Will and Ronnie are two Scottish twenty-somethings from the Wester Hailes district of Edinburgh who have grown weary of their lot in life. Rebelling against the monotony of their existence they become the equivalent of contemporary highwaymen. Each of them donning Clown and Wolfman masks, they rob tourist coaches in the highlands carrying vacationing Americans. As they continue their crime spree, and their notoriety grows they attract the attention of the media becoming modern-day folk heroes into the bargain. Due to the ineptitude of the local police force they manage to continuously evade capture and arrest. However, when an American Cop who just happens to be among the passengers during one of their robberies decides to pursue them himself, he proves to be more than a match for them.
Following off the heels of a series of light-hearted comedies that hit cinema screens in the early eighties, Restless Natives arguably owes some influential debt to the movies of Scottish writer and director Bill Forsythe whose works have included the critically acclaimed Gregory's Girl and Local Hero. It certainly attempts to be gentle and poignant in very much the same tone with its tale of two Edinburgh lads who are fed up with getting the short stick in their individual lives and proceed to, rob coaches carrying American tourists in the Scottish highlands. Indeed, the movie manages to squeeze an ample supply of sympathy for its youthful duo, one of whom Will is at the bottom of the pile career-wise as a city street sweeper. His best friend Ronnie who fares slightly better is employed in a joke shop, but unlike his bosom buddy who is his only companion leads an otherwise lonely existence.
It feels almost kind of like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, although both of the movie's lead characters turn to crime, both make for pretty likable and affable protagonists. Will is quietly spoken and despite being a strapping six-footer is a gentle kind-hearted soul while Ronnie is contrastingly more loquacious and a bit more of a character. He is also undoubtedly the brains of the operation. The thing with Restless Natives is that the low social standing of its somewhat tragic anti-heroes is that it acts as a reflection of the social economic State of Scotland in the mid-eighties. Although not necessarily a "political" movie so to speak, there is an undercurrent of anti-Thatcherite social commentary regarding the post-industrial economic blight in American director Michael Hoffman's comedy caper.
However, for some of the potential that Restless Natives has, and despite the subtle political aspects writer Ninian Dunnett fails to deliver on the promise that it might have had. Chiefly, what bogs it down is the ridiculous and somewhat incredulous direction Nunnett takes the plot. The romantic sub-plot that revolves around Will and the pretty young coach tour guide Margot from the off stretches credulity. Seemingly amused and less than perturbed by the fact that she and her fellow passengers are being held up at gunpoint by two glorified criminals. The predictable romance that blossoms never really rings true between them both, when Will proceeds to track her down, and in one misjudged scene he actually convinces Ronnie to assist him in their respective guises to deliver a bouquet of flowers to her mid-bus tour. Presumably, this is meant to inject some further charm and an endearing quality to proceedings very much in the mold of Bill Forsyth. However, Nunnett unlike Forsyth lacks his aptitude for pulling the heartstrings of his audience.
If that's not silly enough it's when both young men go on to become regarded as modern-day Rob Roys, who for anyone not familiar with Scottish History was a Scottish outlaw who came to be perceived as being a folk hero in a similar vein to Robin Hood. To give director Hoffman kudos he does manage to keep the pace rearing along at an even pace. The scenes involving Will and Ronnie's Clown and Wolfman being pursued through the streets of Edinburgh to the strains of Scottish folk band Big Country's electrifying title theme tune are likely to give you goosebumps. That being it's relatively short-lived, and both lead actors, Vincent Friel and Joe Mullaney don't entirely cut the mustard as convincing leads. Friel is stilted throughout, although Joe Mullaney although far from commendable fares better and can breathe more life into Ronnie. He also manages to bring some measure of understated vulnerability and poignancy to his cheeky chancer, especially in the graveyard scenes. It comes as likely no surprise that both actors, although Friel has continuously managed to maintain something of a career have faded very much into obscurity. However, what hurts the movie besides the at best mediocre performance of both actors is their out-of-place Glasgeigian accents. Especially Bernard who despite giving a reliably charismatic turn as Will's slightly eccentric father, as an English actor plays him with a Glasgow accent that is contrary to the movie setting. Albeit a thoroughly convincing one. I suspect that the fact that Hoffman was and is American and therefore unfamiliar with Scottish colloquial accents would have accounted for this.
Out of the youthful cast on hand, it's Teri Lally who by far is the most worthy of notability, delivering a charming and winning performance as Margot. Who, despite having gone on to a long-running Scottish Soap Opera, Take the High Road has herself found herself dwindling into the same obscurity as her two male co-stars. It's only Ned Beaty as the chief antagonist as it were, who is notable among the cast as a veteran Hollywood supporting actor who is of a noteworthy presence.
Lumbered with a scarcely credible conclusion that puts the con in contrived, Restless Natives have nevertheless bemusingly gained some minor cult status and some positive recognition from some movie critics. It didn't prevent it from being a commercial failure which I think fairly earned despite it not exactly being awful. It fails to strike the right chord while lacking the social realism and adroitly judged gentle poignancy of Bill Forthye's Gregory's Girl and Local Hero.
Following off the heels of a series of light-hearted comedies that hit cinema screens in the early eighties, Restless Natives arguably owes some influential debt to the movies of Scottish writer and director Bill Forsythe whose works have included the critically acclaimed Gregory's Girl and Local Hero. It certainly attempts to be gentle and poignant in very much the same tone with its tale of two Edinburgh lads who are fed up with getting the short stick in their individual lives and proceed to, rob coaches carrying American tourists in the Scottish highlands. Indeed, the movie manages to squeeze an ample supply of sympathy for its youthful duo, one of whom Will is at the bottom of the pile career-wise as a city street sweeper. His best friend Ronnie who fares slightly better is employed in a joke shop, but unlike his bosom buddy who is his only companion leads an otherwise lonely existence.
It feels almost kind of like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, although both of the movie's lead characters turn to crime, both make for pretty likable and affable protagonists. Will is quietly spoken and despite being a strapping six-footer is a gentle kind-hearted soul while Ronnie is contrastingly more loquacious and a bit more of a character. He is also undoubtedly the brains of the operation. The thing with Restless Natives is that the low social standing of its somewhat tragic anti-heroes is that it acts as a reflection of the social economic State of Scotland in the mid-eighties. Although not necessarily a "political" movie so to speak, there is an undercurrent of anti-Thatcherite social commentary regarding the post-industrial economic blight in American director Michael Hoffman's comedy caper.
However, for some of the potential that Restless Natives has, and despite the subtle political aspects writer Ninian Dunnett fails to deliver on the promise that it might have had. Chiefly, what bogs it down is the ridiculous and somewhat incredulous direction Nunnett takes the plot. The romantic sub-plot that revolves around Will and the pretty young coach tour guide Margot from the off stretches credulity. Seemingly amused and less than perturbed by the fact that she and her fellow passengers are being held up at gunpoint by two glorified criminals. The predictable romance that blossoms never really rings true between them both, when Will proceeds to track her down, and in one misjudged scene he actually convinces Ronnie to assist him in their respective guises to deliver a bouquet of flowers to her mid-bus tour. Presumably, this is meant to inject some further charm and an endearing quality to proceedings very much in the mold of Bill Forsyth. However, Nunnett unlike Forsyth lacks his aptitude for pulling the heartstrings of his audience.
If that's not silly enough it's when both young men go on to become regarded as modern-day Rob Roys, who for anyone not familiar with Scottish History was a Scottish outlaw who came to be perceived as being a folk hero in a similar vein to Robin Hood. To give director Hoffman kudos he does manage to keep the pace rearing along at an even pace. The scenes involving Will and Ronnie's Clown and Wolfman being pursued through the streets of Edinburgh to the strains of Scottish folk band Big Country's electrifying title theme tune are likely to give you goosebumps. That being it's relatively short-lived, and both lead actors, Vincent Friel and Joe Mullaney don't entirely cut the mustard as convincing leads. Friel is stilted throughout, although Joe Mullaney although far from commendable fares better and can breathe more life into Ronnie. He also manages to bring some measure of understated vulnerability and poignancy to his cheeky chancer, especially in the graveyard scenes. It comes as likely no surprise that both actors, although Friel has continuously managed to maintain something of a career have faded very much into obscurity. However, what hurts the movie besides the at best mediocre performance of both actors is their out-of-place Glasgeigian accents. Especially Bernard who despite giving a reliably charismatic turn as Will's slightly eccentric father, as an English actor plays him with a Glasgow accent that is contrary to the movie setting. Albeit a thoroughly convincing one. I suspect that the fact that Hoffman was and is American and therefore unfamiliar with Scottish colloquial accents would have accounted for this.
Out of the youthful cast on hand, it's Teri Lally who by far is the most worthy of notability, delivering a charming and winning performance as Margot. Who, despite having gone on to a long-running Scottish Soap Opera, Take the High Road has herself found herself dwindling into the same obscurity as her two male co-stars. It's only Ned Beaty as the chief antagonist as it were, who is notable among the cast as a veteran Hollywood supporting actor who is of a noteworthy presence.
Lumbered with a scarcely credible conclusion that puts the con in contrived, Restless Natives have nevertheless bemusingly gained some minor cult status and some positive recognition from some movie critics. It didn't prevent it from being a commercial failure which I think fairly earned despite it not exactly being awful. It fails to strike the right chord while lacking the social realism and adroitly judged gentle poignancy of Bill Forthye's Gregory's Girl and Local Hero.