The Big Man [Crossing the Wire] *** (1990, Liam Neeson, Joanne Whalley-Kilmer, Billy Connolly, Ian Bannen) – Classic Movie Review 12,248

The1990 British film The Big Man is an accomplished thriller, starring Liam Neeson as an unemployed Scottish miner forced to accept a Glasgow gangster’s offer of an illegal bare-knuckle boxing match.

Director David Leland’s 1990 British film The Big Man [Crossing the Wire] is a moody, frightening and accomplished thriller, starring Liam Neeson as Danny Scoular, an unemployed Scottish miner who gets involved with a local Glasgow gangster boss (Ian Bannen) and nearly gets killed bare-knuckle boxing prize-fighting and pinching the mob’s money.

A union strike puts Danny Scoular out of work and money, so he is forced to accept the Glasgow gangster’s offer of an illegal bare-knuckle boxing match, prompting a long, gruelling and brutal fight.

There is charismatic acting from Neeson and Joanne Whalley-Kilmer as his distraught wife Beth, but Bannen’s toweringly evil performance steals the show.

Also in the cast are Billy Connolly, Maurice Roëves, Kenny Ireland, Johnny Beattie [John Beattie], Amanda Walker, Douglas Henshall, Hugh Grant, Jack Shepherd, Rab Affleck, Julie Graham, and George Rossi.

The screenplay is written by Don MacPherson, based on William McIlvanney’s 1986 novel The Big Man.

The score is by Ennio Morricone.

It is shot in the village of Coalburn, South Lanarkshire, Scotland; Glasgow, Scotland; and Spain.

The cast are Liam Neeson as Danny Scoular, Joanne Whalley-Kilmer as Beth Scoular, Billy Connolly as Frankie, Ian Bannen as Matt Mason, Juliet Cadzow as Margaret Mason, Tom Watson as Tommy Brogan, Hugh Grant as Gordon, Kenny Ireland as Tony, George Rossi as Eddie, Julie Graham as Melanie, Johnny Beattie as Beth’s father, Amanda Walker as Beth’s mother, Peter Mullan as Vince, Pat Roach as Billy, Maurice Roëves as Cam Colvin, Jack Shepherd, and Rab Affleck.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,248

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com