After playing such suave and sophisticated folks as James Bond and Simon Templar, Roger Moore went in for a real change of pace in North Sea Hijack. I'm guessing that's what attracted him to the role of Rufus Excalibur Ffolkes, because though North Sea Hijack is a nice action, adventure film, it's nothing out of the ordinary.<br /><br />Mr. Ffolkes is a fellow who despises women is only wanting companionship of those of the feline persuasion and is a singularly short tempered and quite arrogant individual. He also knows his business thoroughly as the head of a mercenary team for hire.<br /><br />Her Majesty's government has hired him to do a nasty job on some people who have hijacked an offshore oil rig in the North Sea and are threatening to blow it up. The environmental and economic consequences would be catastrophic to say the least. Here in America we well remember the Exxon Valdez and the results of that oil spill off the Alaska shores.<br /><br />The hijackers led by Anthony Perkins are not political terrorists in any way. They're just a gang of extortionists who think they've found a way to make money. Still the results of their actions would be the same.<br /><br />Perkins gives a nice performance in an unusual role for him. He was forever identified throughout his life with psychotic killer Norman Bates, and his role as chief hijacker is anything, but the mama dominated schizophrenic Bates. One of the interesting things here is we never do learn just what the escape plan for the hijackers is. It's just possible that Perkins really does just want things to go boom.<br /><br />North Sea Hijack is a nicely paced action film that has a lot of suspense to it. Also check it out for nice performances by James Mason as an admiral in the Royal Navy and Faith Brook as a British Prime Minister who looks and acts suspiciously like Margaret Thatcher.