Open Fire (film)
Encyclopedia
Open Fire is a 1994 British television film made for ITV
which debuted on that channel on 11 December 1994. The film was written and directed by Paul Greengrass
and concerns the 1982/83 police manhunt for David Martin, who escaped from custody following his arrest for shooting a police officer. It starred Rupert Graves
as Martin, as well as Douglas Hodge
and Kate Hardie
.
The story focuses on Finch, a young police officer who, at the beginning of the film, is awarded a medal for bravery in the course of duty after he arrested an armed criminal, and David Martin. Martin – a transvestite with a provocative and aggressive temperament – is released from prison having served his latest sentence. He has escaped twice during his time in custody, and is soon in trouble once again. During the course of a burglary at a private cinema, Martin shoots a police officer as he tries to escape. After he is alter arrested, he promptly escapes and goes on the run. By 1983 he is Britain's most wanted man, and a massive police manhunt is under way to apprehend him.
As the hunt for Martin intensifies, police identify a suspect who they believe to be the fugitive, but after he is shot by Finch, he turns out to have been an innocent man. Finch is subsequently suspended from duty. The case becomes a police scandal, with Finch accused of attempted murder. Martin is finally caught after being chased into an Underground station
and along a railway tunnel, where police eventually corner and arrest him.
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
which debuted on that channel on 11 December 1994. The film was written and directed by Paul Greengrass
Paul Greengrass
Paul Greengrass is an English film director, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of real-life events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras.-Life and career:...
and concerns the 1982/83 police manhunt for David Martin, who escaped from custody following his arrest for shooting a police officer. It starred Rupert Graves
Rupert Graves
Rupert Graves is an English film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as DI Lestrade in the critically acclaimed television series Sherlock.-Early life:...
as Martin, as well as Douglas Hodge
Douglas Hodge
Douglas Hodge is an English actor, director, and musician who trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Hodge is a council member of the National Youth Theatre for whom, in 1989, he co-wrote Pacha Mama's Blessing about the Amazon rain forests staged at the Almeida...
and Kate Hardie
Kate Hardie
Kate Hardie is a British actress, who has appeared in a number of film and television roles.-Biography:Hardie's stage name is derived from those of both her parents: Jean Hart and comedian turned naturalist Bill Oddie.-Career:...
.
Plot summary
The film concerns the manhunt for David Martin, and the events surrounding this in which Stephen Waldorf, a 26-year-old film editor, was mistakenly identified as Martin and shot by police firearms officers.The story focuses on Finch, a young police officer who, at the beginning of the film, is awarded a medal for bravery in the course of duty after he arrested an armed criminal, and David Martin. Martin – a transvestite with a provocative and aggressive temperament – is released from prison having served his latest sentence. He has escaped twice during his time in custody, and is soon in trouble once again. During the course of a burglary at a private cinema, Martin shoots a police officer as he tries to escape. After he is alter arrested, he promptly escapes and goes on the run. By 1983 he is Britain's most wanted man, and a massive police manhunt is under way to apprehend him.
As the hunt for Martin intensifies, police identify a suspect who they believe to be the fugitive, but after he is shot by Finch, he turns out to have been an innocent man. Finch is subsequently suspended from duty. The case becomes a police scandal, with Finch accused of attempted murder. Martin is finally caught after being chased into an Underground station
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
and along a railway tunnel, where police eventually corner and arrest him.
Cast
- Rupert GravesRupert GravesRupert Graves is an English film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as DI Lestrade in the critically acclaimed television series Sherlock.-Early life:...
- David Martin - Douglas HodgeDouglas HodgeDouglas Hodge is an English actor, director, and musician who trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Hodge is a council member of the National Youth Theatre for whom, in 1989, he co-wrote Pacha Mama's Blessing about the Amazon rain forests staged at the Almeida...
- Det Con Peter Finch - Kate HardieKate HardieKate Hardie is a British actress, who has appeared in a number of film and television roles.-Biography:Hardie's stage name is derived from those of both her parents: Jean Hart and comedian turned naturalist Bill Oddie.-Career:...
- Sue Stephens - Eddie IzzardEddie IzzardEdward John "Eddie" Izzard is a British stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy style takes the form of rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime...
- Rich - Keith Bartlett - CIB Man
- Aran Bell - PC Nicholas Carr
- James Bowers - Policeman (Carr Shooting)
- Jim CarterJim CarterJim Carter is an English actor.-Early life:Carter was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. His father worked for the Air Ministry and his mother was a land girl and later a school secretary...
- Det Chief Supt Young - Sam Halpenny - DC Peter Van Dee
- Martin HerdmanMartin HerdmanMartin Herdman is an actor, boxer and karate student of the 1970s and '80s, and professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s who at representative level has played rugby league for Wales, and at club level for Fulham RLFC, playing at , i.e...
- Surveillance Officer - Steve Knowles - Train Driver
- Gooey Law - Waldorf's Friend
- Chris LawsonChris Lawson-Biography:Lawson was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1966. During his childhood Lawson spent time in New Guinea where his father worked as a biologist on a crocodile farm and his mother studied psychology of personal identity. Later he studied medicine in which he has attained a graduate...
- Prison Guard - Colin McCormackColin McCormackColin McCormack was a professional Welsh actor who enjoyed considerable success in classical stage performances and television shows over a career approaching fifty years from his debut as a child actor in a BBC TV's Dixon of Dock Green episode, a show he returned to twenty years later when he...
- Det Chief Supt Haylor - Paul McNeilly - Policeman (hospital)