Water (1986)

Powerful

Fantastic!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This is one of the most entertaining "lost movies" ever made. The wit, humor, sarcasm, dialogue are what entertainment is all about. The plot lines in the film are well interrelated ... there is the Politics within the United Kingdom, the "then" threat of communism and Cuba, the motivated French mercenaries ... there is the greedy business theme with the evil Spenco (headed by none other than Herman Munster (Fred Gwyne) ... and the religious theme with the questionable behavior of the spiritual leader of the island.My favorite line is the description of how England must view Cascara as the dot above the "i" in the word "sh*t". With the exception to some very direct references to smoking marijuana and some sexual inuendo ... this is a great movie for almost everyone. It is a little history lesson for everyone who can't remember the Falklands - and its a reminder of the early/mid 1980's for the rest of us.

Comedy is considered as a lesser genre by certain people, which may explain why this movie is sometimes considered as one of the worst Michael Caine did. But Water is fun and smart, and how many comedies have these two qualities? For sure, the story is far-fetched, sometimes silly, but it's deliberately silly. It just doesn't take itself seriously, despite the "political messages" in the background and the tongue-in-cheek view of British post-colonial era. Production values are good, pace is sustained, interpretation is dynamic but never crosses the red line of buffoonery. What more can you expect from a comedy? If you come across it on cable TV or in video, give it a chance, it is certainly not the disaster some people claim it is. And if you're in the right mood then, you even may find it damn cool.

I was surprised by how badly this did at the cinema and at it's low score here as I find it hard to fault.It seems to be a rule of thumb that the more stars you have in a film the worse their performances. Here at last is an exception with all the main characters rising to the challenge. Even Paul Heiney, a unknown non-actor who only played the part of the French commando leader as part of a TV series "In at the deep end", is flawless.This is the British doing what they do best - making fun of themselves. The characters are stereotypes, which annoys me in an action film but is just what a comedy needs. Perhaps one or two of the bit parts suffered because they had only time to parody them without fleshing them out, but the main characters are all believable despite their ludicrous over-the-top personas. You can't help feeling (hoping even) there really are forgotten, unloved corners of the world where people like this can still be found.Essentially it is an parody on Colonialism, so I was amused by another reviewer's comment that it bordered on "offensive" because foreigners argue over the fate of the locals. That's what colonialism is.I recommend this film to you as a little known gem. And after 20 years isn't it about time for the DVD version to make an appearance?

I have a feeling that there will be only a few who would recognise this line, but that's good. It means the rest of you are going to have to see it. I first saw this movie in my 10th grade World History class and have loved it ever since. The story is solid, and it realistically represents all the crazy things that can happen when outside interests become fanatic. Every character in the cast adds to this realism, despite the fact that on the outside they are broadly portrayed. You don't really realise any of this when you are falling over from laughing. You can't beat a two-man revolutionary army, and Baxter's sleazy wife. And when they get invaded? More joy! It is frankly impossible to explain it...so I won't. My question is, where in the hell did Baxter actually meet this woman?