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:

£100,560 (United Kingdom), 13 January 2002, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$99,528, 17 February 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,326,407, 4 August 2002

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 lads leave the pub on the journey to Margate it's mid-afternoon and their next stop is Canterbury Cathedral. When they go in, the clock in the church tower says 8:45.

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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

The Gypsy in My Soul
(1938)
Music by Clay Boland
Lyrics by Moe Jaffe
Published by Peter Maurice Music Company Ltd

User Reviews

Almost Impossibly tender film

This film is based on a novel by a man named Swift but rather than being a biting satire, it's a film that only a person with a heart of stone could sit through wihtout breaking into tears. While the novel was praised largely for it's experimental style, it's the tenderness and humanity that make this film memorable.

Wonderfully acted by Michael Caine, helen Mirren, Bob Hoskins and others, it tells the tale of a London butcher's journey to his final resting place and a composite picture of his life is gradually drawn by the people who take him there. his story covers 70 years of british history which are lovingly recreated, but it's the personalities that are striking rather than the historical events that shape their lives. The film has moments of almost sublime beauty and pathos. It's a film that reminds us that, no matter how trivial our lives seem, we still have an impact on those around us.

Those of us who lament the decline of British cinema into a quagmire of Gangster flicks and rom-coms will embrace this film like a long-lost relative.