''Open Fire'' is single British

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, made for

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

, which first broadcast on 12 November 1994. The film was written and directed by Paul Greengrass, and concerns the police manhunt for

David Martin David or Dave Martin may refer to: Entertainment *David Martin (artist) (1737–1797), Scottish painter and engraver *David Stone Martin (1913–1992), American artist *David Martin (poet) (1915–1997), Hungarian-Australian poet and novelist *Dav ...

, who escaped from custody following his arrest for shooting a police officer, leading up to the shooting in error of another man, Stephen Waldorf. The film starred Rupert Graves as Martin, as well as Samuel West as Waldorf, Douglas Hodge as investigating officer DC Peter Finch, and

Kate Hardie Kate Hardie (born Kate Louise Oddie; 26 April 1968) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles in '' The Krays'', ''Mona Lisa'' and the 2016 Channel 4 original series ''National Treasure''. Hardie's stage name is derived from those ...

as Sue Stephens. ''Open Fire'' was filmed in Belsize Park and in around

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The film has never been released commercially.

Plot

The film concerns the manhunt for

, and the events surrounding this in which Stephen Waldorf, a 26-year-old film editor, was mistakenly identified as Martin and shot by police firearms officers. The story focuses on Finch, a young police officer who, at the beginning of the film, is awarded a medal for bravery in the course of duty after he arrested an armed criminal, and David Martin. Martin — a transvestite with a provocative and aggressive temperament — is released from prison having served his latest sentence. He has escaped twice during his time in custody, and is soon in trouble once again. During the course of a burglary at a private cinema, Martin shoots a police officer as he tries to escape. After he is later arrested, he promptly escapes and goes on the run. By 1983 he is Britain's most wanted man, and a massive police manhunt is under way to apprehend him. As the hunt for Martin intensifies, police identify a suspect whom they believe might be the fugitive, but after he is shot by Finch, he turns out not to be Martin. The car driver fled the scene. Finch is subsequently suspended from duty. The case becomes a police scandal, with Finch accused of attempted murder. Martin is finally caught after being chased into an

Underground station A metro station or subway station is a station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the system in the ...

and along a railway tunnel, where police eventually corner and arrest him, without any shot fired.

Cast

* Rupert Graves as

* Samuel West as Steven Waldorf * Douglas Hodge as DC Peter Finch *

as Sue Stephens * Eddie Izzard as Rich * Jim Carter as Det Chief Supt. Young *

Colin McCormack John Colin McCormack (2 December 1941 – 19 June 2004) was a Welsh actor who enjoyed success in classical stage performances and television shows including BBC TV's Dixon of Dock Green, a show he returned to twenty years later when he playe ...

as Det. Chief Supt. Haylor * Sam Halpenny as DC Peter Van Dee * Joe Tucker as DS Paul Johnson * Aran Bell as PC Nicholas Carr * Gwyneth Powell as Gloria Martin *

Trevor Byfield Trevor Mills Byfield (20 October 1943 – 11 October 2017) was a British character actor particularly well known for his roles on British television. In many of his later roles he was credited as Zig Byfield. Theatre work Prior to his work in t ...

as Ralph Martin * Susan Tordoff as Susan Finch

References

External links

* {{Paul Greengrass 1994 television films 1994 films 1994 crime drama films 1990s British films Biographical films about criminals British crime drama films British drama television films Crime films based on actual events Crime television films Films directed by Paul Greengrass Films set in 1983 Films set in London ITV television dramas London Weekend Television shows Television series by ITV Studios