Queen and Country
(2014)John Boorman's sequel to his five-time Oscar-nominated drama Hope and Glory (1987). Follows Bill Rohan, now 10 years older in a still-recovering postwar England, as he performs basic training for the Korean War.... More
Bill (Callum Turner) is joined by a trouble-making army mate, Percy (Caleb Landry Jones). They never get near Korea, but engage in a constant battle of wits with the Catch-22-worthy, Sgt Major Bradley (David Thewlis). Richard E. Grant plays their superior, the infinitely put-upon Major Cross.Hide
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Directed by John Boorman ('Deliverance', 'Excalibur', 'Hope and Glory')
Starring Callum Turner, Caleb Landry Jones, David Thewlis, Richard E. Grant, Vanessa Kirby, Pat Shortt, Tamsin Egerton, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, David Hayman
Written by John Boorman
On Demand, DVD & Blu-Ray
Available from 3 providers
Flicks Review
BY Aaron Yap Flicks Writer
John Boorman’s Best Picture-nominee Hope and Glory, a vivid, powerful semi-autobiographical tale set during the London Blitz of WWII, remains one of the finest childhood-in-wartime films ever made. It probably didn’t need a sequel, but the lovely Queen and Country, arriving 27 years after the original, won’t make you hate Boorman for dipping back into the well. Sure, it lacks the lingering imagery and hefty scope of that film, but as a potential swan song for the 82-year-old director, it’s an agreeably bittersweet and surprisingly spry cap on a remarkable -- and remarkably varied -- career in cinema.... More
Like Hope and Glory, Queen and Country is episodic in its storytelling, though it’s definitely more relaxed, given the absence of high stakes. Boorman picks up nine years after the events of the first film, finding his stand-in Bill Rohan (Callum Turner), now 19, getting none-too-enthusiastically conscripted into the British National Service in preparation for the Korean War.
But the action is mostly confined to the barracks, and Boorman is able to mirror a post-war national identity in shambles. Thoroughly uninterested in politics, Bill and his mischief-making buddy Percy (Caleb Landry Jones) alleviate tedium by waging a battle of their own against their PTSD-suffering superior, Sergeant Major Bradley (David Thewlis). The insubordinate camp hijinks, which range from leaving their uniform improperly buttoned to stealing a prized regimental clock, yield some marvellous comic moments.
Elsewhere there’s a class-conscious romance with Bill attempting to woo out-of-his-league aristocrat Ophelia (Tamsin Egerton), and Boorman’s budding cinephile self materialising with nods to Kurosawa and Hitchcock. It’s a memoir of considerable charm, with a deeply rueful streak that feels entirely earned.Hide
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Queen and Country
BY cliveb1 nobody
I am not sure what movie the Flick's reviewer saw but it is not the one I saw.
The acting was often stilted and the army camp life portrayed not realistic.
Too many unanswered questions (why was the sister in Canada? and the accent?) and slightly implausible situations.
Could have been good but missed the mark
The Press Reviews
81%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Everything you'd expect from distinctive film-maker John Boorman: a heartfelt story told in arresting visual tones through a melange of conflicting accents and strangely theatrical staging. Full Review
Less vibrant than the original, but equally thoughtful and funny. Full Review
Rambling and unfocused but not without its moments, John Boorman's 19th feature film, Queen and Country, represents a very belated sequel to the director's 1987 feature Hope and Glory. Full Review
A direct sequel to 1987's Hope and Glory -- and the best thing that John Boorman has made since. Full Review
Distinguished by mischievous good humor and by the unashamed acknowledgment that war can be fun as well as horrible. Full Review
An entertaining and sympathetic guide to a lost world: a rite of passage that Britain was to find it could do without. Full Review
Boorman's sequel to his masterful 'Hope and Glory' doesn't equal its predecessor, but still offers a vivid snapshot of Army and family life in post-War England. Full Review
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