The Last Rifleman

In 'inspired by truth' Brit drama "The Last Rifleman" 92 yr old WWII vet Pierce Brosnan (outstanding), on losing his wife of 68yrs, escapes his Northern Irish care home to get to Normandy on the 75th anniversary of the landings, to complete a personal mission for a fallen friend & comrade. En route, as news of his story spreads (via Ian McElhinney) he meets the likes of Clémence Poésy, John Amos & Jürgen Prochnow... all offering fine support, brought warmly home by director Terry Loane from Kevin Fitzpatrick's terrific debut screenplay. It starts slow, but gently builds in both charm & emotional intensity to end up as a wonderful tribute to that whole incredible generation.

Based on the true story of Bernard Jordan, a British man who escaped his nursing home in the south of England and somehow got from Calais to Normandy to commemorate D-Day.

This wonderful film switches our hero to be from Northern Ireland. This was a brave and commendable choice. For this alone it should be watched as it shines a light on the brave sacrifice of so many loyal Irishman in WW2.

What made it a 10/10 for me were two things. First it was absolutely authentic. The black soldier wasn't "bigged up" but neither did he need to be. This was a superb scene. John Amos was excellent in his role here.

The second was that Terry Loane, as Director, and Kevin Fitzpatrick's writing ensure that tough issues are not ignored. Pierce's Brosnans anger with the SS soldier seems entirely genuine and Kevin does not shirk the difficulty of crafting the scene. Jurgen Prochnow isn't so strong here.

But a special shout out must be made for Clemence Poesy who steals every frame she is in. You will remember her from Harry Potter but here she is older and showing off her acting range.

Of course Pierce is amazing. It breaks my heart that this film was not promoted or marketed. It deserves so much better.

Pierce Brosnan has been an actor who gets roles based on his appearance, and perhaps he has suffered for that as an actor; other than for James Bond, he always seems to be not quite an A-list actor but perhaps an "A minus"-list actor, so maybe that is why he took this role in a low-budget film.

I understand that the story is "loosely" based on Bernard Jordan, and that Bernard didn't really even "escape" but had already discussed plans to go with his nursing home's approval, so that lessens the appeal of anything based on him. Also, any plans to release this movie to theaters seem to have been scuttled due to another movie based on the same person--The Great Escapist with Michael Caine--getting to theaters first and thus relegating this to streaming.

Thus, few will see Brosnan's performance, which I thought was extremely well-portrayed and deeply moving. There is one flashback of him at his current age, and I'm amazed that a 70-year-old can still be that suave. But as a 93-year-old, the makeup is spot on and his acting matches perfectly. Frankly, I hope that others in the industry see this and offer him the roles that have heretofore eluded him.

I found the film to be a moving and well-acted drama that explores important themes of memory, loss, and friendship. Pierce Brosnan delivers a compelling performance as Artie Crawford, a World War II veteran who embarks on a journey to France to pay his respects to his best friend. The film's cinematography is beautiful and the narrative unfolds with a gentle pace. While the plot may not be entirely unpredictable, it is the strength of the performances and the emotional depth of the story that make The Last Rifleman a worthwhile watch.

I would recommend The Last Rifleman to anyone who enjoys a good drama or who is interested in World War II history.

As an old person in my seventies I found this film wonderful. The acting was superb in my opinion especially the ending. The story line is very believable and I am sure it is based on some true events. The main character shows what happens to some one who loses a very close friend and feels he is somewhat to blame due to his actions at that time. It was very refreshing to see that local French people respected what had happened during the war and still remembered D day and all of the many soldiers who lost their lives . To include the thoughts of a German SS soldier was totally unexpected. A lot of the younger generation would not understand the concept of this film.