HENNESSY

 

This is another post inspired by John Hamilton's book WITCHES, BITCHES AND BANSHEES. The subject is HENNESSY, a film released in 1975, and another attempt by American-International Pictures to move into more mainstream fare. 

HENNESSY refers to Niall Hennessy, played by Rod Steiger. Hennessy is a demolitions expert, living in Belfast, who at one time gave assistance to the IRA. Hennessy's wife and young daughter are killed in a street riot involving British soldiers, and the man decides to get his revenge by setting off explosives during the State Opening of the British Parliament. Members of the IRA travel to London to stop Hennessy--the Queen and the Royal Family will be at the ceremony, and the IRA knows that if the plot is successful, they will be blamed for it. Scotland Yard is also on Hennessy's trail. Hennessy tries to avoid both groups while determined to carry out his plan. 

HENNESSY is an effective, suspenseful film, capably directed by Don Sharp, with tight editing by Eric Boyd-Perkins. One doesn't have time to think about the unbelievable aspects of the plot because it moves rather swiftly. The movie is kind of a minor league THE DAY OF THE JACKAL, with one major difference--the Jackal was a professional assassin, while for Hennessy, it's personal (Hennessy also knows if he does succeed, he will die as well). 

Rod Steiger is surprisingly subdued as Hennessy--some reviewers felt he was too subdued. The actor's expected over-the-top histrionics are not to be found here, but it's my belief that Steiger was attempting to show that Hennessy is emotionally dead--he's lost everything dear to him, and all his has left is his plot. Hennessy is a calculating and crafty fellow, and he's able to improvise at a moment's notice. He's also able to take care of himself in a fight (it's mentioned that Hennessy fought in WWII), and he's even quite capable at disguising himself. One may wonder how Hennessy has all these abilities, but while watching the story one buys into it. 

Actor Richard Johnson came up with the story idea behind HENNESSY (the screenplay was written by John Gay), and he gets a plum role in the movie as a Special Branch investigator trying to figure out what Hennessy is up to. Johnson plays one of those tough, go-by-their-own-rules movie cops, and he almost steals the show from Steiger. Eric Porter also makes a big impression as an IRA commander and friend of Hennessy who is willing to kill him to stop his scheme. 

The supporting cast also includes Lee Remick (as an old friend of Hennessy's who happens to be living in London), Trevor Howard, Peter Copley, and a young Patrick Stewart as an IRA thug. 

The climax of the film is set at the Houses of Parliament, and uses scenes filmed at Westminster, along with footage taken of an actual State Opening of Parliament ceremony for a newsreel. The newsreel footage, which includes a number of shots of the Queen and members of the Royal Family, is integrated very well into the film...maybe too well. The use of the footage, especially the scene where the Queen almost appears to be reacting to what is going on in the story, caused major controversy. AIP even added a message before the start of the film stating that the footage had not originally been intended to be used in a fictional context. Today the controversy over the Royal footage seems overdone, considering that now the intimate details of the personal lives of the Royals are endlessly discussed on TV and the internet, but it was a big deal back then. 

Usually AIP would welcome any sort of controversial publicity about one of their movies, but this time it backfired. HENNESSY was made at a time when the real IRA was launching attacks on English soil, and a story about a planned attack on Parliament and the Queen didn't set well with major figures in the British film industry. The major British cinema chains didn't want to deal with HENNESSY, and it didn't get the wide release that AIP was hoping for. Many assumed that due to its subject matter, the film was just crass and exploitative, and some felt it was even supportive of terrorism (the filmmakers stated they did not intend to make a story with any sort of political stance, and I agree with them). 

HENNESSY didn't make the inroads that AIP was hoping for. Looking at it now, I thought it was very well done. When one separates it from the various controversies surrounding it when it was made, it's a tight suspense tale, without all the fluff and excess of the action thrillers of today.