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.
| For Queen and Country | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Martin Stellman |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | Tim Bevan |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Richard Greatrex |
| Edited by | Steve Singleton |
| Music by | Michael Kamen |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 105 minutes |
| Countries | |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3.5 million[3] |
| Box office | $191,051 (US)[4] £124,048 (UK)[5] |
The film received mixed reviews and was a box office flop.
Plot
editIn 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 Tony, also known as "Fish". In 1982, Reuben and Fish fight in the Falkland Islands, along with another Londoner, Bob Harper.
In 1988, Reuben leaves the army and returns to his poor London neighbourhood. Reuben's longtime friend Colin is now a kingpin, selling drugs and bribing police. Fish, who lost his leg in the Falklands, is a gambler who cheats on his pregnant Irish wife, Debbie. Bob has become a policeman. Colin offers to make Reuben a part of his drug dealing operation, but Reuben declines.
Fish and Reuben attempt to celebrate Reuben's return to civilian life at a nightclub, but are turned away by the bouncer. The two get into a fight with security and spend the night drinking at Fish's flat instead. 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, answers the door and denies that her daughter lives there. Reuben barges in, looking for both Hayley and his belongings. Stacey threatens him with a knife to get him 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 using his old army connections, but none of them returns his calls. Frustrated, he goes to a pub and meets his childhood friend Lynford, who still sells stolen goods. Racist officers Challoner and Kilcoyne appear and begin questioning Lynford about his whereabouts during a robbery. Lynford says that he was with Reuben, who lies, confirming his story.
Reuben runs into Colin who takes him to see the legitimate business he has bought, a health club. Colin again asks Reuben to join him, to no avail.
Bob and Fish come to Reuben's flat. Fish is flush from a big gambling win. Fish has two tickets to Paris and says that he is taking Reuben on a trip, in part to thank him for covering an earlier debt with Bob. The three go to a party on the estate. There, Lynford thanks Reuben for backing him up with the police. Reuben again encounters Stacey; the two dance, and Reuben walks her home. En route, they are subjected to racist insults from officers. At her door, Stacey kisses Reuben on the cheek. He returns to the party, which is raided by the police. Several of his friends, including Lynford, get arrested, but Bob tells him not to get involved.
The next morning, Fish visits Reuben, who gets a call saying that Debbie has given 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 an upset Stacey and says that he was done with guns when he left the army. Returning home, Stacey offers to get Reuben a job driving a minicab.
When they return to the estate, there is a commotion happening. Three people bump into them, fleeing. One of them is Lynford, who has thrown a brick through a police car windscreen, killing constable Harry. Kilcoyne asks Reuben whether he saw anything, which he denies.
While preparing for the trip to Paris, Reuben applies for a new passport, but is rejected. He learns that, 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 hidden gun, he runs into Stacey. After discovering the gun, she leaves, furious. Colin and Reuben negotiate with another dealer, Sadiq, in a public toilet. The police later arrest Sadiq, as Colin has set him up. Returning to the estate, Reuben gives Colin back his gun and quits.
Reuben later finds Fish distraught, shooting up his own home with a rifle. Debbie has left him and taken the children to Ireland. Reuben gives him money and tells him to go after her. Reuben then comes home to find Kilcoyne in his flat. Kilcoyne knows about the deal with Colin and Sadiq, and 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.
Lynford walks across the estate and the police chase him. From a walkway, someone throws a Molotov cocktail, starting a riot.
With his bag packed, Reuben runs into Fish in the lift. When the door opens, they find Lynford hiding from police on the ground floor. Lynford raises his gun and accuses Reuben of giving him up to the police, but Fish tackles him. Challoner and another officer rush through the door. Challoner panics and shoots Fish dead; Kilcoyne then runs in. Distraught, Reuben goes to Fish's flat to retrieve his rifle. In the chaos of the riot, he shoots and kills Challoner. As he walks the estate holding the rifle, Reuben gets in the sights of a police sniper, who is actually Bob. After being ordered to take the shot, Bob fires.
Cast
edit- Denzel Washington as Reuben James
- Dorian Healy as Fish
- Bruce Payne as Colin
- Amanda Redman as Stacey
- Sean Chapman as Bob Harper
- Graham McTavish as Lieutenant
- Geff Francis as Lynford
- Frank Harper as Mickey
- Craig Fairbrass as Challoner
- Michael Bray as Bryant
- George Baker as Kilcoyne
- Stella Gonet as Debbie
- Colin Thomas as Feargal
- Ken Stott as Civil Servant
- Brian McDermott as Harry
- Jimmi Harkishin as Sadiq
Production
editFor 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 "Rueben 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
editThe 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
editFilm 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
edit| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result | |
| Festival du Film Policier de Cognac | Best Actor | Denzel Washington | Won | |
| Audience Award | Martin Stellman | Won | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "For Queen and Country (1989)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
- ^ "For Queen & Country (1988)". BBFC. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "AFI|Catalog". Catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ^ a b "For Queen and Country". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "For Queen and Country". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Strattton, David (May 25, 1988). "Cannes Film Market Reviews: For Queen & Country". Variety.
- ^ Jeavons, Clyde (1988). 32nd London Film Festival. p. 85.
- ^ "For Queen and Country (1988)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ Maltin, Leonard (2002). Leonard Maltin's film and video guide. Plume. Retrieved 4 November 2011.