For Queen & Country (1988)

Thanks for the memories!

Excellent adaptation.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The choice of Reuben James as the name of Denzel Washington's character is surely not a coincidence. In 1804, during the Barbary Wars, US Sailor Reuben James, positioned himself between his captain, Stephen Decatur, and a pirate; taking the sword blows directed at Decatur.In October, 1941, before the US entered WW2, the first USS Reuben James, a destroyer on convoy duty in the North Atlantic, positioned herself between an ammunition ship and the known location of a German U-Boat. Struck by a torpedo which ignited her magazine, the Reuben James sank in five minutes. Two thirds of her crew perished. Woody Guthrie wrote a song "The Sinking of the Reuben James".Denzel Washington's character, Reuben James, likewise, positions himself in harm's way to protect others. ,

Before viewing this film, I watched the trailer to get a quick glimpse, and immediately I classified this film as a comedy, but after actually viewing the film I realized the seriousness of the piece. Denzel Washington startled me with his "decent" British accent and his ability to remain consistent throughout the film. I, in no way, can relate to the plight of the protagonist yet I understand the feeling of betrayal, therefore I was rooting for him all the way. The plot was definitely long-winded and I was lost a few times, but surprisingly it all came together at the end. Even though he met his demise at the end, I was happy to see one of the many antagonist (the crooked police officer) killed off (this is where the sheer delight comes in). Overall the movie was pretty good and kept my attention. However, I found certain segments of the film unnecessary. Will I view again? Probably not.

Although this film is by no means great, it is worth watching for Amanda Redman's performance as Stacey. Redman is almost unrecognizable with her short brown hair and bright blue eighties suit (complete with matching eye shadow). Her character is very different to her better-known characters (Alison in At Home With the Braithwaites and Sandra in New Tricks) and demonstrates her talent and versatility as an actress.Sadly even a brilliant actress like Amanda Redman is not enough to save this film from being a bore. The plot is very slow to unfold and the unending scenes of poverty and hopelessness make for a depressing viewing. However, it was refreshing to see a film about a war hero that was not swamped by war footage, allowing us to concentrate on Rueben's and his struggle to cope with his new life as a civilian.

This film is a harsh reality of life after the army. The British Paras are an elite fighting force, but they are there to kill the enemy. You don't really have a trade when you leave, except how to jump out of planes & kill. However, the British Army today has an excellent support sytem, unlike the mid 1980s when this film was set. This is highlighted in the movie as we see Reuben returning after leaving the Paras, during which he did a tour in Northern Ireland and fought in the 1982 Falklands war. We see him struggling to get any meaningful employment until he links up with a criminal friend. His mate Fish, who was wounded in the Falklands, is living on disability allowance, and is suffering too, being in a wheelchair. It is a sad, gritty look at life at the lower end of the scale in a run-down urban council estate in London. Having served his country with pride as a British paratrooper, he is left with nothing except the prospect of drifting into crime.