Local Hero

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Peter Riegert
Directed by: Bill Forsyth
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
1983

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A businessman (Peter Riegert) is sent by his boss (Burt Lancaster) to a small Scotland town. His job is to buy the rights to the entire town to build an oil refinery there. While reluctant at first, the quaint town and its citizens quickly make an impression on him, and finds the task more difficult to complete than he originally expected.

Review:

Tim: This is an odd little movie. For much of it, I was incredibly interested. The film is fascinating, as it looks at one man and his eventual conversion by a town of simple, good people. This story unfolds quite well. There are so many different characters with all their own personalities, and it is so enjoyable to see our hero- played very well by Peter Riegert- interact with these different people. This is the type of movie that makes you long to leave the hustle and bustle of everyday city life and to put down roots in a small, quaint little town.

Now, as I mentioned, while I watched this movie, I really enjoyed it. It seemed to be building towards some conclusion that would really hit home with me. Sadly, the film eventually ends, and I said, "That was it?" The film goes out with a whimper, squandering any opportunity to make a lasting impact. You can start to see the story unravel about 25 minutes before it ends. This was very disappointing to me.

I mentioned this before, but Peter Riegert is great in this movie. He gives such an everyman performance, it is impossible not to like him. Burt Lancaster was a good choice for his role, but he is just too odd and not effective enough. His subplot is one that ends up hurting the movie more than helping it. The rest of the cast are all quite good in their smaller, supporting roles.

Local Hero is a decent movie that very easily could have been great. The movie does so much right that I would recommend it, but I just couldn't get over the lack of a powerful ending. That doesn't completely erase the rest of the movie, which is quite enjoyable.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain