feild	...	Young Jack
Cameron Fitch	...	Young Vic
Nolan Hemmings	...	Young Lenny
Anatol Yusef	...	Young Ray
Kelly Reilly	...	Young Amy
Stephen McCole	...	Young Vince
George Innes	...	Bernie
Laura Morelli	...	June
Sally Hurst	...	Mandy

Storyline

Jack Dodd (Sir Michael Caine) was a London butcher who enjoyed a pint with his mates for over fifty years. When he died, he died as he lived, with a smile on his face watching a horse race on which he had bet, with borrowed money. But before he died, he had a final request, "Last Orders", that his ashes be scattered in the sea at Margate. This movie follows his mates, Ray (Bob Hoskins), Lenny (David Hemmings), and Vic (Sir Tom Courtenay), and his son Vince (Ray Winstone) as they journey to the sea with the ashes. Along the way, the threads of their lives, their loves and their disappointments are woven together in their memories of Jack and his wife Amy (Dame Helen Mirren).

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Plot Keywords:

ashes | friend | friendship | death | grief | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Classics [United States]

Country:

UK Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 January 2002 (UK)

Also Known As:

Las últimas órdenes

Filming Locations:

St. Thomas' Hospital, Lambeth, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$111,676, 3 March 2002

Gross USA:

$2,329,631

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,873,892

Company Credits

Production Co:

Future Films, MBP (Germany), Scala Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of six movies that featured both Bob Hoskins and Sir Michael Caine. The others being Blue Ice (1992), Mona Lisa (1986), Sweet Liberty (1986), Beyond the Limit (1983), and for television, World War II: When Lions Roared (1994).

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Goofs

When the chaps make a stop for lunch in a pub on the way down to Margate, Vince tells Lenny'it's a quarter to two'. Later, once they reach Margate, they drive past a municipal clock, with the hands set at five-and-twenty to two (13:35).

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Quotes

Jack: If y... if you ever get the chance... Raysy. I... if, if you ever get the option - you go first. It's the carrying on that's hard.

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Connections

References Nil by Mouth (1997)

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Soundtracks

Mary Wanna Marry Me
(1968)
Written by Don Gant and
Recorded by Neil Ford and The Fanatics
(p) 1968 Hickory Records, Inc
Published © 1968 Acuff-Rose Music Ltd
Licensed by Acuff-Rose Music Ltd

User Reviews

Excellent snapshot of a group of mates

You know, when I saw this film, there were maybe seven people in the huge theatre at Loews Outer Circle DC. It was kind of disconcerting. I mean, who could blame people -- the film got no billboards or even advertisements, and I only heard about it through reviews in the paper. But this one's a keeper: last time you had Caine & Hoskins working like this was Neil Jordan's crime drama "Mona Lisa." It's great to see them reunite.

This is really an ensemble film, with great direction and great editing as well. The flashbacks are very well placed, so you don't get a sense of distraction as much as clarification as the filkm goes on. And the filmmakers wisely decide to use visual cues for the memories, instead of arbitrary looks back at the past.

I can say after seeing this film, I hope that I can end my life with the same kind of buddies as Jack Dodds (withou' o' co'se the necessi'y o' ge'in sloshed every nigh'.) The ensemble really works well off each other -- Ray Winstone, who was nearly incomprehensible in Sexy Beast, here shows a bit more substance as Jack's wayward but successful son. Helen Mirren pulls in a much more vulnerable performance than usual as Jack's wife (and the woman who played her as a young woman is stunning.) Tom Courtenay and David Hemmings provide a nice contrast as the proper undertaker Vic, and the drunken ex-boxer Lenny, yet you can see how they would both appeal to a guy like Jack, a lover of life.

Of course, for reasons I don't know if I'll ever get, Hoskins is the anchor. I've watched him for many years, playing brutes and sidekicks, mobsters, and fathers, at times playing the Irish, the Australian, the English, or the Italian-American. He has way of blending in and winning your attention. He can be brash, idiotic, cruel, or sweet, wise, and bold, but either way you kind of root for the guy. You can always seem to see his wheels turning just by facial expressions. The guy might never get an Oscar, but his performances are almost always memorable.

The young actors all convincingly match their older counterparts,a and I found myself watching the way the young Vic went about his medical work and swing dancing and wondering if I'd be lucky enough to end up that way, as Jack says, "having it figured out."

The ultimate message of the film is as simple and yet profoundly human as the story itself: ending your life is easy, it's the carryin' on that's hard. That's not to say that life is meaningless or awful, but just that you've got to put your heart into it, as Schepisi himself has done here. "Last Orders" and "Lantana" are two of the best unknown films out there right now. Check 'em out.