For Queen and Country

Last updated
For Queen and Country
Forqueencountrydvd.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Martin Stellman
Written by
Produced by Tim Bevan
Starring
CinematographyRichard Greatrex
Edited bySteve Singleton
Music by Michael Kamen
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • May 17, 1988 (1988-05-17)(Cannes)
  • May 19, 1989 (1989-05-19)(United States)
Running time
105 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom [2]
  • United States [2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.5 million [3]
Box office$191,051 (US) [4]
£124,048 (UK) [5]

For Queen and Country is a 1988 crime drama film co-written and directed by Martin Stellman and starring Denzel Washington in Panavision. Washington stars as Reuben James, a Black British former paratrooper, who joined the British Army to escape the poverty of inner city London; Reuben fights in the Falklands War, and upon returning home he finds that society ignores and challenges him while trying to adjust to normal life.

Contents

The film received mixed reviews and was a box office flop.

Plot

In 1979, Black British paratrooper Reuben James is attacked by IRA militants while leaving a pub in Northern Ireland. He is saved by fellow soldier and Londoner "Fish". In 1982, Reuben, Fish and Londoner Bob Harper fight in the Falkland Islands. There, Fish loses his leg.

In 1988, Reuben leaves the army and returns to his poor London neighbourhood. Reuben's longtime friend Colin is now a kingpin. Colin offers to make Reuben a part of his drug dealing operation, but Reuben declines.

Fish is now a gambler who cheats on his Irish pregnant wife, Debbie. He and Reuben attempt to celebrate the latter's return to civilian life at a nightclub, but are turned away by the bouncer. The two then spend the night drinking at Fish's flat. Returning home, Reuben finds his flat being burgled by children Oscar and Hayley. Reuben threatens Oscar, who points out Hayley's flat. Hayley's mother, Stacey, is there and gets Reuben to leave. On his way out, Hayley comes home wearing Reuben's paratrooper beret, which he takes back. Stacey eventually finds Reuben's campaign medals and returns them to him.

Reuben begins to look for a civilian job, to no avail. Meanwhile, Fish wins a lot of money by gambling and buys two tickets to Paris. He plans to take Reuben with him as a thank you for covering an earlier debt with Bob, who is now a policeman. Later, at a party on the estate, Reuben encounters Stacey; the two dance, and Reuben walks her home. En route, they are subjected to racist insults from officers. Reuben later returns to the party, which is raided by the police. Several of his friends, including a man named Lynford, get arrested, but Bob tells him not to get involved.

The next morning, Debbie gives birth early. Reuben takes Fish to the hospital, and Fish gives him both tickets, saying that he will not be able to go.

Reuben takes Stacey and Hayley to a funfair; there, he asks Stacey to accompany him to Paris. Stacey agrees until she sees Reuben playing a shooting game. This bring back memories of Hayley's father, a gangster who kept guns in the house, including in Hayley's cot. Reuben comforts Stacey and says that he is done with guns. Stacey later offers to get Reuben a job driving a minicab.

When they return to the estate, there is a commotion happening. Lynford has thrown a brick at a police car, killing constable Harry. Racist officer Kilcoyne asks Reuben whether he knows anything, which he denies.

While preparing for the trip to Paris, Reuben applies for a new passport, but is rejected. Since he was born in St Lucia, a change in British nationality law has stripped him of his citizenship.

Disillusioned, Reuben agrees to work as muscle for Colin. Carrying a gun, he runs into Stacey. After discovering it, she leaves, furious. The police later arrest dealer Sadiq, whom Colin has set up with Reuben's help. Returning to the estate, Reuben gives Colin back his gun and quits.

Reuben later finds Fish distraught. Debbie has left him and taken the children to Ireland. Giving Fish money, Reuben tells him to go after her. Knowing about the deal with Colin and Sadiq, Kilcoyne later threatens to send Reuben to jail unless he says who killed Harry. Reuben reluctantly gives up Lynford.

Wanting to leave behind his current life, Reuben gets a St Lucian passport and a ticket to St Lucia. Meanwhile, Lynford and others gather weapons, preparing to fight the police. From a walkway, someone throws a Molotov cocktail, starting a riot.

With his bag packed, Reuben runs into Fish in the lift. They later find Lynford hiding from police on the ground floor. Racist policeman Challoner and another officer then appear. Challoner panics and shoots Fish dead; Kilcoyne then runs in. Distraught, Reuben goes to Fish's flat to retrieve his rifle. As the riot subsides, he shoots Challoner dead. Reuben soon gets in the sights of a police sniper, who is actually Bob. After being ordered to take the shot, Bob fires.

Cast

Production

For Queen and Country marked Martin Stellman's theatrical feature film directorial debut and writer Trix Worrell's first theatrical feature after penning a TV movie. Worrell said the character "Reuben James" was inspired by a friend's struggles to readjust to civilian life after serving in the Falklands War, with the decision to make him St. Lucian stemming from Worrell's own background from St. Lucia and concerns over his British citizenship. Producer Tim Bevan clarified that Denzel Washington's casting was not due to a lack of suitable black British actors but rather a strategic move aimed at the American market, with Atlantic Pictures contributing the majority of the $3.5 million budget after Washington's involvement. [6]

Principal photography was set to commence on October 12, 1987. To prepare for the role, Washington immersed himself in East End London life, residing with a mixed-race working-class family to perfect his Cockney accent, and even hired a chauffeur fluent in the dialect to transport him to set. Legal disputes arose when Zenith Productions filed a lawsuit against AEG Acquisition Corporation, alleging breach of a distribution agreement encompassing For Queen and Country, Patty Hearst (1988), and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1989). Despite AEG's failure to fulfill payment obligations for the films, they purportedly sold television rights without Zenith's consent. Despite AEG's bankruptcy, they eventually agreed in February 1989 to pay $1 million for distribution rights to each film. Zenith sought an injunction against future broadcasts of the films and unspecified damages. [6]

Release

The film was shown at the Marché du Film in Cannes on May 17, 1988. [7] It received acclaim at the Taormina Film Fest and was shown at the closing gala at the London Film Festival on November 27, 1988. [8] It opened in 33 theaters in North America, grossing $62,771 during the opening weekend. It went on to gross a total $191,051. [4] It was released on DVD on June 1, 2004.

Reception

Film aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 29% rating and an average rating of 5.4/10 based on fourteen reviews. [9] Leonard Maltin described the film as a "striking, laced-in-acid contemporary thriller of life in Thatcherite Britain". [10]

Accolades

Awards
AwardCategoryRecipients and nomineesResult
Festival du Film Policier de Cognac Best Actor Denzel Washington Won
Audience Award Martin Stellman Won

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Reubens</span> American actor and comedian (1952–2023)

Paul Reubens was an American actor and comedian, widely known for creating and portraying the character Pee-wee Herman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denzel Washington</span> American actor (born 1954)

Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles on stage and screen, The New York Times named him the greatest actor of the 21st century in 2020. He has received several accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award. Washington has been honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016, AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.

<i>Buster</i> (film) 1988 film by David Green

Buster is a 1988 British romantic crime comedy-drama based on events from the Great Train Robbery, starring Phil Collins and Julie Walters.

<i>Cry Freedom</i> 1987 British-South African drama film

Cry Freedom is a 1987 epic biographical drama film directed and produced by Richard Attenborough, set in late-1970s apartheid-era South Africa. The screenplay was written by John Briley based on a pair of books by journalist Donald Woods. The film centres on the real-life events involving South African activist Steve Biko and his friend Woods, who initially finds him too radical, and attempts to understand his way of life. Denzel Washington stars as Biko, while Kevin Kline portrays Woods. Penelope Wilton co-stars as Woods' wife Wendy. Cry Freedom delves into the ideas of discrimination, political corruption, and the repercussions of violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hywel Bennett</span> Welsh actor (1944–2017)

Hywel Thomas Bennett was a Welsh film and television actor. He had a lead role in The Family Way (1966) and played the titular "thinking man's layabout" James Shelley in the television sitcom Shelley (1979–1992).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kat Slater</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Kathleen "Kat" Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001 and Sumar-Elise Sandford in a flashback in 2018. Kat is the second eldest Slater family sister and first appeared on 18 September 2000. Kat's usual dress is very short skirts and leopard-print tops, with much make-up and heavy fake tan. Her initial stint saw her involved in many storylines, most significantly in a plot twist that sees her supposedly sister Zoe Slater, revealed to be her daughter after she was raped by her uncle Harry Slater as a child. Kat and Zoe's relationship is tested several times, and a feud forms when they compete against each other for the affection of Anthony Trueman. Another key aspect to the character's storylines is her marriage to Alfie Moon, prior to which she became briefly engaged to Andy Hunter ; after Kat jilted Andy on their wedding day, he blackmailed her into sleeping with him in his revenge bid against Alfie and Kat. Kat was absent between November 2004 and May 2005 following Wallace's maternity leave, but returned early to tie in with Zoe’s exit storyline. Kat later left the soap on 25 December 2005.

<i>Frankenstein Created Woman</i> 1967 British film by Terence Fisher

Frankenstein Created Woman is a 1967 British Hammer horror film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Peter Cushing and Susan Denberg. The screenplay was written by Anthony Hinds. It is the fourth film in Hammer's Frankenstein series.

<i>Author! Author!</i> (film) 1982 film

Author! Author! is a 1982 American autobiographical film directed by Arthur Hiller, written by Israel Horovitz and starring Al Pacino.

<i>The Mighty Quinn</i> (film) 1989 American film by Carl Schenkel

The Mighty Quinn is a 1989 American mystery comedy thriller film starring Denzel Washington in the title role, alongside Robert Townsend, James Fox, Mimi Rogers, M. Emmet Walsh, and Sheryl Lee Ralph. The screenplay by Hampton Fancher is based on A. H. Z. Carr's 1971 novel Finding Maubee. In the film, Washington plays Xavier Quinn, a police chief who tries to help his childhood friend Maubee (Townsend) after he becomes a murder suspect.

<i>The Moon-Spinners</i> 1964 film by James Neilson

The Moon-Spinners is a 1964 American mystery film starring Hayley Mills, Eli Wallach and Peter McEnery in a story about a jewel thief hiding on the island of Crete. Produced by Walt Disney Productions, the film was loosely based upon a 1962 suspense novel by Mary Stewart and was directed by James Neilson. It featured the legendary silent film actress Pola Negri in her final screen performance.

<i>Jumping Jacks</i> 1952 film by Norman Taurog

Jumping Jacks is a 1952 American semi-musical comedy film starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. The film was directed by Norman Taurog, and released by Paramount Pictures. It was one of the military comedies that marked the duo's early career. Brigadier General Frank Dorn, Deputy Chief of the US Army's Information Office praised Jumping Jacks as something that would "contribute to troop morale within the Army."

<i>Tiger Bay</i> (1959 film) 1959 British film

Tiger Bay is a 1959 British crime drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson. It stars John Mills as a police superintendent investigating a murder; his real-life daughter Hayley Mills, in her first major film role, as a girl who witnesses the murder; and Horst Buchholz as a young sailor who commits the murder in a moment of passion. The title refers to the Tiger Bay district of Cardiff, where much of the film was shot.

Geffrey Francis, best known as Geff Francis, is a British actor who portrayed Lynford, a hoodlum, in the 1988 drama film For Queen and Country. In 1986, he appeared as the title character in Channel Four's Zastrozzi, A Romance and in a minor role in The Singing Detective. In the popular Peckham-set comedy Desmond's he played the title character's eldest son (Michael), before moving on to the spin-off series Porkpie (1995–96).

Trix Worrell is a Saint Lucian-born British writer, composer and director best known as the creator and writer of television sitcoms Desmond's and Porkpie for Channel 4. His son is actor Elliot Barnes-Worrell.

<i>Challenge to Be Free</i> 1975 film

Challenge to Be Free is an anti-hero film directed by Tay Garnett and starring Mike Mazurki. The film's plot was a loosely based on the 1931 Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) pursuit of a trapper named Albert Johnson, the reputed "Mad Trapper of Rat River". The film was shot and originally released in 1972 with the title Mad Trapper of the Yukon; it was re-released in 1975 as Challenge to Be Free.

<i>The Beans of Egypt, Maine</i> 1994 American film

The Beans of Egypt, Maine is a 1994 indie drama film directed by Jennifer Warren and starring Martha Plimpton, Kelly Lynch and Rutger Hauer. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Carolyn Chute.

<i>Big Time Adolescence</i> 2019 American film

Big Time Adolescence is a 2019 American coming-of-age comedy film written and directed by Jason Orley, in his directorial debut. It stars Pete Davidson, Griffin Gluck, Emily Arlook, Colson Baker, Sydney Sweeney and Jon Cryer.

Criminal: UK is a British police procedural television anthology series created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith, starring Katherine Kelly, Lee Ingleby, Mark Stanley, Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf as the highly trained members of a special interrogative division of the Metropolitan Police. Netflix released the first series of three episodes on 20 September 2019 and a second series of four episodes on 16 September 2020.

References

  1. "For Queen & Country (1988)". BBFC . Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 "For Queen and Country (1989)". British Film Institute . Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  3. "AFI|Catalog". Catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  4. 1 2 "For Queen and Country". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  5. "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2005. p. 22.
  6. 1 2 "For Queen and Country". American Film Institute . Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  7. Strattton, David (May 25, 1988). "Cannes Film Market Reviews: For Queen & Country". Variety .
  8. Jeavons, Clyde (1988). 32nd London Film Festival. p. 85.
  9. "For Queen and Country (1988)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  10. Maltin, Leonard (2002). Leonard Maltin's film and video guide. Plume. Retrieved 4 November 2011.