North Sea Hijack [ffolkes] *** (1980, Roger Moore, James Mason, Anthony Perkins, Michael Parks, David Hedison, Jack Watson, George Baker, Faith Brook, David Wood) – Classic Movie Review 8787

Director Andrew V McLaglen’s 1980 North Sea Hijack [ffolkes] stars Roger Moore, who leads the comic-book capers as Ffolkes, an oddball freelance frogman-commando with ice-cool nerve and style (he loves cats, ignores women and does petit-point) hired by the UK Government to deal with the hostage situation when terrorists threaten to explode an offshore drilling rig.

Anthony Perkins co-stars as crazed terrorist Kramer, who is after the £25 million ransom, and has stolen a ship from which to destroy the rig. James Mason plays the world-weary British admiral leading ‘our boys’. Faith Brook gleefully sends up an iron lady Prime Minister in an amusing Margaret Thatcher impersonation.

An oddly chosen Moore, as perfectionist, misogynist Ffolkes, enjoys himself in this easy-going, old-fashioned action adventure thriller piece. Jack Davis’s screenplay is based on his novel Esther, Ruth & Jennifer. North Sea Hijack is elaborately staged with some dynamism, infectious enthusiasm and zest by McLaglen, who had just made The Wild Geese and was about to make The Sea Wolves with Moore.

Also in the cast are Michael Parks, David Hedison, Jack Watson, George Baker, Jeremy Clyde, David Wood, Lea Brodie, Anthony Pullen Shaw, Philip O’Brien, John Westbrook, Jennifer Hilary, David Landbury and Eric Mason.

Roger Moore (1927–2017).

Sir Roger Moore, seven-time James Bond, passed away on 23 May 2017 at age 89.

David Hedison (1927–2019).

David Hedison, who played Leiter in Moore’s Live and Let Die (1973) and Timothy Dalson’s Licence to Kill (1989) and starred in The Enemy Below (1957) and The Fly (1958) and TV’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, died at age 92 on 18 July 2019.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8787

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