The Last Grenade

The Last Grenade

Original film poster
Directed by Gordon Flemyng
Produced by Josef Shaftel
Dimitri de Grunwald
Written by James Mitchell
John Sherlock (novel)
Kenneth Ware
Starring Stanley Baker
Alex Cord
Honor Blackman
Music by John Dankworth
Cinematography Alan Hume
Distributed by Lockmore
Cinerama Releasing Corporation
Release dates
 March 1970
Running time
 94 mins
Country United Kingdom
Language English

The Last Grenade is a 1970 British war film directed by Gordon Flemyng and starring Stanley Baker and Alex Cord as two soldiers of fortune, formerly comrades, who now find themselves on opposite sides. The cast also includes Richard Attenborough, Honor Blackman, Rafer Johnson, John Thaw, Andrew Keir, and Julian Glover. It was the final feature film directed by Flemyng.

Filmed in Hong Kong and Spain,[1] the film only uses names of the characters from John Sherlock's 1964 novel The Ordeal of Major Grigsby that was set in the Malayan Emergency in 1948. Sherlock co-wrote the original screenplay that was rewritten by James Mitchell. The working title of the film was Grigsby.

Synopsis

Beginning in the Congo, a group of mercenaries led by British Major Harry Grigsby (Stanley Baker) are due to be picked up by helicopters after completing a mission. As they board the choppers they are fired on from the helicopters by another group of mercenaries led by American Kip Thompson (Alex Cord) who has been hired to change sides.

Recovering in England, Grigsby is recruited by HM Government to take out Thompson who has been hired by Red China to stir up trouble in the New Territories between Hong Kong and Red China. As neither nation wants open warfare with each other, each side hires expendable mercenaries. Grigsby recruits his surviving old crew including Rafer Johnson, John Thaw, Andrew Keir, and Julian Glover.

In addition to fighting Thompson, Grigsby finds time to seduce the wife (Honor Blackman) of his liaison, a British General (Richard Attenborough).

Cast

References

  1. ↑ p.79 Hume, Alan A Life Through The Lens: Memoirs of a Film Cameraman 2004 McFarland

External links