Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

matmcv This film stands out in my memory of films on this subject or from that time period. Set on a fictional Caribbean island owned by Britain but largely left to its own devices, it centres around the discovery of a lucrative resource - the Water of the title - and the reaction to this of various people on the island and other countries. Colonialism, revolution, big business, reggae, cannabis, lovely weather, principles vs. greed and marital infidelity all feature. It is unusually honest and even-handed about the politics in such situations, yet never loses sight of the comedy, which ranges through satire, character comedy and slapstick.Scripted by the well-known British comedy writing team of Clement and La Frenais, and directed by Clement, it was made by Handmade Films, overseen by George Harrison, and it's therefore not a coincidence that George turns up at one point in the film with a load of his rock mates to support the islanders' cause. Several big British acting names feature, notably Caine and Rossiter, with the addition of Fulton Mackay, Eddie Grant, Maureen Lipman as a scarily accurate Thatcher, plus Americans Fred Gwynne (Munsters) as the Texan oil tycoon and Ruby Wax as one of his staff. Interestingly Paul Heiney as the mercenary Kessler was performing the role as part of his involvement in BBC series "In at the Deep End", in which he had to take on a different job each episode.Water has its fair share of silliness, weak acting, discontinuity etc. but it doesn't really matter as it keeps you entertained throughout while still referencing the serious issues. It has a fun tone and looked like it was fun to make, evident in the street dancing at the end. I do recommend this film if you haven't seen it already, it's unlikely to disappoint.

kev5176 This is one of the best movies i have ever seen in modern British comedy. we as kids wore the video out as we did another(french) classic - the brain starring David Niven Ali G thinks he discovered the "weed" joke - sorry mate this joke was made 20 years earlier Michael Caine as Governor Thwaites, Fulton McKay as Eric mcnab the priest who has fathered more children than christened them.The cascaran liberation front(delgardo fitzhugh & Garfield cooper), a radio that blows out Eddie grant 24 hours a day, a jail out of use as the paint cant be got, an idyllic place and long forgotten part of the empire a to live until the Americans discover something, then all hell breaks loose.all of a sudden everyone wants this island..... or to sell it, my favourite lines - Baxter "why are you doing this ? " kessler " for the bloodshed and for the money " !!! Baxter "who hired you ?? it was the bloody french wasn't it i can smell the garlic "the cast are all enjoying this film, I did and it sits in my memory as one of the last films made some of the old school no longer here. a film that deserves a part of everyones library

hal50 I found this movie a RIOT!!! A few glasses of wine, or another preferred 'adult beverage' and you can't help but laugh! Don't try to find any profound meanings in the movie...there aren't any. This is just a FUN and FUNNY movie just for purely entertainment purposes. If there is ANY meaning to be taken from this movie it is the portraying of the Western cultures' desire for designer items, not just in our clothing but right down to the water that we drink. Micheal Caine played his role perfectly, in my opinion, as the governor trying to infuse wealth into the economy (as well as his pockets) of the small island and Jimmy Walker as the DJ on the island...who wouldn't listen to his radio show? I have made this a movie a part of my DVD collection and others should too.

andrew macleod My name is Michael Caine .... Baxter Thwaites gave his standard performance but his innate snideness came out well as the British looking down on its colonies. Fulton Mackay .... Eric excellent performance as a wayward holyman. Billy Connolly .... Delgado on this early film role, showing his talent & timing.These three performances make this an inspired work