Les loups de Haute Mer

It has often been said that Roger Moore can't act - that all he can do is raise his eyebrows a few inches. This film refutes this notion. Here we see Roger Moore in an unusual role...for anyone, not just him. A group of hijackers take over an oil rig. The owners have no choice but to call in an SAS-style group of mercenaries under the command of Roger Moore's character - an eccentric woman hating cat lover named ffolkes (with two small fs), who lives in a Scottish castle. The plot is pretty formulaic and predictable. What makes this film watchable is Roger Moore's character. Hilarious are the reactions of the passengers in a first class train compartment to ffolkes doing his petit point while slugging a huge bottle of whisky. He is also superb in his acting just before he gets rejected by the terrorists for "grinning like a cat." It's enough to make one a Roger Moore fan!

This little seen film is the original version, and earliest example, of what is now commonly see as the modern actioner. Long before Bruce Willis saved Nakatomi Plaza, Roger Moore was involved in this rescue of a 2billion pounds worth British Oil rig in the North Sea. The story is thus, Anthony Perkins and his crew of villains hi-jack a supply ship heading for Ruth and Jennifer, two British oil rigs. When docking with them, they are rigged with explosives, and are to be detonated if a hefty ransom is not met. Cue eccentric English naval expert Moore, and his daring plan to save the day. Not as explosive as its predecessors, but as interesting.

Unlike the number of anti-terrorist movies that came out in the mid/late eighties, ffolkes provides the most accurate depiction of how a hostage situation is handled should force be required. Instead of simply shooting up the place, ffolkes excellently manipulates Kramer as his team prepares to strike. The final attack takes only a few seconds, with Kramer not even knowing anything was happening until he is shot.

This film is the archetype for the Die Hard franchise and their ilk, only the Roger Moore character of ffolkes is about twice as interesting as Bruce Willis ever was. The situations, the way they deal with the terrorists are all completely real (barring a few questionable things - would it really take so long to get together $25 million?). Anthony Perkins, James Mason, and Roger Moore all turn in outstanding performances. There is a female lead as one of the captives who, though not dressed sexy, is somehow incredibly hot. Moore is particularly entertaining as a curmudgeon of a man who openly dislikes women, loves cats, Scottish booze, and needlepoint. The movie builds steadily, keeping tension throughout while retaining a strong sense of humor.