As the film opens, Jack Dodds (Michael Caine) has died and his ashes are being brought to the pub where he and his friends spent a great deal of time. Jack has made known that he wants his ashes scattered in the water at Margate, and the general structure of the film is his friends and his son Vince (Ray Winstone) on their way there, reminiscing about their lives. Jack's now widow, Amy (Helen Mirren), does not make the trip but is a major character nonetheless. This present day story is intercut with flashbacks of the characters at various stages of their lives, including Jack and Amy's first meeting and scenes from the war, when the characters are played by different actors, and more recent scenes when the same actors (including Caine, who obviously doesn't appear in the present) are seen. The film is comfortable in dealing with the interconnections of life and death and between people, and while there is a surprise or two along the way, the journey seems to be the main point. Of the characters I have not already mentioned, Bob Hoskins as Ray was definitely my favorite. The accents in the film are fairly thick and American viewers will miss some words. It's not bad enough to be a significant issue, but if I were to watch this on DVD I would probably turn on subtitles the first time I watched it.
Review of Last Orders
