''Parting Shots'' is a 1999 British

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

film starring

Chris Rea Christopher Anton Rea ( ; born 4 March 1951) is a British Rock music, rock and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist from Middlesbrough. Known for his distinctive voice and his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty-five studio albums, ...

Felicity Kendal Felicity Ann Kendal (born 25 September 1946) is an English actress, working principally in television and theatre. She has appeared in numerous stage and screen roles over a more than 70-year career, including as Barbara Good in the television ...

Oliver Reed Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor, known for his upper-middle class, macho image and his heavy-drinking, "hellraiser" lifestyle. His screen career spanned over 40 years, between 1955 and 1999. At the ...

, Bob Hoskins,

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 1938 – 10 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series ''The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Tracy Bond, Teresa di ...

Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Kingsley, various accolades throughout Ben Kingsley on screen and stage, his career spanning fi ...

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and Television presenter, presenter. Emerging from the Footlights, Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinbur ...

and

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an Indian-born British actress, presenter, author, television producer, activist and former model. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulo ...

. It was the final film directed by

Michael Winner Michael Robert Winner (30 October 1935 – 21 January 2013) was an English filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous action, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including several c ...

. Upon release in the UK, the film gained controversy over its plot, and was widely criticised in the national press. It has since been evaluated as one of the worst films ever made.

Plot

Photographer Harry Sterndale (

) is diagnosed with stomach cancer and told he has just six weeks to live. Once a successful photographer, Harry was bankrupted by an investment scam pushed on him by his shallow ex-wife Lisa (

), who promptly left him for another man. After brooding for a few days, the usually mild-mannered Harry becomes set on revenge. With nothing to lose, he obtains a gun from the black market and embarks on a mission to kill all those who have wronged him, starting with Lisa. After the shooting, the police question him, but do not believe he is a killer. Harry next targets Gerd Layton ( Bob Hoskins), the corrupt financier behind the investment scam. Posing as a repair man, he sneaks into Layton's home and drowns him in his own pool. His secretary, Jill (

), is aware of the murder but covers for Harry since her own parents were a victim of Layton's scam. Brought together by the crime, Harry and Jill begin a relationship. They visit an upscale restaurant together but are abused and thrown out by the snobbish chef (

). Later that night, Harry returns to the restaurant and shoots the chef in the car park. The next day Harry decides to hire a hitman, Jamie (

), to kill him so he can give Jill the resulting life insurance payout. Meanwhile, the police determine the gun used in the killing of the chef was the same one used to kill Lisa. The police raid Harry's house, but with no physical evidence they reluctantly let him go. He borrows from the bank as much money as he can and spends it on lavish hotels and a new car. The last two victims of his killing spree are a bully from his school days and a back-stabbing former boss. Upon returning to London, he passes the gun to Jamie since he no longer needs it. Harry is subsequently hospitalised by his cancer, but after operating they discover he has been misdiagnosed and his stomach pains were due to a simple ulcer. After the good news, Harry and Jill decide to marry. As they are leaving their hotel, Jamie takes a shot at Harry, however he misses and accidentally kills a foreign head-of-state staying in the same hotel. Jamie is apprehended and since he was using Harry's gun and has no chance of release, he takes responsibility for all of Harry's murders in a last act of charity.

Cast

as Harry Sterndale *

as Jill Saunders *

as Jamie Campbell-Stewart * Bob Hoskins as Gerd Layton *

as Lisa Sterndale *

as Renzo Locatelli *

as Maurice Walpole *

as Freda Armstrong * Gareth Hunt as Inspector Charles Bass * Nicholas Gecks as Detective Constable Ray * Patrick Ryecart as Graham Cleverley *

Peter Davison Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett (born 13 April 1951), known professionally as Peter Davison, is an English actor. He made his television acting debut in 1975 and became famous in 1978 as Tristan Farnon in the BBC's television adaptation of Jame ...

as John Fraser *

Nicky Henson Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson (12 May 1945 – 15 December 2019) was a British actor. Early life Henson was born in London, the son of Harriet Martha (née Collins) and comedian Leslie Henson, a few days after VE Day, hence his middle name, Vi ...

as Askew * Caroline Langrishe as Vanessa * Edward Hardwicke as Dr. Phil Joseph * Nicola Bryant as Beverley * Brian Poyser as President Zlomov * Sheila Steafel as President's Wife * Timothy Carlton as Commissioner Grosvenor *

Roland Curram Roland Kingsford Bernard Curram (6 June 1932 – 1 June 2025) was an English actor and author. Career Curram was educated at Brighton College and has had a long film, television and theatre career. His appearances include Julie Christie's trave ...

as Lord Selwyn * Jenny Logan as Lady Selwyn * Sarah Parish as Ad Agency Receptionist * Mildred Shay as Old Lady at Wedding * Andrew Neil as TV Newsreader *Taryn Kay as Ruth Layton *Michael Ayers as Young Harry Sterndale

Production

Winner came up with the basic storyline after a relationship of his had ended. Speaking to Tim Sebastian of the BBC in June 1999, Winner revealed: "We all have people we'd like to kill. Sometimes we want to kill them for a long time and sometimes it just lasts the few seconds that they're cutting you up, or being a nuisance. A girlfriend parted very nastily, and I thought 'I really wouldn't mind killing you' and five or six years later I thought, 'I still wouldn't mind.'" The majority of the cast was chosen personally by Winner, and included friends, those he had worked with professionally before, or other actors/actresses he wished to work with. Early discussions for the lead role suggested

Neil Morrissey Neil Anthony Morrissey (born 4 July 1962) is an English actor, businessman, narrator, and television presenter. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Rocky in ''Boon (TV series), Boon'', and Tony in ''Men Behaving Badly''. Other notable acti ...

Martin Clunes Alexander Martin Clunes (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV comedy-drama series '' Doc Martin'', Gary Strang in the BBC sitcom ''Men Behavin ...

, but when Winner met Chris Rea on a beach at Sandy Lane, Barbados, he was chosen instead. After filming had come to an end, Winner had told his personal assistant, Dinah May, that ''Parting Shots'' was likely to be his last film. Regardless, he had said working with Rea was "a real pleasure" and that he had enjoyed making the film more than any of his past ones. According to Peter Davison,

John Alderton John Alderton (born 27 November 1940) is an English retired actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', '' Thomas & Sarah'', '' Wodehouse Playhouse'', '' Little Miss'' (original television series), '' Please Sir!'', '' ...

was offered the role of John Fraser. Alderton turned it down because of the violence, and the part went to Davison instead.

Release

Reception

''Parting Shots'' was not well received by critics, with ''

Total Film ''Total Film'' was a British film magazine published 13 times a year (published monthly with a summer issue added, between the July and August issues, every year since issue 91, 2004) by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and of ...

'' describes Winner's work as "offensive", "incompetent" and "bad in every possible way". Andrew Collins gave a strongly negative review of the film: "''Parting Shots''... is going to set the course of British film-making back 20 years. It is not only the worst British film produced in this country since '' Carry On Emmannuelle'' (quite a feat in itself), it is a thoroughbred contender for the crown of Worst Film Ever Made". In a hostile overview of Winner's films, Christopher Tookey wrote "''Parting Shots'' is not only the most horrible torture for audiences that Winner has ever devised. It is also profoundly offensive, even by Winner's standards". Charlotte O'Sullivan, '' The Independent's'' film editor, wrote that ''Parting Shots'' was "the worst film I've ever seen". O'Sullivan also took issue with the film for glorifying vigilantism: "It's Michael Winner and you know, he doesn't have any sense of irony. He seems to be saying it is okay to go and kill people". The journalist

Miles Kington Miles Beresford Kington (13 May 1941 – 30 January 2008) was a British journalist, musician (a double bass player for Instant Sunshine and other groups) and broadcaster. He is also credited with the invention of Franglais, a fictional language ...

later wrote that despite the film's "glittering cast", it "was possibly the worst film ever made". In its entry on Michael Winner, the book ''Contemporary British and Irish Film Directors'' wrote that ''Parting Shots'' "makes a bold challenge for the hotly contested mantle of worst British film ever made." British film historian I.Q. Hunter, discussing the question "What is the worst British film ever made?", listed ''Parting Shots'' as one of the candidates for that title.

References

External links

* * {{Michael Winner 1999 films 1999 black comedy films British black comedy films British films about revenge British serial killer films Films directed by Michael Winner Films with screenplays by Michael Winner Films about cancer in the United Kingdom Films produced by Michael Winner 1990s serial killer films 1990s English-language films 1990s British films Scimitar Films films English-language black comedy films English-language crime films United International Pictures films