User reviews

Graham Swift's brilliant novel serves as the basis of this film, adapted and directed by Fred Schipisi, who gathered some of the best English talent to give life to the characters of the novel in a satisfying film that will not disappoint.

We are taken to a local pub where three old friends have gone to have a drink before embarking on a trip to Margate. When Vic arrives with a box, it's made clear the ashes of another friend is what has prompted the reunion. In flashbacks, we are taken to see Jack's life from the days of WWII and the way the four friends have met and how their lives have been intertwined.

There is also Amy, Jack's widow, who is taking a trip on her own to visit a daughter who has been committed to an institution because she is mentally challenged. Amy is also a key figure in the story because of the love Jack felt for her.

Vince, Jack's son, is driving a late model car to Margate and takes Vic, Ray and Lenny with him. the purpose is to scatter the ashes in the place which Jack wanted to live with Amy, but never got around to it. Vince, is the key figure in the story, which is made clear when he makes a detour to a place that is the pivotal part of this tale.

Michael Caine is Jack, the dead man, who is seen in flashbacks. Bob Hoskins plays Ray. David Hemmings and Tom Courtenay are seen as Lenny and Vic. Helen Merrin is magnificent in a subtle performance as Amy. Ray Winstone is Vince.

Fred Schipisi succeeded in creating the right atmosphere in the adaptation of the novel. His sensitive direction works well and he gets excellent backing from his distinguished cast.

This is a wonderfully warm and human film, perhaps a "guy's movie" as opposed to the many "girls' movies." How can you miss with such a great cast? Helen Mirren. Bob Hoskins. Michael Caine. They do a wonderful job on the story of old friends devastated by the loss of one of their group. If I have one criticism it is the overuse of flashbacks. There even are flashbacks within flashbacks. It's followed easily enough yet the total effect is one of choppiness. But the story is warm, the performances solid and a bonus is the many scenes in and around London. The Brits, unlike Hollywood, do not demand that everything be pretty and that the sun always shine. Helen Mirren is excellent again as a woman past the prime of life. Hollywood would have tarted her up. And there are plenty of grey skies and rainshowers. (Hey, this is England after all} A very fine film that obviously was a labour of love.

Last orders is a very simple movie. It is based upon one of cinema's simplest genres: The Road Movie. It is about simple people who lead simple lives wherein very little happens very often. But behind this simplicity lies the dreams and desires and mistakes and wasted opportunities of these simple people. Small things (relatively speaking) which would seem to have little consequence on the outside world; but then, we all live in a much smaller world - don't we - and even the tiniest broken dream can sometimes leave us empty - if only for a moment.

This is a film then about people. About how people view each other. About how people can harbour the most powerful emotions or secrets - or both - without even those closest to them having the faintest idea. About the importance of friendship and the universality of loss: innocence as well as bereavement.

So four simple folk take the ashes of their old mate to be scattered into the sea at faded old, lost innocence Margate. While the deceased's wife - avoiding this trip - visits their estranged, handicapped daughter for the final time. We see how they relate (and related) to their old, dead friend and to each other. We see that great tragedy need not be about 'great' people. We see that pure love need not derive from 'pure' people. We see that life and living and loving are as difficult (and as inspirational) for the simplest of folk. And we celebrate this empathy.

Last Orders is a slow burning film with an occasionally awkward script and a potentially confusing narrative. But for all that, it is a fine, frequently moving, honest piece of cinema. The photography is consistently evocative; the acting is impeccable (Winstone impresses as the stoic son; Hemmings crackles as the bludgeoning, second rate pugilist) and several set pieces are profoundly sincere (the scene in the field is electric); but this is not a film that exists to shine incandescently - only to burn, quietly and slowly, until it says what it has to and the fuse runs out. It's worth staying with because, as simple as these people are, if they can't tell you a little something about the sadness and joy and - above all - the wonderful uncertainty of life... then you're probably already dead.

You know, when I saw this film, there were maybe seven people in the huge theatre at Loews Outer Circle DC. It was kind of disconcerting. I mean, who could blame people -- the film got no billboards or even advertisements, and I only heard about it through reviews in the paper. But this one's a keeper: last time you had Caine & Hoskins working like this was Neil Jordan's crime drama "Mona Lisa." It's great to see them reunite.

This is really an ensemble film, with great direction and great editing as well. The flashbacks are very well placed, so you don't get a sense of distraction as much as clarification as the filkm goes on. And the filmmakers wisely decide to use visual cues for the memories, instead of arbitrary looks back at the past.

I can say after seeing this film, I hope that I can end my life with the same kind of buddies as Jack Dodds (withou' o' co'se the necessi'y o' ge'in sloshed every nigh'.) The ensemble really works well off each other -- Ray Winstone, who was nearly incomprehensible in Sexy Beast, here shows a bit more substance as Jack's wayward but successful son. Helen Mirren pulls in a much more vulnerable performance than usual as Jack's wife (and the woman who played her as a young woman is stunning.) Tom Courtenay and David Hemmings provide a nice contrast as the proper undertaker Vic, and the drunken ex-boxer Lenny, yet you can see how they would both appeal to a guy like Jack, a lover of life.

Of course, for reasons I don't know if I'll ever get, Hoskins is the anchor. I've watched him for many years, playing brutes and sidekicks, mobsters, and fathers, at times playing the Irish, the Australian, the English, or the Italian-American. He has way of blending in and winning your attention. He can be brash, idiotic, cruel, or sweet, wise, and bold, but either way you kind of root for the guy. You can always seem to see his wheels turning just by facial expressions. The guy might never get an Oscar, but his performances are almost always memorable.

The young actors all convincingly match their older counterparts,a and I found myself watching the way the young Vic went about his medical work and swing dancing and wondering if I'd be lucky enough to end up that way, as Jack says, "having it figured out."

The ultimate message of the film is as simple and yet profoundly human as the story itself: ending your life is easy, it's the carryin' on that's hard. That's not to say that life is meaningless or awful, but just that you've got to put your heart into it, as Schepisi himself has done here. "Last Orders" and "Lantana" are two of the best unknown films out there right now. Check 'em out.

It's a typical light-heavy movie, if you know what I mean. It's a movie that's heavy on its subjects but gets always told in a light and somewhat fun way. Typically British. It makes the movie at all times a pleasant one to watch.

The movie has an original way of storytelling, with the use of flashbacks. The flashbacks are however not always told in chronological way, which should had strengthened the story but it just doesn't do this and the leaps in time just get a tad bit overdone. I mean, not every flashback really serves a significant enough purpose, other than making the movie more melodramatic, which in return doesn't make this movie the most believable or realistic one around.

The main plot line is good and simple on its own, so it's too bad that the movie feels the need to put in more story lines to make the movie even more dramatic. The movie just didn't needed that. The movie now often feels more like a soap-opera than a honest realistic drama.

But all this negativity aside, this is a perfectly watchable movie.

The movie is told slowly in a pleasant pace. The dialog and characters are kept as realistic as possible but it's also most definitely due to the fine actors that the characters of the movie work out so well as they did. It's a real character movie.

The Michael Caine character is only featured in the flashbacks of the movie but yet due to the way the story is told, he becomes the central character of the movie. Basically he once more plays his "Alfie" role again but who complains about it? All of the other actors certainly aren't the least in their business. Oscar-winner Helen Mirren shows her versatility as an actress. Bob Hoskins also plays a good humble role and so does Ray Winstone, whose career really took off the last couple of years.

The movie is nicely shot with some good looking locations. It's really English all, as is the overall cultural atmosphere of the movie. It works out really pleasant for the movie, even the more depressing locations.

Nothing too impressive, just a perfectly fine watchable little movie.

6/10

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How very strange to have a film such as Last Orders, a film that has its themes and its content revolve around death, loss and nostalgia and yet still manage to remain uplifting; positive, even. Last Orders is one of those films that covers a lot of ground in a two hour timeframe; it's sort of what Forrest Gump would have been like if Forrest Gump had had masses of friends and buddies to hang around with as his own life unfolded. But don't think I'm comparing films here because whilst Last Orders is great in its own retrospect, Forrest Gump remains the pinnacle of this sort of genre.

I suppose Last Orders is to 'death' as Reservoir Dogs is to 'heist'. The idea that you get a load of male characters (although Helen Mirren's Amy plays a sort of important role); have them situated close to all but one place for the past tense scenes but now and again, showing the repercussions of said death/heist event in the present tense. While Reservoir Dogs' flashback scenes covered a whole range of locations, Last Orders fixes on a public house for the scenes in which all the characters are together but in order to understand more and more about them the film delves deeper into the past; much like Reservoir Dogs did with the Mr. Orange character – showing us how the development of friendship and trust became apparent. Added to this, Last Orders in the present tense beds down in one locale; a moving vehicle as they travel to a pier in order to carry out the dead man's final wish – parallels to Reservoir Dogs and the warehouse can be made here where, arguably, the most intense moments of clashing egos and best examples of dialogue float to the surface.

But Last Orders isn't trying to be Forrest Gump or Reservoir Dogs, in my opinion two of the 1990s greatest films. No, Last Orders is a different beast; a tale of friendship and life that is pushed to an apparent breaking point even when the man has gone. It seems funny how with a cast like Hoskins, Caine, Mirren, Hemmings and Winstone one can be so easily attracted to the actors and actresses who play the characters in decades gone by. JJ Field does a superb job as a young Jack (Caine) as does Kelly Reilly with Amy (Mirren); what's more, there is an added sense of nostalgia when Anatol Yusef portrays a young Ray (Hoskins) when really it seems like he is playing Hoskins himself from times gone by – you cannot help but smirk in appreciation. Even though the film plays out with one of its main characters actually dead throughout the entire piece, what makes Last Orders so successful? Well, it gets across a feeling of nostalgia; a feeling of time gone by. Secondly, it gives us these characters who we have seen many times before in films of a different genre; maybe even on a television drama if you're from Britain but it injects heart and soul into any usual stereotypes you might have expected.

In order to break away from tired clichés or familiar archetypes, Last Orders develops almost all of its characters through out their respective lives. There are instances when Ray is tempted to engage in an affair with Jack's wife Amy; there are other instances that seem almost irrelevant: Ray's daughter marrying an Australian and moving away and Jack's son Vince wanting to follow a path in the mechanical trade rather than the butcher trade. Although these seem like mere formalities, they are actually extremely important plot points in these respective people's lives with the genius of it to follow: they all deal with loss of some sort. If Ray and Amy have an affair, Jack looses out; if Vince wants to become a mechanic against his fathers wishes then the '& sons' tag to the business is rendered false; if Ray's daughter wants to marry and move to the other side of the world, Ray and his wife loose their daughter on a certain level. But one persons loss is another persons gain: Ray's daughter has found love; Vince has found a career he loves and Ray has found love to a certain degree with Amy, even if it is at a friend's expense. This is where the film's main level of loss is challenged: When it is made apparent after five minutes it is the character of Jack that is dead, nobody wins but everybody looses. Thus, the ensuing road trip is everybody banded together to deal with the event.

With the film's theme and consensus loss, it is no surprise tiny references are made apparent all the way through the journey. The lads visit a war memorial in a park to celebrate the 'loss' of life in the war; when walking through the cathedral, Vince talks about how interesting it is to have all the 'dead' kings and queens 'buried' in amongst the walls; there is even mention of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs – harking back to times of old and great people who are now dead, echoing Jack and his life. Even stranger, what do we learn ourselves about Jack during the film? He is a womaniser who seemed carefree and outlandish; a man who wanted his son to do what he did and got angry when he didn't but despite Jack seeming like the least likable person of the group of lads, it is his death that has brought everyone together in a celebration of life above all other things. Last Orders is clever and engaging with a narrative that will entertain and may well have even pulled at some emotional strings by the time the obligatory scene arrives – that itself is an achievement.

I'm a sucker for tearjerkers -- I still cloud up at the end of favorites such as Saving Private Ryan and Forrest Gump even though I've seen them a dozen times -- and I expected that kind of emotion from this film, and was surprised not to get it. The performances are wonderful, especially those of Helen Mirren and Bob Hoskins, but the underlying premise of the movie never seemed to lure me in. I enjoyed it, but was somewhat let down.

In London, in a pub, the friends Vic Tucker (Tom Courtney), owner of a funerary agency, the former boxer Lenny (David Hemmings) and the gambler Ray Johnson (Bob Hoskins) gathers with Vince Dodds (Ray Winstone), the owner of a `showroom', to accomplish the last wish of his father and local butcher Jack Dodds (Michael Caine): to throw his ashes in the sea, in Margate. His wife Amy (Helen Mirren) delivered a note to Ray, where Jack expressed his last desire. Along their journey in a Mercedes Benz, the story of their lives is disclosed through flashbacks or thoughts, where deep secrets are revealed to the viewers along 109 minutes of this excellent film. The cast of this movie is outstanding and their performances are fantastic. There are many subplots and in the end, all the characters are very well developed though their personal dramas, recollections and dialogs. A touching movie about friendship, revelations and farewell, and highly recommended for sensitive persons. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): `O Último Adeus' (`The Last Goodbye')

Jack's (Caine) ashes are in the urn and the company of his old friends and pub mates as "Last Orders" recounts Jack's life via reminiscing and flashbacks. Jack's life was not sufficiently interesting to make this film worthy. Rather, the sweetness and beauty of "Last Orders" comes from the nostalgia, remembrances, and sentimental reflection of the players, the old duffers, as they haul Jack to his final destination. An excellent ensemble film which will most likely appeal to more mature males. (B)

Note - Be prepared for thick British accents and lots of jargon with which you may not be familiar. I viewed this flick with subtitles for language support.

This film is based on a novel by a man named Swift but rather than being a biting satire, it's a film that only a person with a heart of stone could sit through wihtout breaking into tears. While the novel was praised largely for it's experimental style, it's the tenderness and humanity that make this film memorable.

Wonderfully acted by Michael Caine, helen Mirren, Bob Hoskins and others, it tells the tale of a London butcher's journey to his final resting place and a composite picture of his life is gradually drawn by the people who take him there. his story covers 70 years of british history which are lovingly recreated, but it's the personalities that are striking rather than the historical events that shape their lives. The film has moments of almost sublime beauty and pathos. It's a film that reminds us that, no matter how trivial our lives seem, we still have an impact on those around us.

Those of us who lament the decline of British cinema into a quagmire of Gangster flicks and rom-coms will embrace this film like a long-lost relative.

Friends. Not just ones that we occasionally see on the weekends, but those that buy you a round when they know you are blue, those that have lived their life right next to yours, those that will not quit even when you want them to forget about you – those are the friends that remain constantly in your mind. In "Last Orders" we have a unique opportunity to see a group of four friends escape their lives to take one of their greatest friends (and family) to his final resting place. Using a flashback technique that teeters on confusing at times, we witness six of our greatest actors dive deep into the hearts and souls of the characters they are portraying. For once, in cinematic history, we see a story unfold that each and every one of the actors support, as well as contributes more than 100% to their respected roles. This isn't a perfect film, but the flaws are overshadowed by the actors. Each and every one of the actors in this film carried their weight (and then some) as we felt our heartstrings pulled and friendship refreshed.

As already mentioned, the acting in this film is superb. It reminds me of discovering that perfect bottle of wine – all the characteristics of the blend are working in unison, creating a masterpiece out of what would be nothing more than than just your standard bottle of grapes. The core of this film is bland. "Last Orders" will not impress you with phenomenal storytelling or scenes that will demand your full attention – in fact – if it weren't for the actors who took their subsequent roles in this film – I probably would have fallen asleep shortly after the credits. "Last Orders" is a dry film. There is no denying that, but what sets the bar are the actors. Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins give the performances of their careers in this little independent film that should have seen more attention.. Helen Mirren continues to prove that she is one of those diamonds in the rough when it comes to small roles. She can handle either the big stuff or the small stuff, she continues to give her full ability each time. The rest of the cast, Tom Courtenay and David Hemmings, make this group of friends even more thoughtful. Then, there is Ray Winstone. I have always appreciated his work since seeing him in "Sexy Beast", and this film just brought him to a whole new appreciative level. He works, along with the rest of the players in this film, to ensure that their heart and minds are diving their characters into our hearts. It is amazing that even with a weak script, this film was made better by those involved both behind the camera and in front of it.

With this applause for the actors, of which I can continue, but would sound like a repetitive critic, I must say that I wasn't impressed with the story. I thought that director Fred Schepisi did a decent job with the imagery, long viewing landscapes accompanying our lush actors, but this story was a challenge to create as a screen writer. Throughout his commentary, he talks about how he felt he had to guide the audience better through the flashbacks – there were quite a bit of them – but without giving us the proper guidance, we just jumped. That was tough because we weren't fully introduced to the "younger" version of the characters with the respect that we were with the older generation. At times we jumped with no reason, coupling our minds to be both confused as well as needing immediate readjustment to the situation. One moment we were in a Mercedes driving, the next we were in a doctor's bed, the following we were in a war scene. For the casual viewer, this would have been a difficult transition to follow. For me, the jumps seemed too sporadic, too forced to push the story. Unlike the book, each chapter isn't dedicated to each character, we must juggle the time, and I think Schepisi could have accomplished this task better. He picked the right actors to play younger versions of their subsequent actors, but it took some time to make sure that we, the audience, knew who we were working with. It was a struggle for this film, and it nearly – for me – took away from the phenomenal-ness of the actors.

There were other issues with this film with continuity and placement, some of which are typical in any budget of a film, but others occurred due in part to the constant change of time. It is hard to change time as often as Schepisi does without missing some details, and again, it distracted in this film. The pacing seemed lacking, I don't remember the book being as dull in some points, but I think it was because Schepisi didn't want to overload us with so much information. The scene with the actors in the Mercedes as they drive to their friend's final destination was beautifully framed, amazingly acted, but seemed extended, dull, and a bit drawn out. That, for me, best summarizes this film. Acting and vision were impressively intense, but the film seemed to slip because of structural issues.

Overall, I liked this film, but could not say that I loved it. I will stand behind "Last Orders" as a film that boasts the best acting from some of our most unique actors, but Schepisi could have done a better job behind the camera. If it weren't for the actors, this film would have drastically fallen. I am glad that our director pushed for great actors, but I think it is in part because he knew the story wasn't as strong as he wanted. This was no "Six Degrees of Separation" or "Roxanne", it stands on its own – it just isn't sturdy enough.

Grade: *** out of *****

Upon reaching a certain age, especially when a proper catalyst is provided, one may become wont to consider and reflect upon the life one has lived-- to take stock, as it were. And, without question, the death of a long-time, close friend or associate can effect such a catalysis, which is precisely what happens in `Last Orders,' directed by Fred Schepisi, a drama that suggests that perhaps the end of a life can offer a valuable and renewed perspective to those who go on to write yet another chapter of their own in this great book we fondly know as the Human Comedy. Finally, it's about individual resolve and beginnings that can be found in endings, and the life therein reserved for those who may yet count themselves among the living.

Jack (Michael Caine), a working class butcher in London, planned one day to retire with his lovely wife, Amy (Helen Mirren), to the seaside hamlet of Margate. As often happens in life, however, Jack was denied the realization of his dream by the unbidden intervention of Fate, in the form of it's eternal emissary, The Grim Reaper. But Jack enters his everlasting sleep even as he lived his life, one step ahead of the other guy; and the attainment of his final wish begins with the consigning of his ashes to his three closest, life-long friends and his son, Vince (Ray Winstone), along with a request he adjures them as a group to honor. And so it is that Vince, Vic (Tom Courtenay), Lenny (David Hemmings), and Jack's best friend, Ray (Bob Hoskins), set out on a journey to effect the `Last orders' of their good friend, Jack; a journey that will take them into the future by way of the past, as they reflect upon what has gone before, and the possibilities that now lay ahead.

With this film, Schepisi has crafted and delivered what is essentially a moment in time; a moment he examines through a sentimental journey rife with all of the hard knocks and stoic truths that made up Jack's life, and which he presents just as Jack lived it. And a sentimental journey though it may be, don't expect to be seeing it through rose colored glasses. As the story unfolds, what emerges is a portrait of a complex individual made up of the myriad and many facets of the human condition. And each flashback, combined with an episode from the present, reveals another piece of the puzzle that was Jack; and by the end, the picture we have of him is complete. We see him for who and what he really was, good, bad or indifferent, with all the flaws and foibles that were part and parcel of the ebb and flow of his life-- everything that defined him as a human being. Also, inasmuch as the story is told through the eyes of his friends and loved ones, it necessarily follows that they are revealed, as well, especially Amy and Ray. We do get to know Vince, Vic and Lenny, of course, but to something of a lesser degree. In the final analysis, then, what Schepisi has created here is nothing less than an intimate and incisive character study through which Jack, his friends and their story comes vividly to life. Schepisi does the material proud, but then he was, of course, afforded the talents of an extraordinarily gifted ensemble cast, from which he extracts a number of memorable performances.

As Lawrence Jamieson in 1988's `Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,' he was the most suave and sophisticated gentleman (albeit con man) the screen has seen since Niven or Grant, but without question, since his portrayal of `Alfie,' in 1966, Michael Caine has been everyones favorite cockney, and no one-- make that NO one-- does it better. And it's precisely that nuance of character that Caine brings to his portrayal of Jack that makes him so alive and convincing. Caine can be ingratiating even when he's playing a `hard' guy, and there is a decidedly hard side to Jack; but there's a very caring side to Jack, too, which Caine also manages to convey with facility, and he does a splendid job of fusing the many sides of his character into one very real whole. It's the kind of top notch performance we've come to expect from Caine, and it makes his character and the film entirely credible.

When it comes to playing cockney, Caine may be the King, but Bob Hoskins is certainly the Crown Prince, coming in a close second. These two, in fact, would clean up if the Oscars ever decided to include the categories of Best Cockney and Best Supporting Cockney. There are times, perhaps, when you have to turn an ear in to understand what they're saying, but it's part of the charm and viability of their respective portrayals. And Hoskins has an appeal all his own, and though he lacks Caine's charisma, he does have a definite screen presence, all of which helps to make the relationship between Ray and Jack believable.

The wonderful Helen Mirren, meanwhile, turns in a remarkably poignant performance as Amy. Her portrayal readily brings the inner conflicts and complexities of her character to the fore, as Mirren successfully shows us the many sides of this woman, who is wife, lover and mother, all rolled into one. Most importantly, her Amy is so human; there is an earthiness to her, but it is tempered by her more maternal and caring instincts, and it lends an honesty and integrity to the character that makes her very real.

Courtenay, Hemmings and Winstone turn in noteworthy performances, too, each making the utmost of the screen time they are afforded, successfully establishing their characters and the nature of their relationship with Jack as well as one another. It's all a part of what makes `Last Orders' such entertaining and engaging cinema, a film that is both sincere and unforgettable. And that's the magic of the movies. 9/10.

A first class cast adapting a Booker novel. You had expectations, but how often are these dashed. Well this didn't. An excellent film that could only have been made in Britain. A film of great humour, tenderness and sadness. The cast are all on fine form. Some great scenes. My particular fave was when they all went one-by-one into the pub toilet, to have a private cry and reminiscence for their friend/father.

Interesting to also compare the romantic 1940s and 1950s Britain, with the ugly Margate of 2002.

It would be hard to imagine a finer troupe of actors than those assembled for the very believable "Last Orders." An ensemble that meshes so well that I was drawn into the screen barely conscious of their real identities and filmography, the story of the long ride of a man's cremated ashes to his selected disposal site, Margate (of all places - garish, timeworn, solidly tired) is gripping.

Through flashbacks to events both recent and as far back as combat in the North African desert in World War II the story of three close friends, the wife of one and their son (and peripherally but not insignificantly their catastrophically mentally retarded daughter) reflects the daily small joys and not great setbacks of very average English people. All the characters here could well be neighbors of the folks in "The Full Monty," people whose days are locally if unspectacularly productive and whose pleasures center in daily convivial meetings at the local pub.

Jack (Michael Caine) faces death more bravely and honestly than he ever did his total rejection of his and his wife's (Helen Mirren) daughter. His disappointment at his son's refusal to join him in the butcher business has been the lot of many. An American version of this tragic rejection would have the son spurn the family business for acting or law or medicine or the Presidency. Jack's son is quite happy to sell cars. A nice touch of English class reality.

Jack's ashes make a number of detours enroute to Margate while his widow pursues her own very necessary and moving journey to personal closure and the prospect of future happiness. At each stop the relations between the four men in the borrowed Mercedes become more interwoven, detailed and - ultimately - important for each as their mission nears accomplishment.

The direction is superb as is the muted, sometimes hazy cinematography. Unfortunately, as is so often the case with even the best cast portraying non-Oxbridge types, some speech is indecipherable. Ray Winstone is the chief malefactor in the mumbles competition but his acting is convincing - a fine actor from whom much can be expected. An elderly woman leaving the theater near me remarked, "This wasn't about a Gosford Park - the film needed subtitles." Yes, we have our class consciousness on the Upper West Side too.

This is a very special film that deserves the widest distribution. It won't get it though, not here. If you can't see it in a theater, rent it when it becomes available.

Reminiscence is the basic theme of this black comedy. Consequently, the major part of this film is in flashback as four elderly men, all good friends, recall all the memorable times they spent together with their good friend Jack Dodds, the local butcher. Jack is no more, though his presence is still felt. His ashes are in a canister no bigger than a tea caddy. It was jack's dearest wish to have his ashes scattered at Margate, a seaside town he loved.

So this film is very much like a road movie as we share their conversation while they speed along the highway to Margate. And yes, Jack's ashes are with them.

The story gets very confusing at times because it deals with two generations and the flashbacks are many, jumping in and out of the picture. The faces of the five men in the leading roles are matched rather well with those of the younger actors playing those roles in earlier days, but it requires considerable concentration to recognize the characters and their relationship with each other. One wonders if it is really worth the trouble.

Michael Caine as the butcher gives his usual reliable performance as does Helen Mirren and the others, but they are worthy of better material. I thought the fisticuffs scene was irrelevant and embarrassing to watch. However, there are some memorable moments. For example when Ray is overcome with grief and can scarcely contain himself and when Jack's wife Amy informs her handicapped daughter that this is the last visit. And then there's the most moving scene of all on the wharves at Margate and just those two words "Goodbye Jack".

This is without a doubt one of the best casts ever assembled for a film and while its never boring I just kept expecting some sort of focus point. Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Tom Courtenay, David Hemmings, Ray Winstone and Helen Mirren add a quality that only their talent and experience can deliver. And also its directed by a director that I have always respected. Fred Schepisi always makes an impression when he directs and they needed a veteran director for a cast like this. One of the complaints I have towards this film is that Caine is hardly in the film. All the characters keep saying what a great guy and friend he is but he's hardly on screen. I guess we'll have to take they're word on it because we really didn't see it. And the subplot with Hoskins and Mirren just seems to be there to add flavor to the script. I just didn't believe it. Its worth a look because all the actors have genuine moments in the film and the performances command your attention but when its over you know you have seen a film that lacks any real dramatic punch.

This is acting of the very highest order by a British dream cast. The pace is leisurely, the tone sad, the journey well worth taking. Why no Oscar nominations? This is so un-Hollywood, it's a balm for adults who want to appreciate the cream of British talent.

Just look at the cast and you know this is likely to be a film that will entertain you: Michael Caine, two Oscar wins (The Cider House Rules, The Quiet American, and one BAFTA win (Educating Rita), with numerous nominations; Tom Courtenay, two BAFTA wins (A Rather English Marriage, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner) and many BAFTA and Oscar nominations; Bob Hoskins, BAFTA for Mona Lisa, and many more nominations; Helen Mirren, Oscar and BAFTA for The Queen, BAFTAS for Prime Suspect 1,2 and 3, and many more nominations; David Hemmings, and Ray Winstone.

That is an ensemble that works, and works well, indeed.

Things done, and not done over the years of the lives of friends, and what is important and what is not. A great reflective story.

Last Orders (referring to the British term for "last call") explores in retrospect the lives of several old, long-standing friends living in the London suburb of Bermondsey. The film begins with an assemblage of friends at a local pub to drink a round to one of their own who passed on. The deceased, Jack (played with appreciable understatement by Michael Caine), gives his friends a posthumous "last order" to scatter his ashes off the pier at the British seaside resort town of Margate. The film then proceeds to follow Jack's friends (accessibly played by Tom Courtnay, David Hemmings and the ever-delightful Bob Hoskins), his son (Ray Winstone in an appropriately sleazy and sympathetic role) and his widow (a reflective and heart-rending Helen Mirren) as they seek to carry out his "last orders" while remembering him and the times they shared. Director Fred Schepisi presents the story of their lives together, both the good and the less-than-stellar, in a series of present-day segments and recent and distant-past flashbacks. Given frequent horrible examples in too many recent films, a film relying heavily on flashbacks has the potential to easily become distracting, confusing, or both. Schepisi demonstrates his skill as he guides this technique with a light, deft touch that keeps the viewer connected with events and maintains a story flow that entices rather than confuses. The life-long camaraderie of the friends, the tensions between them in times of crisis, the father-son struggles between town butcher Jack and his financially ambitious son Vince all play out against the backdrop of a working class environment that many viewers will recognize and even identify with their own lives.

It is safe to say that this film is touching without being maudlin. The restraint shown by both cast and director coupled with the obvious comfort and pleasure of the cast in working with one another lends an air of authenticity to the characters and to the story as a whole that will make all but the most detached viewer think about the course of their own lives. It is this inspiration of reflection on one's life as compared to those shown on the screen that ultimately makes this one of the better films offered to the public in recent years. Anyone who wants to understand what true friendship can mean should see this film and be inspired by it. It is too bad that films of this superior calibre are rapidly becoming the exception rather than the rule in film making.

A group of lifelong working class friends make a road trip to scatter ashes when one of them dies.

Along the way they reflect back on their lives and experiences together and their relationships unfold. The story releases some interesting surprises.

Great cast of Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren and Ray Winstone.

It's fairly touching and engaging, whilst never getting too emotive.

Not brilliant but worth a watch.

It's funny to read the reviews of those who haven't understood this perfectly balanced film - but then it is clever and subtle and, apart from being sad and touching is extremely funny.

I've seldom seen characters, situations, attitudes and emotions more perfectly balanced than in this shining gem of a film. It took me right back to Pom and, in particular, the best, most understated delights of the place.

There were so many sensitively treated sub-plots and topics that it is difficult to select one for particular praise. I think that it would have to be the adultery.

"Last Orders" is a buddy movie with the unusual angle of it being old buddies played by a rogue's gallery of Brit character actors --Tom Courtenay, Bob Hoskins, Michael Caine, and David Hemming, with Helen Mirren as a woman connecting with several of them and Ray Winstone holding his own as the younger generation.

I respect producer/book adapter/director Fred Schepisi's effort to tell the story through sentimental and knowing flashbacks as the old friends think back on their relationship with the friend whose ashes they are carrying based on his last wishes. But I did keep getting confused as to who was whom in the young vs. old (a woman next to me got so fed up she was talking to herself trying to figure them out). Hemming's younger self is his son, but I don't think he was on screen very much.

I also kept waiting for some explosive secret, but either I missed it (which was possible as I did lose the thread), or the secrets seemed revelatory but not shocking.

Still, it's a sweet and moving movie about dealing with aging, the past, death and going on. (originally written 3/11/2002)

LAST ORDERS involves some of Britain's greatest actors playing characters who are taking the ashes of their late friend to be sprinkled off Margate Pier , their friend in question being played by British acting legend Michael Caine

Impressed ? I wasn't because there's very little in the way of plot , with much of the story being told in flash back but don't expect anything resembling PULP FICTION or MEMENTO because this is just about as low concept as a movie can get , if you're able to get to the end credits without nodding off you have done very well . Perhaps your idea of extreme sports is watching paint dry ?

The more I think about it the more I'm disappointed with it . Look we've got Michael Caine , Helen Mirren , Bob Hoskins and Ray Winstone in the same movie and little happens . Wouldn't have been much better if Hoskins and Mirren were getting bothered by the IRA trying to muscle into their patch so they hire Caine as an assassin who gets jailed for throwing a man off a tower block and he has to pay protection money to Winstone who rules the prison wing . That would have been a great British movie