Review of Local Hero (1983) by Luis G — 21 Oct 2009
Bill Forsyth, writer and director of Local Hero, exhibits true genius in this subtle and unassuming comedy about a Texas oil man who finds his humanity in a small Scottish fishing village.
After taking a good look at the filmâ??s plot- an oil company tries to purchase a village in order build its refinery- itâ??s apparent this is the kind of situation that has all the trappings of a clichéd â??goodâ?? (simple towns-folk) vs. â??evilâ?? (multimillion dollar American corporation) contest. Yet Forsyth never allows the script to dissolve into such a simple dichotomy; instead he uses the circumstance as a vehicle for exploring the complex (and often contradictory) relationship between human beings and their sense of place.
Unabashed yuppie Mac MacIntyre (Peter Riegert) is chosen by Felix Happer (Burt Lancaster), owner of Knox Oil and Gas in Huston, TX, to travel to Ferness, a small fishing village in Scotland, simply on the basis that his name sounds Scottish. MacIntyreâ??s job is to negotiate with the villagers the sale of their land; a task which he thinks could just as easily be accomplished via conference calls and telex machines. While MacIntyre balks at the idea of leaving Huston for a town in the middle of nowhere, he does as he is told like any other good corporate man. Once in Ferness, MacIntyre finds that he is gradually adjusting to and enjoying the slower pace of village life- so much so that he begins rethinking his assignment. However, the villagers have a different agenda (as Victor the Russian puts it, â??you canâ??t eat sceneryâ??), and the negotiation takes an interesting turn.
Forsythâ??s gentle treatment of this potentially explosive event allows the audience to care for and sympathize with all parties involved. His artful illumination of the paradoxical, yet very human, needs of each character makes it difficult to truly dislike one person over another.
In an industry in which flat performances are the norm, Local Hero is a refreshing and original film.
This review of Local Hero (1983) was written by Luis G on 21 Oct 2009.
Local Hero has generally received very positive reviews.
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