''Taffin'' is a 1988 thriller film directed by Francis Megahy and starring

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 (''GoldenEye'', ''Tomorrow ...

in the title role of Mark Taffin.''

The Irish Filmography ''The Irish Filmography: Fiction Films 1896-1996'' is a 757-page reference catalog of movies and short films produced from 1896 to 1996 in Ireland, or about Ireland and the Irish. It was published in 1996 by Red Mountain Press, a company in Dubli ...

1896-1996''; Red Mountain Press (Dublin); 1996. Page 196 It also featured Ray McAnally,

Alison Doody Alison Doody (born March 9, 1966) is an Irish actress and model. After making her feature film debut as Bond girl Jenny Flex in ''A View to a Kill'' (1985), she went on to play Elsa Schneider in '' Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' (1989). O ...

and Jeremy Child. It is based on Lyndon Mallet's book series.

Plot

Mark Taffin, a debt collector in the small town of Ballymoran, uses his smarts and martial arts skills to help locals collect debts they are owed. He beats up a restaurant owner and collects his car to pay the man's debt, and aids a trio of young men who have been sold a faulty van. He also helps Charlotte, a local barmaid, who is having trouble with her employer, and who becomes his girlfriend. Taffin learns a local councillor, Gibson, is conspiring with a landowner named Henderson to hide the ownership of the landowner's meadow, so that a local sports field will be sold instead of the meadow, and the meadow will be worth much more as building land once a planned chemical plant is built beside it, on the sports field. Taffin confronts Gibson, but is unable to change anything until he intimidates Henderson by blowing up his outhouse. The corrupt business syndicate behind the chemical plant hires some thugs, including Conway, to intimidate the townspeople. The thugs beat up Taffin, who once again withdraws from town, berating Charlotte for her wish that Taffin should be out helping the world in some way, until Conway and his thugs beat up Taffin's brother, Mo. The trio of young men who aided Taffin, as well as Taffin's friend Ed help him take down two of Conway's thugs, and Taffin himself beats up Conway after a car chase, between Conway's Jaguar and Taffins red Ford Mustang, through the winding rural roads. One of the corrupt syndicate Mr. Martin is accused of rape by Charlotte, at Taffin's behest, so Taffin can blackmail Martin into ending the building of the chemical plant. Taffin's plot seems to work, but the head of the syndicate, Sprawley, hires a hitman named Deacon who sets fire to Martin's house, killing him and his wife, and framing Taffin for the crime. Despite there being no evidence that Taffin is guilty, the townspeople turn on Taffin, as he earlier said they would. Sprawley offers Deacon one last job - to kill Mark Taffin. Taffin tries to leave town to find Sprawley but Deacon gets to him first, and enlists Conway to hold Taffin hostage in his car, forcing Taffin to follow Deacon to a remote spot where he can be killed. However, Taffin gets the upper hand on Conway and Deacon, shooting them both dead. A distant shot shows his car blowing up, and Taffin presumably dies. Charlotte berates the townspeople for being too cowardly to do what Taffin did, and then turning on him. Taffin, masquerading as Deacon, meets Sprawley on a deserted beach in Dublin, telling him to clear his name, and shooting Sprawley when he refuses and pulls a gun on him. Charlotte goes to leave the country, but Taffin appears behind her in the queue as she waits for the bus to the airport, telling her: "Be cool, Charlotte. Be cool."

Cast

Production

Taffin was filmed in

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...

in Ireland in 1987 and 1988. Issues arose between the author Lyndon Mallet and the production company surrounding the casting of Pierce Brosnan in the role of Mark Taffin. This was due to the actual nature of the character in the book. In the book, Mark Taffin was never a handsome man; he was overweight and unattractive, a very different image to that portrayed by Brosnan.

Reception

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

'' called the film "confused and unexciting", deeming that Brosnan was not up to his job. ''Time Out'' also criticized the script, a sentiment echoed by ''Apollo Movie Guide'', which thought ''Taffin'' was a "disappointment for anyone expecting a smart Brosnan thriller with the Irish touch."

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, taffin 1988 films English-language Irish films Films scored by Stanley Myers Films scored by Hans Zimmer Irish-language films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films shot in County Wicklow 1980s English-language films