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North Sea Hijack (1979) More at IMDbPro »

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9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
One of Roger Moore's best movies, 22 May 2003
Author: DLibrasnow from Washington DC, USA

Actor Roger Moore is best known for his work as Agent 007 in the James Bond movies but during his stint as James Bond he made a number of other movies of variable quality. One of the best was this 1979 adventure (it was released in 1980 in the US under the title "Ffolkes") in which Moore stars as an eccentric British adventurer with a disdain for women and a fondness for cats. Moore leads a small underwater commando group that does the occasional favor for Lloyds of London. The British government has a problem. Two oil rigs in the North Sea and a Norwegian Cargo Freighter are being held to ransom. A terrorist group has overrun the freighter and has both it and the two rigs fitted with booby trapped bombs. The economic, environmental and human cost if the British refuse the ransom could be astronomical. Unwilling to negotiate with hostages the government decides to contact Lloyds with a view to using their private specialized methods for dealing with problems. This is where Moore's character Ffolkes comes in. With a truly exceptional cast including James Mason, Anthony Perkins and David Hedison "North Sea Hijack" (aka "Ffolkes") is an enjoyable romp that is high on action and good humor. I highly recommend this movie.

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10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Entertaining hijack thriller. One of Roger Moore's most interesting films., 26 December 2002

Author: Jonathon Dabell (barnaby.rudge@hotmail.co.uk) from Wakefield, England

North Sea Hijack is a fast paced, frequently entertaining thriller about the ingenious hijacking of a major North Sea oil rig. It features a totally off-the-wall performance by Roger Moore as an anti-terrorist expert who has some bizarre habits indeed, such as sewing, raising cats, and drinking whisky at 10a.m. Other memorable characterisations are conveyed by Anthony Perkins (the principal baddie), James Mason (a stiff upper lipped admiral), David Hedison (a stressed out oil rig official) and Faith Brooks (a strong willed lady prime minister).

The core of the action occurs at sea, with Perkins and his menacing bunch hijacking a supply ship and planting mines beneath the oil rig. Moore is brought in to thwart them, and plays a tense psychological games with his adversaries, constantly provoking them and second guessing their actions whilst trying to ascertain the most effective way to attack them aboard their vessel. There are some well delineated scenes, such as an exciting sequence in which a couple of ships crew try to poison their captors but are found out and killed. Another invigorating sequence features Moore having to sneak up on the terrorists whilst clad in a glowing red wet suit (it was the only wet suit available to him on the oil rig).

Moore's character is wonderful. He has an uncharacteristic beard and follows a series of bizarre daily routines to the letter. His savage side, especially towards women (whom he seems to hate more than terrorists) provides some amusement.

This is an under rated gem. It is the kind of film you discover by accident (it doesn't have a particularly high reputation), but by God it really moves and is enormous fun whilst on.

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Enjoyable example of its kind., 16 September 2003

Author: KEVMC from Rugby, UK.

A gang of criminals hijack a Norwegian supply vessel for two North Sea oil rigs. After attaching limpet mines to both rigs, they demand a huge ransom from the British Government. The insurers - Lloyds of London - call in the eccentric Rufus Excalibur Ffolkes and his highly trained team to bring an end to the situation.

First off, this is not a great film and makes no pretension to be one. It is however quite enjoyable on its level, which is that of a fairly straightforward and formulaic thriller with some dashes of humour. Roger Moore gives a pleasing performance as the woman hating, arrogant and irascible Ffolkes, who is the complete antithesis of his version of Bond. Much of the gentle humour of the film arises from his constant put downs to all around him. Anthony Perkins is the head of the gang, and plays him with typical cold blooded menace. Also James Mason turns in a nice portrayal of an exasperated Admiral.

Director Andrew V.McLaglen keeps things moving along, and the setting is at least a bit different from the usual scenarios. The finale does seem something of a let down after the build up, but it doesn't ruin the film.

I hadn't seen this for a few years, so I enjoyed watching it again last week when it got a screening on TV. I recorded it and watched it a couple of days later while laid low with the 'flu. Its tongue in cheek nature cheered me up, and surely that's the whole point of these types of films.

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Nice change of pace for Roger Moore, 6 May 2001
Author: Bynovekka1 from United States

Throughout his career critics have placed Roger Moore in a catagory with such alleged actors as George Hamilton and Pamela Anderson. Individuals whose celebrity status has been maintain by good looks rather than talent.

It is not hard to understand why. From the start Moore has been typecast in the same basic charactor mold; the ruggedly handsome high competant womanizer. James Bond, Maverick, The Saint, they are all virtually the same. Only on rare occations has Moore been able to overcome the stereotype and prove his versitility as an actor. The 1979 action yarn Ffolkes is one such occation.

In the title role Moore is anything but his typical ladies man. The product of a messy divorce, Rufus Excaliber Ffolkes resents women. He considers them inferior at best and a blight on society at worst. He now prefers the company of cats.

Ffolkes is also a gruff reclusive genius with little tolerance for lesser intellects. This is neatly demonstrated when a secondary charactor addressing Ffolkes's intellectual prowess flippantly states,

"You must be one of those people who finish the (London) times crossword puzzle in ten minutes."

"I assure you." Ffolkes angerily responses. "I have never taken ten minutes!"

But Fflokes is no braggart. His genius is quickly proven when a vital British oil drilling platform is taken over by a group of blackmailing terrorists led by Tony (Psycho) Perkins. Ffolkes, an expert in counter terrorism anticipated such an attack months in advance and has a well trained group of handpicked specialists standing by to lead an assult.

Despite the misgivings of the Royal navy command who consider him a loose cannon the prime minister commissions Ffolkes to liberate the platform. What follows is some of the best high action drama in movie history.

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6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Grand Guilty Pleasure, 5 November 2005

Author: dbborroughs from Glen Cove, New York

Roger Moore plays the head of a private security force specializing in matters at sea named ffolkes. He is a gruff women hating perfectionist who prefers cats to people. When Anthony Perkins leads a team of hijackers in taking two oil rigs the British government is forced to call in ffolkes.

Call me crazy, but I love this film. Its always been one of my guilty pleasures and its often a film I'll watch on a rainy do nothing sort of Sunday. Moore is allowed to actually act, granted with tongue firmly in cheek, and show that he could do more than just be James Bond. As the villain Anthony Perkins is wonderfully loopy as a man who thinks that he's gotten all of the bases covered. The plot and the action is of a solid B-movie style and it doesn't try to be anything more than be a 100 minute popcorn movie. Best of all is the humor which is knowing and right on target, as when ffolkes becomes flustered when trying to warm up what he thinks is a young man .

If you want a good film to fill an afternoon or evening, try this film. I doubt you'll be as crazy about it as I am, but I do think you'll enjoy it.

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7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Completely Entertaining, 13 April 2004
Author: Brian Bagnall from Canada

This film is the archetype for the Die Hard franchise and their ilk, only the Roger Moore character of ffolkes is about twice as interesting as Bruce Willis ever was. The situations, the way they deal with the terrorists are all completely real (barring a few questionable things - would it really take so long to get together $25 million?).

Anthony Perkins, James Mason, and Roger Moore all turn in outstanding performances. There is a female lead as one of the captives who, though not dressed sexy, is somehow incredibly hot. Moore is particularly entertaining as a curmudgeon of a man who openly dislikes women, loves cats, Scottish booze, and needlepoint. The movie builds steadily, keeping tension throughout while retaining a strong sense of humor.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Very good seventies thriller!, 4 July 2003

Author: Mikew3001 (mikew4001@yahoo.de) from Hamburg, Germany

Just like "Moonraker" (1979), James Bond actor Roger Moore seemed to watch out for a new role opposite to his cool gentlemen-like 007 fame. So it's no wonder, that his role as Rufus Excalibur Ffolkes is miles away from 007, but it's still Moore. After a bunch of high-tech terrorists has taken over three oil rigs and threaten to blow them up if the British government won't pay a few million pounds, it is Moore's turn to save the western world. Leading a squad of professional anti-terrorist submarine fighters, they are planning to storm the rigs, running out of time and fighting against thunderstorms and the cleverness of the gangsters.

The cast is superb, with Anthony Perkins as gang leader, playing some kind of crossover between Norman Bates and the Bond villains. Supporting roles are played by James Mason and David Hedison, who played Bond's American CIA sidekick Felix Leiter two times. The plot is influenced by the rise of modern terrorism and the energy crisis in the seventies, but also by the Bond films and the fashionable disaster movies of its time.

The best about the film is Roger Moore's Ffolks - a cat-loving, alcohol-drinking, women-hating, bearded Englishmen without a sense of humor and gentleness. The pacing is alright, and the story keeps the film thrilling until is too-fast ending. And while James Bond is rewarded with the most beautiful girl after having saved the world, Ffolkes receives a completely different gift at the end of the film... All in all, "North Sea Hijack" is the perfect action thriller for a stormy and rainy autumn evening in front of your TV set.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
One of Roger Moore's Best Action Packed Thrillers!, 16 January 2009

Author: Van Roberts (zardoz@bellsouth.net) from Columbus, Ms

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The British-produced Andrew V. McLaglen actioneer "Ffolkes," based on Jack Davis' novel "Esther, Ruth and Jennifer," gives Roger Moore a refreshingly different, change-of-pace role. As Rufus Excalibur Ffolkes, Moore is both ill-tempered and egotistical. He despises women, adores cats, and prefers to drink his Scotch neat. If Ffolkes claims that he can do something, he will-by the Lord God Harry—do it! Everything about "Ffolkes" goes against the grain of the typical, well-mannered, saintly Moore image. First, the James Bond star sports a thick beard, knits when thinking, and refuse to be proved wrong. Evidently, Roger Moore had a grand time playing Ffolkes because this qualifies as his most robust, forceful portrayal in years. His face and his eyes are wildly expressive throughout all 99 minutes of this adrenalin-laced, nail-biting thriller.

Davis scripted the action from his own adventure novel. Esther is the name of the transfer ship that supplies Ruth, the oil drilling rig, and Jennifer is the gargantuan production rig. Masquerading as journalists, the villainous Lou Kramer (Anthony Perkins of "Psycho") and henchmen Harold Shulman (Michael Parks), board Esther, brandish this hardware and hijack it. Kramer's second-in-command sets explosives throughout the ship and connects them to a detonator box that can signal the destruction of not only Esther but also the charges set on Ruth and Jennifer. As it turns out, Jennifer is the largest production rig on any sea, reputed to cost over $250 million dollars! Kramer warns British authorities, including a Thatcher-like Prime Minister (Faith Brook), that they have 24 hours to pay a ransom of $25 million in five currencies. If the British Crown refuses to fork over, Kramer threatens to blast Esther, Ruth and Jennifer, along with himself and his henchmen, and more than 600 innocent people aboard the rigs and ship off the face of the earth. The entire North Sea will be polluted and the coasts ruined.

Andrew V. McLaglen, who helmed "Ffolkes," is a seasoned professional at making adventure epics. He began his career as a television director, making episodes of "Rawhide" with Clint Eastwood. Afterward, he graduated to feature films and made a string of rough & tumble John Wayne westerns, starting with "McClintock!" Among the others were "The Undefeated," "Chism," and "Cahill, U.S. Marshal." Between the Wayne oaters and "Ffolkes," McLaglen helmed the gritty Charlton Heston & James Coburn western "The Last Hard Men as well as two other Roger Moore yarns "The Wild Geese" and "The Sea Wolves." Most of "Ffolkes" was lensed on location in the North Sea where the story takes place. McLaglen seems to improve with his material. His war movies were exciting, suspenseful, and clever. They move at an incredibly fast pace and are no-nonsensical. Of course, believability is optional in the Davies' script. McLaglen and Davis both know that superior thrillers follow a formula in which things go from bad to worse before the finale. And our stiff-upper lipped hero doesn't have an easy time thwarting the nefarious, loud-mouthed Kramer.

As for Ffolkes' nemesis Kramer, Anthony Perkins shouts and waves his pistol with his sinister, steely-eyed glare that is enhanced by his lean, ascetic features and dark, close-cropped hair. He is a man not to be trifled with. Audacious greed motivates Kramer and his cohorts to hijack the ship and hold the rigs for ransom. Ingenious, conceited, and menacing as Kramer is, Perkins doesn't have as much to work with in his characterization as Moore.

As the British Admiral forced to deal with Kramer and company, James Mason turns in a crusty performance. Mason's Admiral Sir Francis Brindsen is a stalwart, career naval officer whose contempt for Ffolkes and the man's unconventional methods is matched only by his deep, abiding mistrust of anything that is neither military nor naval. Michael Parks, late of TV's "Then Came Bronson," is Kramer's second-in-command. His characterization is confined to his thick-lensed spectacles, a pistol, and a tan trench coat.

Ffolkes runs a small but efficient group of mercenaries that he trains ruthlessly to perform miracles under the worst conditions. He concocts a plan that hinges on split-second timing and calculated risks. The only quibbles that I had with this movie is that it's miniatures stand out more on the small screen than on the big-screen. Michael J. Lewis provides a stirring orchestral score that ramps up the suspense. Nevertheless, "Ffolkes" ranks as a first-class, crackerjack thriller.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Unpretentious, fun actioner., 24 January 2007

Author: Robert J. Maxwell (rmax304823@yahoo.com) from Deming, New Mexico

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The plot is a little complicated, but not hard to follow. The characters are simplicity itself. There are the good people and then there are the bad people. Of course the real world isn't so structured but it's nice to relax once in a while and allow our heads a playful descent into the vulgate. Why not? Freud called it regression in the service of the ego. The plot of an action movie usually provides a good example, as this one does.

The story involves the extortion of a monstrous amount of money from the British government, primary shareholder in a North Sea oil production platform. The bad guys, led by Anthony Perkins, have hijacked a service ship, planted mines around the bases of two oil rigs, and threaten to blow both of the mega-expensive things up unless they are given the money in 24 hours. Something like that, anyway.

Roger Moore is Ffolks, head of a dozen or so specialists in a private army. The PM hires him to take out the hijacking extortionists. Moore and his team do so, with the help of an Admiral (James Mason) who is there primarily to provide a stiff upper lip and smoldering resentment of Moore's quirky personality. And, man, is it quirky.

Moore is curmudgeonly but in a cute way. His no-nonsense egotism and prejudices make you smile instead of wince. Moore drinks scotch neat four hours after breakfast, sometimes out of the bottle. If his men are slow, he threatens to "have your b***s for breakfast." He does petit point or whatever it is. He loves cats and dislikes women in no uncertain terms. His analyses are wind swift. Mason's admiral grumbles, "I'll bet you're the type who does the Times crossword in ten minutes." Moore is offended -- "I never take TEN minutes." Nota bene: The London Times crossword puzzle is designed by sadistic geniuses for consumption by big league masochists. It must be the toughest in the English language. Example: "A major seaport in the middle of Czechoslovakia." Answer: "Oslo." The action scenes are suspenseful and exciting without bathing the viewer in gore. The locations are colorful and evocative, from Castle Urquehart to a heaving ship in a gale. A few inconsequential good guys die, while ALL of the bad guys bite the dust. Perkins' last words to Moore, as Perkins is dying, pinioned to a chair by a harpoon: "I still don't like your face." Don't take it seriously. Just relax and regress in the service of your ego.

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4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Set your timer, can you measure up?, 19 December 2003
Author: debra (debra-13) from Norfolk, VA

If you've seen Roger Moore as The Saint, as 007, as any other character, even if you haven't liked him, you'll enjoy him as "ffolkes," the cat-loving misogynist of this movie. Even though I'm very much a feminist I loved this character. I don't think that the casting of Anthony Perkins was too obvious, I think he brought complications to a simply drawn character. The supernumeraries on either side are just complicated enough to be slightly confusing and still enjoy their conflicts.

This is one of my favorite movies. Of course, so is "Eating Raoul."

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