Rent Local Hero (1983)
3.8 of 5 from 270 ratings
1h 46min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Knox Oil and Gas of Houston is far removed from the North Sea oil it desires - and the sleepy Scottish seaside village it wants to buy and replace with a refinery. So Knox sends it ace dealmaker (Peter Riegart) to negotiate. He finds cheerful future millionaires, awesome northern lights, a lusty innkeeper, a stubborn beachcomber and a mermaid with webbed toes. Forsyth's touch is perfect: whether showing us a tycoon (Burt Lancaster) with his head in the stars or bridging generations at an all-night ceilidh dance.
- Actors:
- Burt Lancaster, Peter Riegert, Fulton MacKay, Denis Lawson, Norman Chancer, Peter Capaldi, Rikki Fulton, Alex Norton, Jenny Seagrove, Jennifer Black, Christopher Rozycki, Gyearbuor Asante, John M. Jackson, Dan Ammerman, Tam Dean Burn, Luke Coulter, Karen Douglas, Kenny Ireland, Harlan Jordan, Charles Kearney
- Directors:
- Bill Forsyth
- Producers:
- David Puttnam
- Writers:
- Bill Forsyth
- Others:
- Mark Knopfler, Chris Menges, Michael Bradsell
- Studio:
- Channel 4
- Genres:
- Comedy
- Collections:
- 1949: That Ealing Feeling, Award Winners, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2024, Cinema Paradiso's 2022 Centenary Club, Cinema Paradiso's 2024 Centenary Club: Part 1, Films to Watch If You Like..., Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Burt Lancaster, Getting to Know: Ewan Mcgregor, Hare We Go Again! - Bunny Movies For Easter: Part 2, Holidays Film Collection, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 2, A Brief History of Film..., Top 100 BFI Films, Top Films, What to Watch If You Liked Monsieur Hulot's Holiday?
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 16/09/2019
- Run Time:
- 111 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM Stereo
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio Commentary with Director Bill Forsyth and Film Critic Mark Kermode
- Getting in on the Action (1982)
- The Music of 'Local Hero'
- A Conversation with Peter Capaldi and Gordon Sinclair (1982)
- The South Bank Show: Making of 'Local Hero' (1983)
- Interview with Writer and Director Bill Forsyth
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Disc 1:
- This disc includes the main feature
- Disc 2:
- This disc includes special features
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Reviews (6) of Local Hero
A wee gem - Local Hero review by HE
Everything about it is so good: the dialogue by Bill Forsyth shines, the music by Mark Knopfler is knockout, the story, the cast, the setting....it's Scottishness was so on the money...the only bit I find tedious is the psychoanalyst..... it's not really a criticism, just doesn't add anything to the plot in my view.
4 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
A gentle masterpiece - Local Hero review by CP Customer
Perhaps Bill Forsythe's best film, with a touch of the Ealing Comedies about it (Whisky Galore comes to mind). It's a wistful reflection on Scottish identity, the virtues of small-town life and the value (or not) of money. It's sentimental, but (imho) in a really good way, with lovely performances by the main actors and a fabulous supporting cast. Well worth seeing (or seeing again. And again).
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Simply Wonderful & Gentle Comedy - Local Hero review by GI
Local Hero is a gentle British comedy in the style of the endearing Ealing Comedies and it's also a beautiful homage to Scotland, indeed it's often be praised as a love poem to the country. A clash-of-cultures narrative where Texas oil billionaire Felix Happer (Burt Lancaster) sends his ambitious gopher Macintyre (Paul Riegert) to a remote Scottish village to buy it so he can build an oil refinery. Mac finds the locals are very enthusiastic to the plan and can't believe their luck. But a local hermit, Ben (Fulton MacKay) happens to own the main beach and steadfastly refuses to sell forcing Happer to make the journey to Scotland personally. The film is very reminiscent of The Maggie (1954), where a rich American comes up against wily local Scots. There's a lovely romance involving a young Peter Capaldi and some delightful comedy moments. The ending is quite lovely and the film has a famous score by Mark Knopfler. This is a beautiful little film and is beloved by critics and the public alike and is well worth checking out if you've never seen it.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.