Three old men meet in an East London pub and drink a toast to their mate, Jack, Michael Caine, who\'s recent death they are mourning. The three are Ray, Bob Hoskins, a racetrack gambler; Vic, Tom Courtenay, an undertaker; and Lenny, David Hemmings, an ex- boxer turned fruit stall operator. They\'re soon joined by Jack\'s son, Vince, Ray Winstone, a used car dealer. The four set off by car for the coastal town of Margate to fulfil Jack\'s last request, to scatter his ashes off the pier into the sea, Jack and his wife, Amy, Helen Mirren, had spent their honeymoon in Margate years ago.During the journey, flashbacks explore the lives of these apparently ordinary people.
Fred Schepisi\'s adaptation of Graham Swift\'s Booker prizewinning novel is one of his finest achievements, a beautifully realised contemplation on a life, memories of things past and how they still linger on into the present. The loves and disappointments of these East Londoners are sensitively told, with superbly cast young actors playing the younger versions of these ageing friends. The casting is very skilful, J.J. Feild is eerily convincing as the young Michael Caine, and David Hemmings\' son, Nolan, plays Lenny as a young man.
The performances are flawless, Michael Caine is given one of his finest roles, Helen Mirren is quite beautiful, and Ray Winstone continues to impress, they\'re all superb. I can\'t imagine that anyone won\'t be profoundly moved by this film, which has one of the most beautiful conclusions I\'ve seen in quite a while, it may be about ordinary lives and ordinary people, but it\'s an extraordinary film.
