Local Hero 1983
7.3 / 10
Local Hero
An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected.
An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected.
Videos & Photos
All 2 Videos & 34 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Felix Happer
... Mac
... Urquhart
... Ben
... Oldsen
... Stella
User reviews
See All 2 Reviews08 Jun 2023 by CinemaSerf
Burt Lancaster is the multi-millionaire oil magnate "Felix Happer" who despatches one of his minions (Peter Riegert) to Scotland to buy up a village to turn it into an oil refinery. Once he arrives, he is taken for a bit of a ride by the canny locals as they try to milk him for as much cash as they can. In the days before cell phones; he has to call his boss from the phone box reporting his lack of progress and some astronomical sightings until eventually Happer comes over himself and immediately strikes up a rapport with Fulton Mackay who lives on the beach (and who is steadfastly refusing to sell). It is is simple story very well told with a slightly unpredictable, happy ending and a brilliant score from Mark Knopfler.
Release Date:
Feb 17, 1983 (United Kingdom)
Run Time:
1hr 51`
MMPA Rating:
PG
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United Kingdom
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
Local Hero
Burt Lancaster is the multi-millionaire oil magnate "Felix Happer" who despatches one of his minions (Peter Riegert) to Scotland to buy up a village to turn it into an oil refinery. Once he arrives, he is taken for a bit of a ride by the canny locals as they try to milk him for as much cash as they can. In the days before cell phones; he has to call his boss from the phone box reporting his lack of progress and some astronomical sightings until eventually Happer comes over himself and immediately strikes up a rapport with Fulton Mackay who lives on the beach (and who is steadfastly refusing to sell). It is is simple story very well told with a slightly unpredictable, happy ending and a brilliant score from Mark Knopfler.
**Slow, with boring characters and dialogues and a disjointed script, this film does not justify the “hype” around it.** This is one of those indie films that has won over a legion of self-confessed admirers. It's a film that everyone speaks highly of, as if it were a solid masterpiece. I didn't know that when I saw it for the first time, so I saw it without a lot of expectations. I'm glad I did it: despite recognizing some merits, I am convinced that the film has been well overrated. The proof is the way it fell into oblivion! If we exclude fans and movie nerds who know everything (and when they don't, they make it up) who really remembers this movie? The film revolves around a story that is very simple: in the north of Scotland, there is a small bay with a beach and a sleepy village. When a rich oil entrepreneur decides to buy all that to build a huge refinery and a terminal for oil tankers, all those people are expectant, wanting to sell what they have for the best price. Only two people disagree: a marine biologist who want to preserve and study the local, and an old simpleton who owns a good part of that beach. The film had some potential, but it lacks solidity and a good script. Time is spent in sterile dialogue, rambling about comets, constellations and flirting. It is also very unbelievable, as a project like this would never be so consensual, there are always those who oppose it for financial or ecological reasons, or mere nostalgia. If director Bill Forsyth decided to close his eyes to the insipidity and fragility of the script, he was equally inept at using the actors. The cast is good, but he didn't know how to use it. Peter Riegert does what he can, but he has absolutely no charisma and is a forgettable protagonist, who seems more uncomfortable with his character than his character with fieldwork, far from the comforts of the office. Peter Capaldi doesn't do it better, and Jenny Seagrove is just a pretty face here. Fulton Mackay manages to give us something more substantial, but he has little screen time, and the same can be said of poor Burt Lancaster, who is removed from the screen for a good time. A disjointed script, insipid dialogues purposely created to fill up time, characters without strength and ability to captivate us… could there be something in the technical aspects that saves this film? Yes. The cinematography is very good, making the best use of the beauties of the Highlands. The sets and costumes are quite good, and the soundtrack is atmospheric and pleasant. Is it enough to justify the hype around this film and consider it a magnificent and exceptional work? I don't think so.
Cast & Crew of
Local Hero
Directors & Credit Writers
Cast
... Felix Happer
... Mac
... Urquhart
... Ben
... Oldsen
... Stella
... Marina
... Moritz
... Geddes
... Watt
... Victor
... Rev Macpherson
... Cal
DA
Dan Ammerman... Donaldson
... Roddy
... Ricky
... Pauline
... Iain
... Mrs Wyatt
... Skipper
Produced By
![thumbnail-Local Hero (1983) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/VCFhg6Q6gXU/hqdefault.jpg)
Related Movies To
Local Hero
Ice Road: Vengeance (2025)
0 /10
Big rig ice road driver Mike McCann travels to Nepal to scatter his late brother’s ashes on Mt. Everest. While on a packed tour bus traversing the deadly 12,000 ft. terrain of the infamous Road to the Sky, McCann and his mountain guide encounter a group of mercenaries and must fight to save themselves, the busload of innocent travelers, and the local villagers’ homeland.
Run Time: 1hr 53` . MMPA: R . Release: 27 Jun 2025
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Producer: David Tish , Lisa Wilson , Shivani Rawat
Stars: Liam Neeson , Fan Bingbing , Marcus Thomas , Mahesh Jadu , Bernard Curry , Michala Banas
Heads of State (2025)
0 /10
The UK Prime Minister and US President have a public rivalry that risks their countries' alliance. But when they become targets of a powerful enemy, they're forced to rely on each other as they go on a wild, multinational run. Allied with Noel, a brilliant MI6 agent, they must find a way to thwart a conspiracy that threatens the free world.
Run Time: 1hr 53` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 02 Jul 2025
Director: Jo Beckett , Ben Howard , Matthew Sharp
Producer: Max Jacoby , John Cena , Marcus Viscidi
Stars: Idris Elba , John Cena , Priyanka Chopra Jonas , Paddy Considine , Stephen Root , Carla Gugino
Lilo & Stitch (2025)
0 /10
The wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family.
Run Time: 1hr 48` . MMPA: PG . Release: 17 May 2025
Director: Kate Pulley , Richard Oswald , Brian Avery Galligan
Producer: Spencer Turley , Tom C. Peitzman , Thomas Schumacher
Stars: Chris Sanders , Maia Kealoha , Zach Galifianakis , Billy Magnussen , Sydney Agudong , Courtney B. Vance
Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado (2025)
0 /10
Dora, Diego, and their new friends trek through the perilous dangers of the Amazonian jungle in search of the ancient and powerful treasure of Sol Dorado to keep it out of enemy hands.
Run Time: 1hr 36` . MMPA: PG . Release: 02 Jul 2025
Director: Alberto Belli
Producer:
Stars: Samantha Lorraine , Jacob Rodriguez , Mariana Garzón Toro , Christian Gnecco Quintero , Tiago Martinez , Daniella Pineda
KPop Demon Hunters (2025)
0 /10
When K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey aren't selling out stadiums, they're using their secret powers to protect their fans from supernatural threats.
Run Time: 1hr 36` . MMPA: PG . Release: 20 Jun 2025
Director: Elizabeth Schantz , Maggie Kang , Sean Tadlock
Producer: Agnes Jungah Lee , Alex Baskin , Elaine Yilin Yan
Stars: Arden Cho , Rolando Davila-Beltran , May Hong , Ji-young Yoo , Ahn Hyo-seop , Yunjin Kim
F1 (2025)
0 /10
Racing legend Sonny Hayes is coaxed out of retirement to lead a struggling Formula 1 team—and mentor a young hotshot driver—while chasing one more chance at glory.
Run Time: 2hr 36` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 25 Jun 2025
Director: Lisa Vick , Toby Hefferman , Donald E G Bentley
Producer: Daniel Castle King , Toto Wolff , Daniel Lupi
Stars: Brad Pitt , Damson Idris , Kerry Condon , Tobias Menzies , Lewis Hamilton , Javier Bardem
The Twisters (2024)
0 /10
A deadly patchwork of destructive cyclones is on an apocalyptic path of convergence at a populated Midwest city center. There, the twisters will merge into one mega tornado that threatens to obliterate the cities for hundreds of miles around.
Run Time: 1hr 27` . MMPA: . Release: 28 Jun 2024
Director: Michael Su
Producer: David Rimawi , David Michael Latt , Ryan Ebert
Stars: Kayla Fields , Mark Justice , Paul Logan , Curtis Strong , Tiffany , Sofia Riba
A Minecraft Movie (2025)
0 /10
Four misfits find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they'll have to master this world while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve.
Run Time: 1hr 41` . MMPA: PG . Release: 31 Mar 2025
Director: Laura Hutton , Sophie Calver , Jon Valera
Producer: Andrew Lary , Mike Daley , Jon Spaihts
Stars: Jack Black , Jason Momoa , Matt Berry , Pauline Chalamet , Danielle Brooks , Jennifer Coolidge
Breathing In (2023)
0 /10
1901, South Africa. As the Second Anglo-Boer War rages on, a wounded General seeks refuge in the small home of a woman and her young daughter. As the hurt man settles in, he begins noticing that something is off about the two women, particularly the daughter, and before long, he’ll learn the real reason for why they’ve invited him and for how they’ve survived on their own for so long.
Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: . Release: 18 Oct 2023
Director: Jaco Bouwer
Producer:
Stars: Michele Burgers , Sven Ruygrok , Jamie-Lee Money , Lionel Newton
Long Distance (2024)
0 /10
After crash-landing on an alien planet, an asteroid miner must contend with the challenges of his new surroundings, while making his way across the harsh terrain to the only other survivor – a woman who is trapped in her escape pod.
Run Time: 1hr 27` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 12 Jul 2024
Director: Will Speck , Cliff Lanning , Josh Gordon
Producer: Fred Berger , Brian Kavanaugh-Jones , Will Speck
Stars: Anthony Ramos , Naomi Scott , Kristofer Hivju , Zachary Quinto , Izzy Jones , Leon Nurse-Joseph
Baby Blue (2023)
5 /10
A group of teens stumble across the story of now dead serial killer Baby Blue and decide he'd be the perfect subject of a true crime vodcast. But when they start digging, they quickly discover that his murder spree never stopped. Now they are being targeted from beyond the grave.
Run Time: 1hr 30` . MMPA: . Release: 16 Apr 2023
Director: Adam Mason
Producer: Bradley Pilz , Johannes Roberts
Stars: Dylan Sprayberry , Lia McHugh , Anthony Turpel , Aramis Knight , Alexia Ioannides , Oliver Cooper
STRAW (2025)
0 /10
What will be her last straw? A devastatingly bad day pushes a hardworking single mother to the breaking point — and into a shocking act of desperation.
Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: R . Release: 05 Jun 2025
Director: Nicholas Hiles , Kyler Griffin , Derrick Doose
Producer: Carole Wurst , Tyler Perry , Tony Strickland
Stars: Taraji P. Henson , Sherri Shepherd , Teyana Taylor , Sinbad , Rockmond Dunbar , Ashley Versher