For Queen and Country
Denzel Washington adopts a British accent for the grim if compelling, 1989 social drama,For Queen and Country. Akin in mood and story to several American films (notablyRolling Thunder) about Vietnam veterans who return home to face indifference or hostility,For Queen and Countrystars Washington as paratrooper Reuben James, a decorated veteran of the Falklands war and Britain's occupation of Northern Ireland. Returning to civilian life in the early '80s, Reuben discovers Thatcher's England (specifically London's East End) to be an intensely racist, violent ground for class warfare, crime, and drugs. Unable to find work, hassled by white cops, pressured by old mates to run afoul of the law, and rejected by a woman (Amanda Redman) who sees him as another product of a cruel and bloody era, Reuben's hope diminishes despite efforts to do the right thing. The downbeat, predictable drama is elevated by Washington's charismatic performance.--Tom Keogh