Last Orders Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
Jack Dodd was a London butcher who enjoyed a pint with his mates for over 50 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. The movie follows his mates, Ray, Lenny and Vic and his foster son Vince 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
| Michael Caine | Jack Dodds |
| Tom Courtenay | Vic Tucker |
| David Hemmings | Lenny 'Len' |
| Bob Hoskins | Ray 'Raysie' Johnson |
| Helen Mirren | Amy Dodds |
| Ray Winstone | Vince 'Vincey' Dodds |
| 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, the Bartender |
| Laura Morelli | June |
| Sally Hurst | Mandy |
| Fred Schepisi |
7.10 out of 10 (2279 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Mirren as you've never b4 seen her
posted on 09 Dec 2008Helen Mirren, a great actress of our times. She defies Hollywood convention to appear sans makeup, allowing her character to age from the natural beauty of her late teens to an aging woman in her late 60s.Mirren plays Amy, the wife of Jack (Michael Cain), a butcher for 50 years. She endures the first birth of a retarded daughter to whom she alone remains devoted while her husband ignores the girl & pays attention to his adopted son Vince (excellent portrayal by Ray Winstone of Sexy Beast fame). Vince refuses to follow his father into the butcher business ("it's all about waste") and instead follows his own passion for cars, opening a successful car dealership.The movie is full of marvelous male dialogue (listen hard, these are British accents after all) between Jack's pals heard while they ride around the bluesy and blowsy British coast in Vince's Mercedes,stopping in pubs while headed to spread Jack's ashes to a seaside resort: his "Last Orders", and a place where he honeymooned with his wife and was happy so many years ago.These men's lives are are told to us through flashbacks of wartime friendships and present-day tales: stories of what they have been through in a lifetime of marraiges, divorces, dissapointment, fights and ultimately love.Excellent performances from the all-Brit ensemble cast. Bob Hoskins shines in a way we haven't seen him for a long time as the best friend who saved Jack's life in the war and who has also loved Amy all these years.
Not much happens beautifully
posted on 03 Dec 2008Michael Caine doesn't say 'not a lot of people know that' and he doesn't have a go at anybody for not 'blowin' the bloody doors off'. Ray Winstone doesn't duff up his girlfriend nor does he bash up a bloke in e wing with a sock full of snooker balls. Tom Courtney doesn't go on a, lonely, long-distance run. Helen Mirren keeps her clothes on. And Bob Hoskins, doesn't go within 200 kilometres of a singing rabbit. If the afore mentioned is what you want from a film then you will need to look elsewhere. I enjoyed the film very much. I wasn't too keen on the 'youngsters' acting in the flashbacks but that aside, I thought this was a wonderfully, well acted, film with some wonderful performances. There is also some beautiful camera work. And 'not a lot of people know that'.
Have a pint for fallen friends
posted on 09 Nov 2008Very touching story about life, friendship and time. Actress Kelly Reilly is truly dreamy. A sappy movie guys can appreciate. After the death of their friend (Michael Caine)- 3 close chums and the deceased's son start on a road trip to the ocean to scatter his ashes and thus carry out his last wish. On the way, each the friends, his son and wife, (through numerous flashbacks) reflect on the unique relationship they shared with him.
About life and living...
posted on 04 Oct 2008Atmospheeric, brooding, and thought-provoking, this film is not to be missed. I saw it on TV, and cannot recall it having a run on circuit (in SA) in 2000.It is a totally non-pretentious film: some drinking, lifelong mates are going to scatter the ashes - the Final Orders - of a buddy who has died. Through flashbacks, we see the intricacies of relationships, decisions that are made, and memories that are shared.It's a deeply moving film, with excellent ensemble acting. I heartily recommend this film: it's rich, multi-layered and well worth watching. It's a story about life and living, although it deals with death!
Would "The Feel Good Factor" sound a little trite ?
posted on 29 Aug 2008As we go to the cinema rather infrequently these days, it is an overwhelming pleasure to realise just how much you've enjoyed the past hour or two. Wanting a film to go on and on must be a recommendation in itself. Then you start to analyse slightly and realise you've been watching actors and actresses who know their craft inside out and manage to give the feeling that they're real people. Top performances, superb direction and music that fitted so well it was scarcely noticed. What a refreshing change to watch down-to-earth characters who find it unnecessary to constantly mouth obscenities because the director thinks it provides more authenticity and punch. My wife and I found this was well worthy of at least 9 out of 10 and would be happy if we were able to say a big "Thank You" to all those involved.
Not my kind of film
posted on 30 Jul 2008Reminiscence is the basic theme of this black comedy. Consequently, the major part of this film is in flashback as four elderly men, all good friends, recall all the memorable times they spent together with their good friend Jack Dodds, the local butcher. Jack is no more, though his presence is still felt. His ashes are in a canister no bigger than a tea caddy. It was jack's dearest wish to have his ashes scattered at Margate, a seaside town he loved.So this film is very much like a road movie as we share their conversation while they speed along the highway to Margate. And yes, Jack's ashes are with them.The story gets very confusing at times because it deals with two generations and the flashbacks are many, jumping in and out of the picture. The faces of the five men in the leading roles are matched rather well with those of the younger actors playing those roles in earlier days, but it requires considerable concentration to recognize the characters and their relationship with each other. One wonders if it is really worth the trouble.Michael Caine as the butcher gives his usual reliable performance as does Helen Mirren and the others, but they are worthy of better material. I thought the fisticuffs scene was irrelevant and embarrassing to watch.
However, there are some memorable moments. For example when Ray is overcome with grief and can scarcely contain himself and when Jack's wife Amy informs her handicapped daughter that this is the last visit. And then there's the most moving scene of all on the wharves at Margate and just those two words "Goodbye Jack".
Great Film for those who are in the end game
posted on 30 Jun 2008It's not surprising to see that as people age, they rate this film
increasingly positively. It's a journey of reflection and remembrances - as the actors characters takes us into their memories of their relationship of their deceased, lifelong pal and as they carry out their "last orders" we are taken into a series of memories. It's impossible to view this film and not reflect on ones own important friends and significant memories. And, there are other themes ... the particular loss that parents feel at the untimely demise of one of their children, the difficulties of an adopted child to find his place in the family. This film is carried off with a realism and warmth that will bring tears. The Cockney accents are difficult -- flow with the film and you'll understand most of it anyway. The acting is superb. This should be the type of film that gets the Academy Award.
Excellent snapshot of a group of mates
posted on 08 Jun 2008You know, when I saw this film, there were maybe seven people in the huge theatre at Loews Outer Circle DC. It was kind of disconcerting. I mean, who could blame people -- the film got no billboards or even advertisements, and I only heard about it through reviews in the paper. But this one's a keeper: last time you had Caine & Hoskins working like this was Neil Jordan's crime drama "Mona Lisa." It's great to see them reunite. This is really an ensemble film, with great direction and great editing as well. The flashbacks are very well placed, so you don't get a sense of distraction as much as clarification as the filkm goes on. And the filmmakers wisely decide to use visual cues for the memories, instead of arbitrary looks back at the past. I can say after seeing this film, I hope that I can end my life with the same kind of buddies as Jack Dodds (withou' o' co'se the necessi'y o' ge'in sloshed every nigh'.) The ensemble really works well off each other -- Ray Winstone, who was nearly incomprehensible in Sexy Beast, here shows a bit more substance as Jack's wayward but successful son. Helen Mirren pulls in a much more vulnerable performance than usual as Jack's wife (and the woman who played her as a young woman is stunning.) Tom Courtenay and David Hemmings provide a nice contrast as the proper undertaker Vic, and the drunken ex-boxer Lenny, yet you can see how they would both appeal to a guy like Jack, a lover of life.
Of course, for reasons I don't know if I'll ever get, Hoskins is the anchor. I've watched him for many years, playing brutes and sidekicks, mobsters, and fathers, at times playing the Irish, the Australian, the English, or the Italian-American. He has way of blending in and winning your attention. He can be brash, idiotic, cruel, or sweet, wise, and bold, but either way you kind of root for the guy. You can always seem to see his wheels turning just by facial expressions. The guy might never get an Oscar, but his performances are almost always memorable. The young actors all convincingly match their older counterparts,a and I found myself watching the way the young Vic went about his medical work and swing dancing and wondering if I'd be lucky enough to end up that way, as Jack says, "having it figured out." The ultimate message of the film is as simple and yet profoundly human as the story itself: ending your life is easy, it's the carryin' on that's hard. That's not to say that life is meaningless or awful, but just that you've got to put your heart into it, as Schepisi himself has done here.
"Last Orders" and "Lantana" are two of the best unknown films out there right now. Check 'em out.
Great cast but script lacks something
posted on 06 Jun 2008This is without a doubt one of the best casts ever assembled for a film and while its never boring I just kept expecting some sort of focus point. Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Tom Courtenay, David Hemmings, Ray Winstone and Helen Mirren add a quality that only their talent and experience can deliver. And also its directed by a director that I have always respected. Fred Schepisi always makes an impression when he directs and they needed a veteran director for a cast like this. One of the complaints I have towards this film is that Caine is hardly in the film. All the characters keep saying what a great guy and friend he is but he's hardly on screen. I guess we'll have to take they're word on it because we really didn't see it. And the subplot with Hoskins and Mirren just seems to be there to add flavor to the script. I just didn't believe it. Its worth a look because all the actors have genuine moments in the film and the performances command your attention but when its over you know you have seen a film that lacks any real dramatic punch.
Very engaging and somewhat powerful film about love, life and loss.
posted on 13 May 2008How very strange to have a film such as Last Orders, a film that has its themes and its content revolve around death, loss and nostalgia and yet still manage to remain uplifting; positive, even. Last Orders is one of those films that covers a lot of ground in a two hour timeframe; it's sort of what Forrest Gump would have been like if Forrest Gump had had masses of friends and buddies to hang around with as his own life unfolded. But don't think I'm comparing films here because whilst Last Orders is great in its own retrospect, Forrest Gump remains the pinnacle of this sort of genre.I suppose Last Orders is to 'death' as Reservoir Dogs is to 'heist'. The idea that you get a load of male characters (although Helen Mirren's Amy plays a sort of important role); have them situated close to all but one place for the past tense scenes but now and again, showing the repercussions of said death/heist event in the present tense. While Reservoir Dogs' flashback scenes covered a whole range of locations, Last Orders fixes on a public house for the scenes in which all the characters are together but in order to understand more and more about them the film delves deeper into the past; much like Reservoir Dogs did with the Mr. Orange character – showing us how the development of friendship and trust became apparent. Added to this, Last Orders in the present tense beds down in one locale; a moving vehicle as they travel to a pier in order to carry out the dead man's final wish – parallels to Reservoir Dogs and the warehouse can be made here where, arguably, the most intense moments of clashing egos and best examples of dialogue float to the surface.But Last Orders isn't trying to be Forrest Gump or Reservoir Dogs, in my opinion two of the 1990s greatest films. No, Last Orders is a different beast; a tale of friendship and life that is pushed to an apparent breaking point even when the man has gone. It seems funny how with a cast like Hoskins, Caine, Mirren, Hemmings and Winstone one can be so easily attracted to the actors and actresses who play the characters in decades gone by. JJ Field does a superb job as a young Jack (Caine) as does Kelly Reilly with Amy (Mirren); what's more, there is an added sense of nostalgia when Anatol Yusef portrays a young Ray (Hoskins) when really it seems like he is playing Hoskins himself from times gone by – you cannot help but smirk in appreciation. Even though the film plays out with one of its main characters actually dead throughout the entire piece, what makes Last Orders so successful? Well, it gets across a feeling of nostalgia; a feeling of time gone by. Secondly, it gives us these characters who we have seen many times before in films of a different genre; maybe even on a television drama if you're from Britain but it injects heart and soul into any usual stereotypes you might have expected.In order to break away from tired clichés or familiar archetypes, Last Orders develops almost all of its characters through out their respective lives. There are instances when Ray is tempted to engage in an affair with Jack's wife Amy; there are other instances that seem almost irrelevant: Ray's daughter marrying an Australian and moving away and Jack's son Vince wanting to follow a path in the mechanical trade rather than the butcher trade. Although these seem like mere formalities, they are actually extremely important plot points in these respective people's lives with the genius of it to follow: they all deal with loss of some sort. If Ray and Amy have an affair, Jack looses out; if Vince wants to become a mechanic against his fathers wishes then the '& sons' tag to the business is rendered false; if Ray's daughter wants to marry and move to the other side of the world, Ray and his wife loose their daughter on a certain level. But one persons loss is another persons gain: Ray's daughter has found love; Vince has found a career he loves and Ray has found love to a certain degree with Amy, even if it is at a friend's expense. This is where the film's main level of loss is challenged: When it is made apparent after five minutes it is the character of Jack that is dead, nobody wins but everybody looses. Thus, the ensuing road trip is everybody banded together to deal with the event.With the film's theme and consensus loss, it is no surprise tiny references are made apparent all the way through the journey. The lads visit a war memorial in a park to celebrate the 'loss' of life in the war; when walking through the cathedral, Vince talks about how interesting it is to have all the 'dead' kings and queens 'buried' in amongst the walls; there is even mention of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs – harking back to times of old and great people who are now dead, echoing Jack and his life. Even stranger, what do we learn ourselves about Jack during the film? He is a womaniser who seemed carefree and outlandish; a man who wanted his son to do what he did and got angry when he didn't but despite Jack seeming like the least likable person of the group of lads, it is his death that has brought everyone together in a celebration of life above all other things. Last Orders is clever and engaging with a narrative that will entertain and may well have even pulled at some emotional strings by the time the obligatory scene arrives – that itself is an achievement.
Enough with the flashbacks, already!
posted on 01 Feb 2008Fine acting from a great ensemble cast, but the over reliance on flashbacks became incredibly tedious. It's as if the director just discovered the technique. There are other ways to tell a story.Also, being a Yank, I have to admit that the accents were rather hard to understand. At times I thought that subtitles were in order.
Perfect Cast, Affecting Story
posted on 28 Jan 2008It would be hard to imagine a finer troupe of actors than those assembled for the very believable "Last Orders." An ensemble that meshes so well that I was drawn into the screen barely conscious of their real identities and filmography, the story of the long ride of a man's cremated ashes to his selected disposal site, Margate (of all places - garish, timeworn, solidly tired) is gripping.Through flashbacks to events both recent and as far back as combat in the North African desert in World War II the story of three close friends, the wife of one and their son (and peripherally but not insignificantly their catastrophically mentally retarded daughter) reflects the daily small joys and not great setbacks of very average English people. All the characters here could well be neighbors of the folks in "The Full Monty," people whose days are locally if unspectacularly productive and whose pleasures center in daily convivial meetings at the local pub.Jack (Michael Caine) faces death more bravely and honestly than he ever did his total rejection of his and his wife's (Helen Mirren) daughter. His disappointment at his son's refusal to join him in the butcher business has been the lot of many. An American version of this tragic rejection would have the son spurn the family business for acting or law or medicine or the Presidency. Jack's son is quite happy to sell cars. A nice touch of English class reality.Jack's ashes make a number of detours enroute to Margate while his widow pursues her own very necessary and moving journey to personal closure and the prospect of future happiness. At each stop the relations between the four men in the borrowed Mercedes become more interwoven, detailed and - ultimately - important for each as their mission nears accomplishment.The direction is superb as is the muted, sometimes hazy cinematography. Unfortunately, as is so often the case with even the best cast portraying non-Oxbridge types, some speech is indecipherable. Ray Winstone is the chief malefactor in the mumbles competition but his acting is convincing - a fine actor from whom much can be expected. An elderly woman leaving the theater near me remarked, "This wasn't about a Gosford Park - the film needed subtitles." Yes, we have our class consciousness on the Upper West Side too.This is a very special film that deserves the widest distribution. It won't get it though, not here. If you can't see it in a theater, rent it when it becomes available.
Fred Schepisi does better when focusing on these things
posted on 26 Jan 2008Featuring a whole slew of England's most acclaimed stars, "Last Orders" focuses on a man's death and cremation, and how his friends and family remember their lives with him. As is common in British films, there's the issue of class, and how the characters have to stick by each other no matter what. The title refers to the man's last wishes that he get cremated and have his ashes scattered in the sea.Overall, this is a display of the cast members and director doing what they do best. To be certain, Fred Schepisi has turned out many good movies (e.g., "A Cry in the Dark" and "Fierce Creatures"), so he needn't try stuff like "It Runs in the Family". But anyway, Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, David Hemmings, Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren and Ray Winstone do a perfect job.
a lovely bit of film work
posted on 26 Jan 2008I saw this film some months ago. My memory of it casts a warm glow. It's very closely rendered from the book, which quite appropriately won the Booker Prize. This is a film which lends its pace to viewing on Video/DVD. The acting and editing are superb. It will endure!
It's wonderful to see the brilliant, complex Schepisi back with a powerhouse film.
posted on 12 Jan 2008Without ever being pretentious, the monumentally talented Schepisi always chooses to entertain and engage the intellect and emotions of those who are willing to think and feel. After too long an absence, we can finally again joyfully participate in the viewing of a new masterwork. From performances to cinematography to script to production values to score to every detail of the movie LAST ORDERS is an incredibly finely honed work. An exploration of the shades of men's camaraderie and commitment, the patchwork of their lives, the paths taken or lost it is, in Schepisi's hands, a template for sentiment without sugar and depth without pomposity. No matter what one's age or gender this is a film to seek out and see more than once.
A Miraculous Book to Screen Adaptation
posted on 21 Dec 2007A marvelous screen adaptation of the stupendous and heartbreaking Graham Swift novel. Four friends travel across the English countryside to honor their dead buddy's wishes and scatter his ashes into the sea. Along the way, the back stories of these friends, their various fights and reconciliations, are recounted in flashback. It's a poignant and touching story about the evolving nature of friendship and the scariness and loneliness of growing older.The book had a Faulknerian structure; each chapter was told from the point of view of a different character. The screenwriter had the daunting task of adapting that unfilmable style to the screen, and he chooses to take a straightforward, linear approach, but the story doesn't suffer for it. Certain things are left out, but he chooses the right things to eliminate. Most importantly, the movie adheres closely to the book's melancholy but cathartic tone.A host of terrific British actors play the group of male friends: Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, David Hemmings, Tom Courtenay and Ray Winstone (where was Albert Finney?) But the powerhouse performance comes from Helen Mirren, as the angry but resigned widow. Her character didn't have any passages of her own in the book; you only learned about her through others. The screenplay's greatest alteration is in filling out her character and it also happens to be one of the film's greatest assets. A scene in which Mirren goes to visit her mentally retarded daughter in an institution (a daughter who may or may not even know who Mirren is) is quietly devastating.A truly extraordinary movie. It didn't get a lot of attention and I don't know a lot of people who have seen it, but I would strongly recommend looking for it (and read the book, too, while you're at it).Grade: A+
British Film making at its best
posted on 23 Nov 2007At last, a film made in the UK with British actors! I watched this film at home and applauded at the end. The cream of British talent gathered together and what a job they made of it.I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when they made this, there must have been some wonderful moments and some very interesting conversations! The actors playing the parts of the young Michael Caine, Bob Hoskns etc. were very impressive and the humour was so funny. I laughed and I cried, set to be a classic.
Share a pint & a tale or two with a quartet of British acting legends.
posted on 19 Nov 2007Last Orders is an appropriate phrase regarding the British film industry but there are occasional blips on the radar such as this tragic yet heartwarming drama with a cast list that reads like a who's who of classic British acting from the last half century. What we have is an honest portrayal of friendship, the ups & the downs as three mates & a son travel to Margate with the ashes of butcher Jack Dodds. But this is more than a physical journey as throughout the day buried secrets, regrets & grievances emerge. These are all superbly told in flashbacks that throw new light onto this circle of friends, part of a dying breed, the working class that lived & fought through wartime & followed their fathers into the family trade.All the actors here are of course superb with Helen Mirren outstanding as the grieving wife, in a very male-orientated tale. The younger cast playing the youthful, idealistic friends equip themselves well never falling into the trap of simply impersonating the elder thespians. Their present day counterparts Caine, Courtenay and Hemmings bring to the screen the same intensity & honesty of performance which must have inspired the likes of Hoskins & Winstone to act & they too give outstanding examples that British acting does not have to involve gangsters or cartoon bad guys in the latest Hollywood blockbuster. This film is the stuff of true sentiment rather than the artificial sentimentality so often present in Hollywood cinema & every father or son can watch & find some small reflection of their own regrets & joys, lovingly & honestly brought to the screen.
mouth-watering cast but this film soon disappeared from cinemas
posted on 26 Oct 2007This is something of an old boy's reunion, as Vic (Tom Courtenay), Len (David Hemmings), Ray (Bob Hoskins), and Vince (Ray Winstone) go on a trip to Margate Pier to dispose of their friend Jack's ashes (Jack is played in several flashback scenes by Michael Caine, while Helen Mirren is his wife Amy).During the journey we see several snippets of conflict between the four men and witness many events from their lives in flashback - Vince's decision not to follow his family trade of butcher's shops; Ray's short-lived affair with Amy; Vince getting Len's daughter pregnant. We also see something of Jack and Amy's marriage, from their first meetings and flirtations, to the comfort of a long partnership. The fact that a severely disabled daughter, June, both keeps them apart and together is interesting.As a film 'Last Orders' feels comfortably old-fashioned. The acting of the principals is assured and as such, we are swept along with the plot, however improbable and coincidental it may be at times. None of the characters are clichéd, and all are likable to some extent - we can see how events of the past have made them what they now are.Shamefully put into cinemas on a limited distribution, 'Last Orders' got a new lease of life when it became a free giveaway DVD in a UK newspaper, which meant it was potentially available to a wider audience (which makes me question whether in fact the use of these promotions could be to let films which quickly left cinemas be widely viewed).
A Pint to Friendship!
posted on 03 Jun 2009Funerals/memorial services are probably the last place you want to be after a friend's died. The places you hung out at together seem better monuments than a cemetery or a headstone. And maybe that's where the spirit really rests.LAST ORDERS is a soft-spoken and beautifully poignant film about the drive to scatter the ashes of a departed friend. Detours to pubs, a war memorial, and the field where he and his wife met stirr the memories of the son and three friends left to carry on. Enduring friendship, fidelity, laughter, and support become the themes of their lives together.And whereas, in an americain film, this could all turn into a sappy series of flashbacks - Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Micheal Caine, and Ray Winstone perform with all the subtle grace of traditional British cinema.LAST ORDERS is well worth seeing for anyone.