Les loups de Haute Mer

It has often been said that Roger Moore can't act - that all he can do is raise his eyebrows a few inches. This film refutes this notion. Here we see Roger Moore in an unusual role...for anyone, not just him.

A group of hijackers take over an oil rig. The owners have no choice but to call in an SAS-style group of mercenaries under the command of Roger Moore's character - an eccentric woman hating cat lover named ffolkes (with two small fs), who lives in a Scottish castle.

The plot is pretty formulaic and predictable. What makes this film watchable is Roger Moore's character.

Hilarious are the reactions of the passengers in a first class train compartment to ffolkes doing his petit point while slugging a huge bottle of whisky.

He is also superb in his acting just before he gets rejected by the terrorists for "grinning like a cat." It's enough to make one a Roger Moore fan!

This little seen film is the original version, and earliest example, of what is now commonly see as the modern actioner. Long before Bruce Willis saved Nakatomi Plaza, Roger Moore was involved in this rescue of a 2billion pounds worth British Oil rig in the North Sea. The story is thus, Anthony Perkins and his crew of villains hi-jack a supply ship heading for Ruth and Jennifer, two British oil rigs. When docking with them, they are rigged with explosives, and are to be detonated if a hefty ransom is not met. Cue eccentric English naval expert Moore, and his daring plan to save the day. Not as explosive as its predecessors, but as interesting.

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.

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.

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.