We find out early in the film that the term Last Orders is an English tradition along the lines of a last will and testament. There’s really nothing very complicated about this film. There are some wonderful moments of acting particularly by Bob Hoskins. The major complaint is that there are actually four stories being told from four different timelines making it extremely confusing at times.
Synopsis
Jack (Michael Caine) has died. He leaves behind a wife (Helen Miren), and four life-long friends (Hoskins, Courteney, Hemmings, and Winstone). He has requested that his ashes be spread into the ocean from a pier in Margate. The four men take a cross-country journey to perform these Last Orders, finding along the way their own ways of remembering their friend.
Audio
The soundtrack is a pretty unagressive Dolby Digital 5.1. What really matters in this dialogue driven piece is that you can clearly hear what is spoken. On that score the disc delivers the goods. The score is sparse but always mixed well with the dialogue.
There is a commentary track by the Director Fred Shelps. It is very informative, particularly on the source material and choice of performers. He speaks in monotones and it is very tedious after some time.
Video
Last Orders is presented in its original theatrical release of 1.85:1. The image is reproduced quite well but the source material is not without its flaws. There is a considerable amount of grain, most notably on the exterior scenes. I did notice several film artifacts and even a scoreline toward the end of the film. Colors are natural although a bit washed. Darks are adequate.
Special Features
Apart from the aforementioned commentary the disc only contains a trailer.
Final Thoughts
If you have the patience, Last Orders can be quite rewarding if only for the often brilliant acting. The film has an overall art flavor that is common at many of the international film festivals. Mostly the characters themselves say it best throughout the film: “Last orders got to be respected”.
