| Open Fire | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Paul Greengrass |
| Written by | Paul Greengrass |
| Starring | Rupert Graves Douglas Hodge Kate Hardie |
| Release date(s) | 11 December 1994 |
| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Open Fire is a 1994 British television film made for ITV which debuted on that channel on 11 December 1994. The film was written and directed by Paul Greengrass and concerns the 1982/83 police manhunt for David Martin, who escaped from custody following his arrest for shooting a police officer. It starred Rupert Graves as Martin, as well as Douglas Hodge and Kate Hardie.
The film concerns the manhunt for David Martin, and the events surrounding this in which Stephen Waldorf, a 26-year-old film editor, was mistakenly identified as Martin and shot by police firearms officers.
The story focuses on Finch, a young police officer who, at the beginning of the film, is awarded a medal for bravery in the course of duty after he arrested an armed criminal, and David Martin. Martin – a transvestite with a provocative and aggressive temperament – is released from prison having served his latest sentence. He has escaped twice during his time in custody, and is soon in trouble once again. During the course of a burglary at a private cinema, Martin shoots a police officer as he tries to escape. After he is alter arrested, he promptly escapes and goes on the run. By 1983 he is Britain's most wanted man, and a massive police manhunt is under way to apprehend him.
As the hunt for Martin intensifies, police identify a suspect who they believe to be the fugitive, but after he is shot by Finch, he turns out to have been an innocent man. Finch is subsequently suspended from duty. The case becomes a police scandal, with Finch accused of attempted murder. Martin is finally caught after being chased into an Underground station and along a railway tunnel, where police eventually corner and arrest him.