Local Hero

1983 • 111 minutes

About this movie

Screen legend Burt Lancaster gives an outstanding performance as an eccentric oilman who orders a young executive ("Crossing Delancey"'s Peter Riegert) to purchase a quaint Scottish village as the site for a giant oil refinery. Produced by David Puttnam ("Chariots of Fire," "Midnight Express"), with a musical score by Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler ("The Color of Money," "The Princess Bride"). New York Magazine called this "'Brigadoon' without bagpipes, a wonderful movie that creates magic without resorting to special effects" and the Daily News said "this entrancing comedy proves hard to resist...a warmly refreshing movie." Received Best Screenplay Awards from both the National Society of Film Critics and the N.Y. Film Critics, and won a place on the "top ten" lists of 16 publications including, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and Newsweek. Maltin dubs this "a little gem.

Ratings and reviews

Saw this in the theater back on its release. It was magical and when I finally got to visit Scotland all the elements and themes of the movie only further enhanced my appreciation of this gem. The music by Mark Knopfler, the setting, the sky, the characters, and the nuance wash over you in such a positive way. Easily one of the most beautiful and most underrated films ever!

Stuck on a movie choice for the evening, but don't want to watch something recent (and want a break from John Hughes/Ghostbusters/3 Amigos classics)? I've got your charming, awesome 80s fix right here. Well-written, filmed on location in Scotland, and surprisingly, subtly deep without being pedantic, Local Hero hits all the right notes. Underrated and not as well-known as many other quality films from the famed (and maligned) decade, Local Hero is the perfect antidote to cinematic indecision. 5/5!

Theirs something magical about this movie that I just Love, probably Because my time spent in Ireland/England the people the sky and the ocean. .Burt Lancaster is great a true classic