Review of Last Orders

Introduction

Jack Dodds was a regular guy, so why the strange last order to have his ashes thrown off the pier at Margate? And why did his wife Amy (Helen Mirren) refuse to do it? As their Mercedes speeds towards the sea, an emotional mystery unfolds, where the men try to understand Jack`s death by reliving their life through him... the war, the children, the good times and the bad. The journey becomes a pub crawl full of drink-ups and punch-ups and the men discover that through it all, it`s your friends who
break your heart and... and your friends who mend it.

OK, so the synopsis above is clear: this is going to be a drama that reminicises about the dead titular character, played by Michael Caine. These kind of movies are either cheese made for TV, or a powerful drama that leaves you wanting more. So,
how does Last Orders fare? Read on...

Video

This comes with a 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen transfer, with a good palette, and deep visuals. The print is good, with no dust or grain, and no compression signs. Considering this isn`t a Hollywood blockbuster, it`s even more appealing.

The movie uses some good locations, whether it`s a dimly lit pub or lively Margate. The directing by Fred Schepisi is good, and you can see he has made a real connection with the material (he did adapt this, after its novel counterpart won the Booker prize).

Audio

A DD 5.1 track is on offer, and the surrounds are used well, considering this is a dialogue-driven movie. The ambience levels are just right, and the main audio stream is always crisp and clear.

The movie doesn`t have a revolutionary script, but what`s on offer is handled carefully, and you do feel that each character has been developed adequately, and most have glaring flaws!

Features

There are a variety of features on the disc:

Behind The Scenes - a poor compilation of various, nearly silent sequences, showing how they were filmed.

Director & Cast Interviews - PR fluff to be blunt, but they have their moments, as some (such as the Caine interview) do offer insight into the production.

Trailer Evolution Video - a fairly good idea, but it`s executed badly. Basically it is a sequence of 5 trailers from the movie, showing how they `evolved`, culminating in the final theatrical trailer (which is also supplied separately on the disc). By the time you`ve seen the last trailer, with almost identical sequences and sound bites, boredom is not far off.

Marketing Evolution Image Gallery - same as above apart from the fact that this cycles through poster art, not trailers. OK though.

Biography of Author Graham Swift, Filmographies & Production Notes - the standard affair, and nothing to get excited over.

Conclusion

Last Orders is made for TV. Yep, a two-part drama shown say over Christmas would have suited this perfectly, as it does have some intriguing moments. On the big screen however, it is a little dull, but some excellent acting from the likes of Caine and Hoskins rescues this from celluloid hell.

The plot is good, but it`s just that the pace of the movie will not grab the attention of your average cinema punter. Disc wise, everything is good, although the extras need some work, as they cover some ground, but not enough for this to be an essential purchase.

To sum up this disc in five words: average but could do better. Last orders indeed.