365 Movies Day #59 "Local Hero"

My buddy Jeff O'Brien (author of previously featured film BONE DRY), recommended I pick up this 1983 dramatic comedy. I truly appreciate the suggestion. Featuring the legendary Burt Lancaster, this film stars Peter Riegert as MacIntyre, an up an coming oil exec dispatched to Scotland to buy up a small coastal town for an incoming refinery. Readers may recognize Riegert from recurring roles on such shows as One Tree Hill, The Sopranos and Law and Order:SVU. Lancaster plays MacIntyre's boss and CEO of Knox oil.

Another interesting performance is that of Dennis Lawson, who plays the town's accountant and acts on their behalf in setting up the deal. My inner geek was excited to see WEDGE ANTILLES in a different role!

This film strikes me (possibly inappropriately so) as a what if Cormac McCarthy wrote comedy. For some reason it seems like a light hearted resemblance to "The Road" or "No Country for Old Men" though I struggle to explain the exact piece that drives the comparison home. It could be the somewhat bleak, yet insightful ending or the subtlety of the comedy and characterization and the wonderfully depicted landscapes. Anyway, for me it felt like McCarthy.

Definitely a film you should check out.

LOCAL HERO IN IMDB