Burt Lancaster's Oil Movie With A 100% Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Perfect For Landman Fans

Black Gold: It made the Clampett family rich and took them from the Ozarks to Beverly Hills in "The Beverly Hillbillies," and it's still making people billionaires today. Oil was first extracted for use in China well over 2,000 years ago, but it boomed in the 20th century thanks to the arrival of the automobile, electric lighting, and increasing demand for consumer goods made from plastic. Despite concerns about climate change and innovations in clean and renewable energy, oil and gas production is still one of the biggest industries in the world, with the United States producing around 13 million barrels of crude oil per day. Yet, despite being a driving factor behind today's society, there are still relatively few movies and TV shows about it. One of the most recent to explore this vast topic is Taylor Sheridan's acclaimed "Landman," the absorbing new show that explores the politics and hazards of the modern oil industry.

Billy Bob Thornton stars as Tommy Norris, the guy on the ground for billionaires who make the real money from oil, personified in this case by Jon Hamm's shark-like executive Monty Miller. As is typical for Sheridan, "Landman" presents the industry as one particular aspect of the new American Frontier, and the show is at its most riveting when it delves behind the scenes of an oil-dependent society and the day-to-day hardships of tough men like Norris.

Like many stories set in the world of oil (such as "There Will Be Blood" and "Deepwater Horizon"), the key dramatic factors in "Landman" are capitalist greed and very real danger. But, as the Clampetts proved back in the 1960s, tales involving oil don't all need to be so nitty-gritty. Indeed, fans of Sheridan's latest series can also treat themselves to a lighter-hearted angle with Bill Forsyth's "Local Hero," a British gem starring Burt Lancaster that currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Coming just two years after striking box office gold with "Gregory's Girl," Scottish writer and director Forsyth returned with a winsome tale of an American oil executive sent to acquire a picturesque Scottish village as the site for a new oil refinery. Often compared to Ealing's classic comedy "Whisky Galore!", "Local Hero" has become one of Britain's best-loved films since its release in 1983. Let's take a closer look at why it holds that perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.

Felix Happer (Burt Lancaster) is the eccentric owner of Knox, a massive oil and gas company in Houston, Texas. He's more interested in the cosmos than his latest acquisition, but he selects materialistic executive "Mac" MacIntyre (Peter Riegert) to head to Scotland and buy up the tiny coastal village of Furness to make way for a really ugly oil refinery. Mac would rather do it over the phone, but Happer insists that he go in person to speak to his "people," despite the fact he isn't actually Scottish. Happer also gives him a side mission to keep an eye on the sky in the Virgo constellation for any comets.

Arriving in Aberdeen, Mac is greeted by Danny Oldsen (Peter Capaldi), a callow young Knox representative. During a brief stop-off at a Knox research lab, they also meet Marina (Jenny Seagrove), a mysterious marine researcher who seems more at home in the water than on dry land. Once Mac and Oldsen reach the village, they settle into the local bed and breakfast run by Gordon Urquhart (Denis Lawson), who also doubles as the accountant Mac needs to work with to secure the deal. Just when we're gearing up for a classic tale of plucky villagers using their wits to thwart a huge corporation intent on destroying their home, "Local Hero" goes in a different direction. The hardy locals are literally dancing a jig at the prospect of the sale, fantasizing about what they will do with their cut of the money. There is one obstacle blocking the deal, however — Ben Knox (Fulton Mackay), an amiable old beachcomber who happens to own the entire beach that connects the village to the sea. Meanwhile, Danny falls for Marina, and things are happening in the sky with meteor showers and the Northern Lights, much to the delight of Happer back in Texas.

The eventual outcome of "Local Hero" probably won't come as much surprise, but Bill Forsyth gently subverts our expectations every step of the way. It's a movie where there are no bad guys, and the meandering plot and much of the humor develop organically from the characters. It all plays out so winningly with beguiling performances from the entire cast, not least a never-better Riegert and screen legend Lancaster, who sprinkles a little magic dust over the film every time he's onscreen.

Bill Forsyth is a native of Glasgow, and "Local Hero" is filled with wry Scottish humor, alert to the foibles of human behavior and benevolent in its ironic amusement. There are clear parallels to "Brigadoon," as Furness emerges from the mist and gradually enchants an American city-dweller; the film similarly captivates with its offbeat whimsy and touches of magical realism, from the quirky routines of the villagers to the presence of a woman who may be a real-life mermaid.

I didn't really get "Local Hero" when I first saw it as a teenager, perhaps because it was a little too subtle for me back then. However, I was overcome by emotion on a recent watch without being able to pinpoint exactly why; much like Riegert's Mac, I was gradually and absolutely won over by its charms. We can guess from the outset he will find himself in Scotland, and the heart of the film is how he is gently enveloped by village life and the wonders of nature, fascinated by tiny creatures scurrying in a tide pool and meteor showers streaking the night sky. It's a beautifully shot film, with Chris Menges' cinematography capturing the windswept splendor of the Scottish coastline without resorting to corny picture postcard treatment. I also can't overstate how much Mark Knopfler's score contributes to the atmosphere, gradually building into an anthem of joyous yearning.

"Local Hero" manages to carry its environmental message in a plain-speaking way that never comes across as sermonizing. Forsyth's screenplay employs satirical elements, such as farcical board meetings and a comically over-elaborate scale model of the village in a Bond villain-esque research facility, but the stakes of Furness's potential destruction for profit unfold more profoundly in the pensive awakening of Mac.

The cherry on top is Burt Lancaster as Felix Happer. The Hollywood idol was coming to the end of a career spanning more than 40 years and nine perfect movies (according to Rotten Tomatoes), but he was rarely more delightful than he is here. On paper, Happer is a pretty outlandish character, more a soothsayer than tycoon, but Lancaster plays him straight with the enraptured air of a person who can sense something wonderful is about to happen. Which, of course, it is; "Local Hero" is a small but finely detailed film that strikes a miraculous balance between feel-good and melancholy.