The Last Enemy

The Making Of doc does exactly what it says on the sleeve. Talking heads are kept to a minimum. Actors waffling about their roles – the true meaning of, etc – are shuffled to one side. Max Beesley says what an exciting piece of filming blah blah, but that’s it. At other times he’s mock fighting with director Iain MacDonald, who sounds like a Londoner, not a compatriot of Robert Carlyle, who is allowed to use his own accent, even in the movie. The writer Peter Berry talks of what gave him the idea and, to be honest, it’s too banal to repeat. Otherwise, he looks like an actor, with an expensive haircut, designed to appear casually ruffled. The director, special effects guy, cameraman and sound recordist explain a few things in delightfully unpretentious language. Otherwise, it shows how things are blown up and others scenes when people get the giggles – Eva Birthistle is particularly prone, with Benedict Cumberbatch a close second. Romania stands in for the Afghan border and everyone seems to have enjoyed themselves enormously. In fact, this looks like one of those movies where cast and crew had a great time. And it shows. In the DVD extras, at least.

There are four Deleted Scenes, only one of which is weird (embarrassing) enough to mention. Stephen (Cumberbatch) and Yasim (Anamaria Marinca) are lying half naked on Russell’s (Robert Carlyle) mattress, blowing soap bubbles and talking lovey gush. It goes on a bit and, despite the script, adds a gentle quality to their otherwise baffling relationship.

The Outtakes are a Best Of selection of cock ups, mainly to do with giggling during a take, with the usual suspects to the fore, and the Photo Gallery has been well chosen from snatched moments on and off the set.