ffolkes (1980)

Original title: North Sea Hijack

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen

Writer: Jack Davies

Composer: Michael J. Lewis

Starring:  Roger Moore, James Mason, Anthony Perkins, Michael Parks, David Hedison, Jack Watson, George Baker, Jeremy Clyde, David Wood, Faith Brook

More info: IMDb

Tagline: When the next 12 hours could cost you 1,000 million pounds and 600 lives you need a man who lives second by second.

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

My rating: 6.5/10

Will I watch it again?  Maybe.

Boy do I miss the movie poster artwork of the 70s.    I remember seeing this on HBO in the very early 80s.  That would've been around peak Roger Moore for me even though I've never lost the excitement for seeing a Moore picture for the first time.  I really dig that guy.  The cast is fantastic.  James Mason and Anthony Perkins?  Are you kidding?  And the supporting cast is great, too.  It's fun seeing Moore play a woman-hating, booze-loving man of action that doesn't fuck around.  You do it his way or you're out and he doesn't compromise.  Just because he has contempt for the broads doesn't mean he hates the pussy.

Ffolkes  (Moore) is an interesting character and the kind you rarely see.  It's harsh how he treats women but he doesn't apologize for it and sticks to his antiquated ways.  James Mason adds weight to everything he's in.  Anthony Perkins isn't as good or fun as you'd think as the masterminding bad guy with a plan.  His exit is fun, though.  There's something missing from this film that keeps it from being a minor classic and I don't know what it is.  I can say that this film at times feels like a TV movie and the same goes for the score.  That doesn't help the movie at all.  Sometimes the dialogue crosses over to the cliche and hokey but try not to let that deter you from checking it out.  Fans of Moore or Perkins are going to need to see this regardless.  The Universal DVD has a nice anamorphic widescreen print with zilch for extras.