Last Orders

From The New Yorker

A gang of three Englishmen, in various states of decline, gather to mourn a fourth, an East London butcher and veteran of the Second World War. Fred Schepisi's careful movie, adapted from Graham Swift's prize-winning novel, has a tricky, deck-shuffling structure, with past and present chopping repeatedly into one another; you may warm to this layering, though you could also argue that Schepisi is trying too hard to deepen a dangerously simple tale. The issue here is a friendship that survives the dwindling of a nation; we pass from an England proudly at war to the weary confines of a pub. The pals are played by David Hemmings, Tom Courtenay, Bob Hoskins, and, filling the dead man's shoes, Michael Caine. Some of their backchat has an oddly studied air-what would the film have felt like if Schepisi had allowed them to improvise? With Helen Mirren as the non-merry widow, and the unabashed Kelly Reilly as her younger self. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews:

Closing time, so who will buy the last round?.......2007-09-09

Friends. Not just ones that we occasionally see on the weekends, but those that buy you a round when they know you are blue, those that have lived their life right next to yours, those that will not quit even when you want them to forget about you - those are the friends that remain constantly in your mind. In "Last Orders" we have a unique opportunity to see a group of four friends escape their lives to take one of their greatest friends (and family) to his final resting place. Using a flashback technique that teeters on confusing at times, we witness six of our greatest actors dive deep into the hearts and souls of the characters they are portraying. For once, in cinematic history, we see a story unfold that each and every one of the actors support, as well as contributes more than 100% to their respected roles. This isn't a perfect film, but the flaws are overshadowed by the actors. Each and every one of the actors in this film carried their weight (and then some) as we felt our heartstrings pulled and friendship refreshed.

As already mentioned, the acting in this film is superb. It reminds me of discovering that perfect bottle of wine - all the characteristics of the blend are working in unison, creating a masterpiece out of what would be nothing more than than just your standard bottle of grapes. The core of this film is bland. "Last Orders" will not impress you with phenomenal storytelling or scenes that will demand your full attention - in fact - if it weren't for the actors who took their subsequent roles in this film - I probably would have fallen asleep shortly after the credits. "Last Orders" is a dry film. There is no denying that, but what sets the bar are the actors. Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins give the performances of their careers in this little independent film that should have seen more attention.. Helen Mirren continues to prove that she is one of those diamonds in the rough when it comes to small roles. She can handle either the big stuff or the small stuff, she continues to give her full ability each time. The rest of the cast, Tom Courtenay and David Hemmings, make this group of friends even more thoughtful. Then, there is Ray Winstone. I have always appreciated his work since seeing him in "Sexy Beast", and this film just brought him to a whole new appreciative level. He works, along with the rest of the players in this film, to ensure that their heart and minds are diving their characters into our hearts. It is amazing that even with a weak script, this film was made better by those involved both behind the camera and in front of it.

With this applause for the actors, of which I can continue, but would sound like a repetitive critic, I must say that I wasn't impressed with the story. I thought that director Fred Schepisi did a decent job with the imagery, long viewing landscapes accompanying our lush actors, but this story was a challenge to create as a screen writer. Throughout his commentary, he talks about how he felt he had to guide the audience better through the flashbacks - there were quite a bit of them - but without giving us the proper guidance, we just jumped. That was tough because we weren't fully introduced to the "younger" version of the characters with the respect that we were with the older generation. At times we jumped with no reason, coupling our minds to be both confused as well as needing immediate readjustment to the situation. One moment we were in a Mercedes driving, the next we were in a doctor's bed, the following we were in a war scene. For the casual viewer, this would have been a difficult transition to follow. For me, the jumps seemed too sporadic, too forced to push the story. Unlike the book, each chapter isn't dedicated to each character, we must juggle the time, and I think Schepisi could have accomplished this task better. He picked the right actors to play younger versions of their subsequent actors, but it took some time to make sure that we, the audience, knew who we were working with. It was a struggle for this film, and it nearly - for me - took away from the phenomenal-ness of the actors.

There were other issues with this film with continuity and placement, some of which are typical in any budget of a film, but others occurred due in part to the constant change of time. It is hard to change time as often as Schepisi does without missing some details, and again, it distracted in this film. The pacing seemed lacking, I don't remember the book being as dull in some points, but I think it was because Schepisi didn't want to overload us with so much information. The scene with the actors in the Mercedes as they drive to their friend's final destination was beautifully framed, amazingly acted, but seemed extended, dull, and a bit drawn out. That, for me, best summarizes this film. Acting and vision were impressively intense, but the film seemed to slip because of structural issues.

Overall, I liked this film, but could not say that I loved it. I will stand behind "Last Orders" as a film that boasts the best acting from some of our most unique actors, but Schepisi could have done a better job behind the camera. If it weren't for the actors, this film would have drastically fallen. I am glad that our director pushed for great actors, but I think it is in part because he knew the story wasn't as strong as he wanted. This was no "Six Degrees of Separation" or "Roxanne", it stands on its own - it just isn't sturdy enough.

Grade: *** out of *****

Interesting story--but multiple cast flashbacks just never work for me.......2007-06-02

The novel was fascinating, but executing it on a big screen obviously was a huge challenge. Both my spouse and I got lost when the film flashed far enough back to change cast members. Much of the quips were wonderful, dry British humor--and if I just kept up with them, it was fine. It also helped to have read the book recently enough to make connections with the characters.

A marvelous ensemble cast.......2006-10-30

What a beautiful film, with a marvelous ensemble cast. Michael Caine (as "Jack") is brilliant and in a class by himself; and his love of acting is evident in each role he plays, always superbly. And the addition of Helen Mirren (as his wife "Amy") brings together two of the world's finest actors, and worldwide treasures. Bob Hoskins is always terrific, as is David Hemmings, and of course Ray Winstone (as Jack and Amy's son, "Vince"). It is so nice to see Tom Courtenay (first acclaimed in "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" and "Doctor Zhivago"), as well as the lovely Kelly Reilly (as young Amy).

For those who love British films at their best, in contrast to crass American special-effects movies, this is well worth viewing. The four men set out on a journey to honor Jack's final wishes; and it is moving in ways that are soft and tender, and beautiful. Amy adds that special touch, both in her youth and the winter of her life. Ah, to be a fly on the wall watching these great talents bring their magic to the silver screen--after waiting two and a half years for the money to make the film.

"Last Orders" is also about a father and son, who pretend that they do not need each other, but who need and love one another very much, which is true of most fathers and their daughters too. Also, right at the height of something--as director Fred Schepisi reminds us in the "Special Features" that are included on the disk--something goes wrong. Or as John Lennon reminded us in prophetic words from his last album: "[L]ife is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

Closing Time.......2006-06-19

Fred Schepisi's film adaptation of Graham Swift's brisk novel about death and Britishness, or the death of Britishness, is a textbook case of how a bad script can stymie a brilliant cast.

The screen comes alive whenever Michael Caine's on it, even when he's in a hospital bed. But he's never on for more than a few minutes before a flashback sweeps you back to his disturbing younger double, or shifts to one of his four mates, all of whom have stories and flashbacks of their own that need to be crammed in. Despite all the cuts, the snippets themselves are amazingly static for a film--four men driving in a car, four men standing at a pub, a man and a woman sitting on a bench: that's about 80% of the screen time right there.

The characters seemed representative rather than real personalities: East Enders who fight in the War, bet on horses, run family butcher shops, go hopping of a summer, and mark their major life events down the local felt too pat, too pasteboard, to interest even the actors. London appears through a warm gauze of color and memory that doesn't really do justice to the personal histories the film sets out to tell. The cast is a Who's Who of the last 40 years of British cinema--I wish they'd been given more room to stretch out and pour their own histories into the characters.

Last rites?.......2006-01-10

Viewers should beware of films which use flashbacks spanning so many years that two (or more) separate casts are required to portray one set of characters. This film is no exception. The actor representing the Michael Caine character (30 or so years earlier) was the only moderately credible such casting, there being a strong physical resemblance; though Field could also have played a similar role for Peter O'Toole. But disparities of the younger representations of Bob Hoskins (Anatol Yusef), Helen Mirren (Kelly Reilly), and several others were so severe that their initial appearances imparted a "Who-are-these-clowns-anyway?" air to the proceedings, until one finally makes the connection about an hour later.

Add the unremitting cockney accents in which this reviewer found it impossible to understand more than half of the dialogue (the remaining half requiring the utmost concentration); the incessant, minute-to-minute flipping back and forth between three different timeframes (present, near-present, and distant past); and that the entire film is basically a set of anecdotal reminiscences; and the film degenerates into a mish-mash of incoherence.

Not recommended.

Average customer rating:

Closing time, so who will buy the last round?
Interesting story--but multiple cast flashbacks just never work for me
A marvelous ensemble cast
Closing Time
Last rites?

Last Orders [Region 2]
Starring: Michael Caine , Tom Courtenay , David Hemmings , Bob Hoskins , and Helen Mirren
Director: Fred Schepisi
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000067A7F