Last Orders
by Fred Schepisi
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bob Hoskins, David Hemmings, Helen Mirren, Michael Caine, Tom CourtenayDirector: Fred Schepisi
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 109 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-08-13
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of Last Orders
Movie Review: Closing time, so who will buy the last round?
Summary: 3 Stars
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 *****
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