No Surrender

I can't give this a 10, if only because I had a strong sense of wanting a story of some kind that I could follow along. I'm a writer and I understand plots and how they are put together so something like No Surrender throws me off. After a while I realised that this film is just made to be enjoyed as a slice of the typical madness that is a constant undercurrent of Liverpool even if you don't notice it at any particular moment. The characters of the Orange Lodge were no more zany than the auntie of one of my mates in Liverpool back in the 70s. When I turned up wearing orange trousers one day, she assumed that I was going to take part in an Orange Lodge march. It's all in there. Alan Bleasdale has crammed every classic Liverpool stereotype into this. The has-been but still dangerous IRA man, wanted by Special Branch. The feral kids on the estate. Just sit back and enjoy.

Just like in Josep Heller's book "Catch 22" this move, uses black humour to make some very poignant and telling observations on the ultimate futility of hatred and fighting. The underlying message shouldn't be seen as "Life is short - hat's the point?" it is more "Life is short what's the point in nursing sectarian hatred to the end of your days?". Some might see this as a film with a bleak outlook on humanity (at least the variety that hails from the northern part of my native country), however, I think that this film really has a message of hope when we see how Ray McNally's staunchly Protestan/Unionist character learns from the experiences and offers news year's greetings to his Catholic son-in-law. A New Year greeting that symbolizes a new beginning in his family and perhaps an inspirational model for us all, remember, when the grim reaper comes for us, he/she won't care whether we are Catholic/Protestant, Nationalist/Unionist.

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

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.

I first watched this film about 20 years ago and remembered it as a very good piece of black comedy. having recently viewed it again I still found it very good and hilarious in parts but it is now dated and anyone who isn't familiar with the "troubles" in Ulster will probably find a lot of the plot and humour will sail straight over their heads. Considering the cast line up, the acting is pretty good and Bernard Hill is superb as always. The scene with the attempted mugging of the blind man (played by the fella who was the sergeant in Z cars) still has me in stitches. All in all a very watchable film BUT very British and a little dated.