No Surrender

The opening title sets the scene: "Liverpool, New Years' Eve. Just another night out (these days)". Into the same shabby nightclub on the outskirts of town come two separate parties of old-age pensioners out to ring in the New Year, one devoutly Protestant, with a fugitive terrorist hiding in their ranks, and the other a group of Irish Catholics dressed for a costume ball, led by a blind ex-boxer with a grudge to settle. Occupying the no-man's land in between is a collection of mentally retarded hospital patients blissfully unaware that they've simply traded one asylum for another. To make matters worse, the comedy act is a total flop, the magician's rabbit commits a nuisance under his hat (while he's wearing it), and the dance band turns out to be a nihilistic post-punk group who chant "We're gonna die die die die die…" The resulting bedlam is rowdy, hilarious, and chilling, with a dark streak of humor deeply rooted in the tragic religious and political antagonism defining life in modern England.

I watched this again the other day and it's probably 20 years since I last saw it but it's still unbelievably dark & chaotically funny. Michael Angelis & Bernard Hill are just brilliant & Vince Earl shows just the right amount of menace in his role as Frank. Ray McAnally's character forms part of the central plot, being a former Unionist activist trying to get away from/live with his violent past despite the constant provocation from Paddy Burke (James Ellis). If you're British/Irish of a certain age and lived through 70's/80's or are perhaps a student of the Irish 'troubles' - and you have to have a sense of dark humour - you'll love this. Your main problem will be getting hold of a copy as it incredibly difficult to find copies of it as I believe Alan Bleasedale (the author) withdrew it.

I wanted to see this film from the moment I read its TIMES' summation: a sheepish night-club manager shows up for work at his new Liverpool job, and discovers his predecessor, as a kiss-off gesture, has scheduled Catholic and Protestant Irish social groups for the same night (he also saved some tables for mental patients, having a night-out). The evening's entertainment features a thrash-band screaming lyrics like "YOU'RE GONNA DIE-- DIE--DIE!" at the golden agers, a catatonic magician.....The rookie sets out to get through the impossible night ahead. The accents are fuzzy, and some of the Irish jokes obscure-- but this film is so filled with talent that wonderful Bernard Hill takes a second-tier role as a dim bulb. The film's moral center is that remarkable character actor Ray McAnally, a detective trying to find a real criminal among all the low-lifes. Few people have voted on this film-- but a lot of them accorded it a 10. Scout around and discover why-- this is one singular film.

Liverpool mid 1980's New Years Eve an unemployed man finds work managing a run down night club only to find that the local Orange lodge OAP's and Catholic Society old folks have been booked in on the same night. Mix in the worst night club acts ever seen, local gangsters, ageing terrorists and a wickedly dark humour. Hopefully this should be released on DVD soon? Bernard Hill is as usual a real star and has an appearance by Joanne Whalley in one of her first roles. Michael Angelis is excellent and the film is a real joy especially in its use of a dry humour that all visitors to Liverpool will recognise. This is a real slice of social commentary and show cases several cameo appearances including Elvis Costello as a 'walking nervous breakdown' / magician. I have since traced a copy of No Surrender after three years of searching and converted it to DVD as a back up copy. I had forgotten how wonderful the humour was I shall upgrade my ranking just on the strength of this. This film has atmosphere a real taste of my early adult life in early 80's Britain showing it was not all big hair do's and mobile phones the size of bricks.

As a point of note, it is not a scheduling 'mix up', the previous manager has created the 'events' to upset his boss.