The Last Grenade
The Last Grenade is a 1970 British war film directed by Gordon Flemyng and starring Stanley Baker and Alex Cord as two soldiers of fortune, formerly comrades, who now find themselves on opposite sides. The cast also includes Richard Attenborough, Honor Blackman, Rafer Johnson, John Thaw, Andrew Keir, and Julian Glover. It was the final feature film directed by Flemyng.
| The Last Grenade | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Gordon Flemyng |
| Written by | James Mitchell Kenneth Ware |
| Based on | The Ordeal of Major Grigsby by John Sherlock |
| Produced by | Josef Shaftel Dimitri de Grunwald |
| Starring | Stanley Baker Alex Cord Honor Blackman |
| Cinematography | Alan Hume |
| Edited by | Ann Chegwidden |
| Music by | John Dankworth |
Production company | Lockmore Productions |
| Distributed by | Cinerama Releasing Corporation |
Release date | March 1970 |
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million[1] or £1,126,552[2] |
Synopsis
Beginning in the Congo, a group of mercenaries led by British Major Harry Grigsby are due to be picked up by helicopters after completing a mission. As they board the choppers they are fired on from the helicopters by another group of mercenaries led by American Kip Thompson, who has been hired to change sides.
Recovering in the United Kingdom, Grigsby is recruited by the British government to take out Thompson, who has been hired by Red China to stir up trouble in the New Territories between Hong Kong and Red China. As neither nation wants open warfare with the other, each side hires expendable mercenaries. Grigsby recruits his surviving old crew including Joe Jackson, Terry Mitchell, Gordon Mackenzie, and Andy Royal.
In addition to fighting Thompson, Grigsby finds time to seduce the wife, Katherine, of his liaison, a British General Charles Whiteley.
Cast
- Stanley Baker as Maj. Harry Grigsby
- Alex Cord as Kip Thompson
- Honor Blackman as Katherine Whiteley
- Richard Attenborough as Gen. Charles Whiteley
- Rafer Johnson as Joe Jackson
- Andrew Keir as Gordon Mackenzie
- Ray Brooks as Lt. David Coulson
- Julian Glover as Andy Royal
- John Thaw as Terry Mitchell
- Gerald Sim as Dr. Griffiths
- Philip Latham as Adams
- A. J. Brown as Governor
- Pamela Stanley as Governor's Lady
- Paul Dawkins as Commissioner Doyle
- Kenji Takaki as Te Ching
Production
It was one of a series of films produced by Dimitri de Grunwald, who called The Last Grenade's commercial prospects "safe-ish".[3] The film was shot at Shepperton Studios and on location in Spain and Hong Kong.[4] The sets were designed by the art director Anthony Pratt.
The film only uses names of the characters from John Sherlock's 1964 novel The Ordeal of Major Grigsby that was set in the Malayan Emergency in 1948. Sherlock co-wrote the original screenplay that was rewritten by James Mitchell. The working title of the film was Grigsby.[5]
References
- Three films get a British backer Author: Stella Shamoon Date: Thursday, Jan. 8, 1970 Publication: The Daily Telegraph (London, England) Issue: 35674 p21
- Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 361
- Sweeney, Louise (1 December 1969). "A way out of films' financial quicksand?: Global co-op plans for Anouilh, Huxley, Lawrence". The Christian Science Monitor. p. 16.
- p.79 Hume, Alan A Life Through The Lens: Memoirs of a Film Cameraman 2004 McFarland
- Martin, Betty (19 March 1969). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: Alex Cord Slated for 'Grigsby' Role". Los Angeles Times. p. 24.