ffolkes (1980)
[North Sea Hijack]
Director: Andrew V McLaglen
Starring: Roger Moore, James Mason, Anthony Perkins
Synopsis:
An eccentric counter-terrorism expert with a private team of frogmen is called in to thwart a plot to hold an oil rig for ransom.
Impressions:
For some reason, I was under the impression that this was a parody, but that isn't the case. Roger Moore's character is eccentric enough that it borders on the comically serious, so that might be the reason I thought that. (Some people consider it to be a comedic role, so if that's the case, it's a rather subtle sort of comedy.) Anyway, this is a decent hostage thriller. The main charm point is Roger Moore as Rufus Excalibur ffolkes (the lower case on the surname is intentional), who's a nice aversion to the oversexed James Bond. Anthony Perkins is okay as the somewhat amateurish leader of the hijackers and it was nice seeing James Mason as Admiral Brinsden. This is a fairly slow-paced film with little action until the very end. If you prefer straight action films, you won't have much fun and as the main action set piece at the climax is somewhat subdued, you may not find it sufficient payoff. Still, it's not that bad of a film and if you want to see Roger Moore in a different sort of role, you may find it worthwhile.
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