Customer Reviews

Local Hero (Widescreen/Full Screen)

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

There may be the making of great movie - nice scenery, very good actors, atmospheric soundtrack, whimsy and authenticity -- but it did not come to fruition...

Why not? There is a very thin plot, and it does not really go anywhere... You COULD say, that is part of the point of the movie, and maybe that has some truth, but one could imagine a much better plot that would have worked.

Further, the lead, American, actor is fairly flat, hence he is difficult to identify with...

In sum, this is one of those quirky movies that is likeable enough, but critics love, elevating its status WAY beyond what it should be.

A small enjoyable movie, but without an engaging or interesting story.
Comfort food, but not nutrient sparse.

If you want eccentric Brit movies, go for Trainspotting or Walking Ned Devine.

This is my favorite movie because the topics hit home on many levels as someone in an industry driven by deadlines. From the main character who initially would not think twice about exploiting a community's resources for the oil industry but in the end is willing to trade all his material goods for a life of simplicity and community, to a billionaire who seems to have it all except for happiness and sanity who befriends someone who has nothing and no use for money, to the rescue of a pristine landscape for something more sustainable, and all delivered in a humorously understated way. There are some weak spots but they don't get in the way of the message. I watch it once a year and get temporarily inspired to leave it all' and then reality kicks in. Sigh.

2008 marks the 25th anniversary of "Local Hero," so when will we see a special collector's edition with all the bells and whistles this wonderful film deserves? Anyone know who we should petition?

Being of Scottish descent I am a little biased toward this movie's cultural origins but if you want to see an intelligent, well acted, charming film that makes you long for a visit to 'the old country', this is it. Peter Reigert, Peter McKay and Burt Lancaster are all excellent in this film about how the residents of a small Scottish town can be influenced by greed when a big oil company sends a corporate savvy but culturally naive representative to make them an offer they can't refuse. This gem is full of charm and wit the characterize the best films of Bill Forsythe. Lancaster adds a touch of class to the proceedings in one of his last great performances as the eccentric oil man with an obsession for the night skies. Mark Knopfler's atmospheric score is a delight. If you enjoy this magical film, you may want to check out "Gregory's Girl" and "Comfort and Joy" by the same director. It's unfortunate that Bill Forsythe seemed unable to keep the momentum going in the world cinema after a promising beginning in the '80s. We need more voices in the world like him.

One of my all-time favorite movies. Very funny, great characters, and a town I would like to live in, with one of my all-time favourite endings. First DVD I bought when I got a player.

This movie really did inspire me. I got up the nerve to make a solo trip around Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

The scenes, characters and sounds of this movie are simply unforgettable. For sure, it's a cold heart that won't come out speakin' with a Scots accent with a touch of Russia.

A very charming movie that bears up well under repeated viewings. Bill Forsyth has done so many good movies over the years, but I think this remains his best. Certainly, it is the closest to home, as he beautifully plays off the American-Scotland theme and the sense of misplaced identity.

Peter Riegert is great as Mac, a representative of a large Houston oil company who has been chosen to close a deal on a harbor village in the north of Scotland, because of his presumed Scottish ancestry. Turns out Mac is of Hungarian, not Scottish descent, as his parents thought MacIntyre was an American name. Nevertheless, Mac soon finds himself adapting to the rugged North Sea coast, picking seashells from the tidal pools and adopting a rabbit his driver had inadvertantly hit on the road.

Forsyth introduces the viewer to a wonderfully eccentric cast of characters in the small village, led by the amicable Gordon Urquhart, mayor, innkeeper, accountant and jack of all trades. Mac finds himself falling in love with Gordon's wife, but the playful romance is treated more in jest than in an attempt to foil the plot. It is in a grizzled beachcomber that we find the perfect foil to the land deal, which eventually brings the head of the oil commpany, Mr. Knox (played to perfection by Burt Lancaster) to Scotland.

You will fall in love with this movie, as I did, carried along by its charm and beautifully poignant moments. Forsyth doesn't miss a beat in this playful movie.

My history with this film is rather bizarre. My father was an American oilman who married a Scottish woman (East coast though), but were in New Orleans at the time it was released. And also as a Scot I now find myself in Texas. This film and are inextricably linked somehow reflecting both sides of my family.

For the actual description of the film and the soundtrack there's little if any i can say that hasn't be said already. Other than that having a family that represents both sides of the divide, it holds special meaning for me.

If you're at all impressionable, and if you've ever felt that there's got to be something more to life than shopping malls and SUV's, then it may be safest if you avoid watching this movie.

I saw Local Hero when it came out in '83, and within 2 years I was living in a village on the North Sea coast of a small European country (not Scotland, as in the movie, but very similar in the most important ways).

I'm still here.

You have been warned.

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE FILMS OF THE 80'S.ITS A QUIRKLY LITTLE GEM OF A FILM.I TEND TO LOOK FOR MORE OFFBEAT AND MORE INDEPENDENT
FILMS ANYWAY.BURT LANCASTER IS REALLY GREAT IN HERE.I ALWAYS FELT
HE WAS UNDER RATED AND HE MADE SO MANY REALLY GREAT FILMS.FROM 'THE KILLERS' A TERRIFIC FILM NOIR TO 'FIELD OF DREAMS'.THE DIRECTOR OF THIS FILM ALSO MADE 'GREGORY'S GIRL' AND 'HOUSKEEPING'BUT I HAVE'NT
SEEN ANYTHING OF HIS IN QUITE AWHILE.ANYWAY BUY THIS DVD IT'S A GOOD DATE FILM AND IT'S FUNNY AND CHARMING WITHOUT BEING DUMB WHICH IS RARE TO SEE THESE DAYS.