So much average

Must See Movie...

good back-story, and good acting

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

When most people think of Pierce Brosnan, they most likely think of such signature roles like that of James Bond, the remake of the "Thomas Crown Affair", or "Remington Steele". But in 1988, between all of that, Pierce starred in a small, low budget film out of Ireland called "Taffin" and while nobody will hail it as Brosnan's finest hour, it is a curiously entertaining film (I've always wondered how Brosnan ended up in this one; after all he was ,by this time, fairly well known from "Steele". Perhaps he just needed something to do or needed the money but since there's not much info on this film, who knows?). In the story, Brosnan plays a rough and tough debt collector named Taffin in a small town where if you owe money, you'd better pay up! Our hero demonstrates this through some simple but well choreographed fight scenes, one involving four or fiver burly chefs in a restaurant. But Taffin is not your stereotypical tough guy; he reads literature and believes in the power of using your mind before your fists. Good thing too, because he's going to need it when some corrupt developers send their goons to town to keep folks from complaining about plans to destroy a favorite park. If I had to guess what makes the movie watchable, it would probably come down to Brosnan's cool under pressure performance which, more than anything, is the driving force of the film. It also helps that Alison Doody of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" fame adds some fun-and eye candy-to the mix as the love interest. Don't get me wrong; the film has it issues, such as certain areas where the editing and story don't seem to flow quite right and parts that are supposed to be serious but you just can't help but laugh your ass off (see the part where Taffin screams "Then maybe you shouldn't be living heeeeeeeeeeeeere!". Never fails to bring a smile to my face). But all things considered, "Taffin" is not the worse movie ever made and if you happen to catch it with some drunk friends or on a rainy day, you probably won't regret it.

I am, frankly, puzzled by this film. On paper, it must have sounded fine, but if there is anything good about the film, it ended on paper. Even with several well-seasoned actors, and a rather nice location, the film fails in every possible way. The acting is wooden, the interior sets look as though they were borrowed from high school plays, the dialogue is somewhere between inane and pathetic. The film has no flow, no tempo, and barely a narrative. It also has no humor, no horror, no excitement, no suspense. I hope that's not a spoiler... The motivation of the main characters seems flimsy, at best, and though a film, it seems very much as though it were a play, because of the modest number of people who actually do anything or have any lines to say. All of the "bad guys" speak as though they had studied every gangster B-film ever made. I can't imagine that *anyone* ever gave this film anything but the lowest possible score but some people must have liked it. Hard to imagine.

OK take my review with a grain of salt because I missed whatever happened before the "town" asked Taffin (Pierce, man thats a cool name I wish I named my Son that (Pierce that is), lol) to take on the bad guys who rammed a chemical plant onto a very nice Irish (?) town. As far as the part that I saw (which was basically the whole film because I knew where it was going), I really really enjoyed it. As a matter of fact if I could re-watch Taffin vs any of Pierce's Bond flicks, I'd take Taffin any day. I am always entertained more by English films (or in this case Irish), than I am by most American films, they just seem more unpredictable because I don't know what to expect. Taffin has Pierce looking really cool (and he still is semi young so more believable as a killer to me), plus the eye candy is not too shabby in this one with some nice topless views that you wont get in a Bond film. Is it full of plot holes? Yeah big time, but Pierce kicks some ass his way and does it in a funny way. Its an American 60's crime flick thats light on the moral dialog, its just the bad corporation and the little townsfolk hiring their gunslinger to protect them. Pierce does it in a very sly way and doesn't resort to the kill until he has to. I see a LOT of 1 votes on this film, they must hate English speaking foreign films (or they're psycho Lazenby Bond lovers out to besmirch all of Pierce's films, lol). Me, I liked the films Pierce did around this time, like Livewire and the Deceivers. I think I've liked most flicks Pierce has been in that I saw (one of those Bond flicks with a bad-guy taking over the internet or something was lame but any Bond flick is good or bad based on the bad guy not the Bond), and Taffin had me smiling, it was cool entertainment. Will I be buying the DVD, probably not (although I wonder what it's going for used on Amazon? hmmm, wow its only 75 cents thats cheap! I may get it now, the Arab channel I watched it on had the nudity but bleeped out the profanity, go figure, lol). Looking for a cool, mindless, Irish (!), action flick? Check out Taffin, I'm glad I did!

If you are a fan of Pierce Brosnan, you'll love this film. If you are not a fan, it's still worth the rental. You can actually say it is one of those movies that is so bad that it is good. Brosnan plays a kick ass and take names debt collector who gets involved in fighting a crooked chemical plant that the residents of an Irish neighborhood oppose. Granted, the acting is sub-par, but it is very entertaining. In fact, a friend and I made a drinking game out of the flick! Whenever someone in the film says "Taffin", you take a drink. The best line is the one mentioned as my summary. Also look for a cameo by the late, great Dermot Morgan (BBC's Father Ted) as stand-up comedian Mickey Guest.