Flawless

[batman]

The Michael Caine/Demi Moore film Flawless gets a UK DVD release on March 23rd. As the film only got a limited cinema release, I was wondering if anyone here has seen it and is it any good? The film also features a welcome return to the big screen for Derren Nesbitt.

[Joenoir]

Flawless (2007)

[Allen Dace]

I've got and seen the US DVD as I'm a Michael Caine fan so any film he appears in is an automatic must for me. Its not earth-shattering but a pleasant quite old-fashioned caper (well it is set in the London of 1960). Moore is very capable and Caine has a decent sized role bringing his usual quality presence to the table. Joss Ackland also features and Derren Nesbitt has an important role to play. I'd rate it as 'good' - you may not be thoroughly entertained but you should be content and happy with it I'd hope.

[cornershop15]

Hopefully Michael's star status will bring about the DVD release of some of his neglected early films. I'd particularly like to see 'The Wrong Box' and 'Deadfall' (both with husband-and-wife team Bryan Forbes and Nanette Newman), which haven't been on TV since 1984. At least 'The Romantic Englishwoman' has been released, which I've got, and 'Gambit' turned up on ITV recently.

[eric7885]

This was not a big hit,either at the cinema,s or on dvd,it was a pleasent film. Demi Moore and Micheal Caine are the main actors. I also saw Darren Nesbit,had a small part in this film. I did recognize him. He has gained quite a bit of weight over the years.

[batman]

Here's a recent pic of Derren ......

[Lord Brett]

Old Derry looks quite well there, which is nice to see. It's a bit shocking seeing how out of shape he was getting even in the seventies in shows such as The Persuaders and Return of the Saint (which also prove that his Franch accent wasn't a patch on his German!).



I watched him in the 1970 UFO episode The Man Who Came Back last week and he was extremely effective in the role of a man who could switch betwen likeable and creepy that could have been written for his screen personna. He plays off Gary Raymond very well, who rather bravely takes the role of a dislikeable stuffed shirt-type.

[batman]

name='Lord Brett']

I watched him in the 1970 UFO episode The Man Who Came Back last week and he was extremely effective in the role of a man who could switch betwen likeable and creepy that could have been written for his screen personna. He plays off Gary Raymond very well, who rather bravely takes the role of a dislikeable stuffed shirt-type.

I saw that episode quite recently on ITV4 (I think) .... both DN and GR give very good performances.

[cornershop15]

I saw this on ITV4 recently too. Both Gary and Derren played villains in 'The Persuaders', the latter with Gladys Cooper and the sadly late Prunella Ransome. And can someone please tell me, for the third time of asking if they saw the screen go blood-red in one of the episodes (during a sequence in Trafalgar Square)?

[Lord Brett]

Is this UFO you mean? If so there is a sequence at Trafalgar Square during the episode The Long Sleep which is entirely in sepia, denoting it's a flashback. Having watched all 26 episodes in about the last teo and a half weeks I can tell you with some certainty that's the only scene shot there - can't think of anything blood red either, though in the same episode a pair of hippies trip out on LSD, and we see various blue and red colour washed to denote their altered state.

[cornershop15]

Yes, Yes, YES!!! That's it! I cited this as my MOST chilling childhood moment on that thread and have always thought it was 'U.F.O.'. I was five when the show was originally broadcast and so I'm going by the mid-70s repeats. In one of those posts I described a tramp in Trafalgar Square and your mentioning hippies on drugs certainly fits the bill (slightly earlier than this, Nigel Terry played a hippie in 'Randall & Hopkirk' - did they look like him, with wild hair?). I would definitely have been frightened by the changing colours and distorted camera angles or whatever. There was even a warning from the LWT announcer, probably Peter Lewis, about viewer sensitivity I remember.



Thank you so much for that, Lord Brett (one of the aforementioned Persuaders, of course). 'The Long Sleep' - I'll look out for that episode.

[Lord Brett]

I've not watched Randall and Hopkirk for a while, but I wonder if your Nigel Terry memory is from UFO as well. In the episode The Sound of Silence he plays a very scruffy hippy type living in the woods. Only a few episodes later, he turns up again as a very smart SHADO security guard in The Psychobombs, which features a superb performance from Mike Pratt.



(Edit) Oh, and Chistian Roberts hippy character in The Long Sleep could very easily be mistaken for a tramp.

[CaptainWaggett]

name='cornershop15']Hopefully Michael's star status will bring about the DVD release of some of his neglected early films. I'd particularly like to see 'The Wrong Box' and 'Deadfall' (both with husband-and-wife team Bryan Forbes and Nanette Newman), which haven't been on TV since 1984. At least 'The Romantic Englishwoman' has been released, which I've got, and 'Gambit' turned up on ITV recently.

The Wrong Box was on Channel 5 last April which probably means it will turn up again soon. Michael Caine and Nanette Newman did make me hit the fast-forward button though...

[cornershop15]

name='Lord Brett']I've not watched Randall and Hopkirk for a while, but I wonder if your Nigel Terry memory is from UFO as well. In the episode The Sound of Silence he plays a very scruffy hippy type living in the woods. Only a few episodes later, he turns up again as a very smart SHADO security guard in The Psychobombs, which features a superb performance from Mike Pratt.



(Edit) Oh, and Chistian Roberts hippy character in The Long Sleep could very easily be mistaken for a tramp.

Hello again, Lord Brett. It was definitely Randall And Hopkirk where I saw Nigel Terry playing a spaced-out hippie, in the episode 'Somebody Just Walked Over My Grave' [how do you do those italics?!]. I can 'cap' him if you like to prove it!



Christian Roberts? I vaguely remember him from 'To Sir Wth Love' but was surprised to see just now, on IMDB, that he was one of the brothers/Bette Davis's sons in 'The Anniversary'. Interesting that it was him in that scary 'U.F.O.' episode. Many thanks again for enlightening me.



I'm sorry Captain Waggett didn't like 'The Wrong Box'. I thought it was good fun!



Also sorry this has gone way off-topic (entirely my fault). Patricia Haines was in that Randall & Hopkirk episode, though - the first wife of Michael Caine. A tenuous link to 'Flawless' I know!

[Allen Dace]

name='cornershop15']Hopefully Michael's star status will bring about the DVD release of some of his neglected early films. I'd particularly like to see 'The Wrong Box' and 'Deadfall' (both with husband-and-wife team Bryan Forbes and Nanette Newman), which haven't been on TV since 1984. At least 'The Romantic Englishwoman' has been released, which I've got, and 'Gambit' turned up on ITV recently.

'Deadfall' has been on BBC1 late at night a couple of times in the last decade and 'The Wrong Box' was recently on Channel 5 (although I realise that channel isn't universally available throughout the UK).



'Deadfall' is available as an American DVD, released along with 'The Magus' (which certainly hasn't been televised in the UK since the early 1980s) and 'Peeper' (which I don't think has ever been broadcast on UK terrestrial TV?).

[cornershop15]

name='Allen Dace']'Deadfall' has been on BBC1 late at night a couple of times in the last decade and 'The Wrong Box' was recently on Channel 5 (although I realise that channel isn't universally available throughout the UK).



'Deadfall' is available as an American DVD, released along with 'The Magus' (which certainly hasn't been televised in the UK since the early 1980s) and 'Peeper' (which I don't think has ever been broadcast on UK terrestrial TV?).

I can confirm most of what you said is right. I do recall 'The Magus' being shown around that time, possibly Friday night on BBC1 (the same with 'Pulp' a few years later), and I've never been aware of 'Peeper' being shown. Even if the film's terrible I'd love to see the lovely Natalie Wood with Michael - two of my favourite stars.



But are you absolutely SURE about 'Deadfall'? The only time I have ever known this to be shown was on ITV in March 1984, only a month before 'The Wrong Box' oddly enough. It's unlike me to have missed two showings of that film, which also featured Eric Portman, in his last role, and an obscure Shirley Bassey theme tune.

[Lord Brett]

name='cornershop15']Hello again, Lord Brett. It was definitely Randall And Hopkirk where I saw Nigel Terry playing a spaced-out hippie, in the episode 'Somebody Just Walked Over My Grave' [how do you do those italics?!]. I can 'cap' him if you like to prove it!

That's OK, cornershop, I'll dig my copy out - haven't watched a Randal and Hopkirk in ages so it's nice to have an excuse!

[dremble wedge]

name='cornershop15']

But are you absolutely SURE about 'Deadfall'? The only time I have ever known this to be shown was on ITV in March 1984, only a month before 'The Wrong Box' oddly enough. It's unlike me to have missed two showings of that film, which also featured Eric Portman, in his last role, and an obscure Shirley Bassey theme tune.

According to the BFI Deadfall has been transmitted in 2003, 2002 and 2001 on BBC 1 and in 1976, 1984, 1987 and 1989 on ITV.

[Lord Brett]

name='cornershop15']Hello again, Lord Brett. It was definitely Randall And Hopkirk where I saw Nigel Terry playing a spaced-out hippie, in the episode 'Somebody Just Walked Over My Grave' [how do you do those italics?!]. I can 'cap' him if you like to prove it!

Actually, it might have helped had I got the name of the actor I was referring to right! The bloke who turns up on UFO in Nigel Gregory - sorry!

[susanduic]

Eric Portman in his last film role................