"You really don't like women, do you?" ffolkes is asked. Rufus Excalibur ffolkes (Roger Moore) is an eccentric, misanthropic ex-British Army officer who has his own team of highly trained underwater commandos, ffolkes' fusiliers. He specializes in hostage rescue and anti- terrorism action, all immaculately planned and decisively executed. The bearded, curmudgeonly ffolkes favors Edwardian suits, does petit point and loves Scotch and cats. He's on a North Sea oil platform where Lou Kramer, a clever criminal (Anthony Perkins) who has hijacked the supply boat Esther which is moored below, has demanded 25 million British pounds or he'll blow the rig sky high. ffolkes got there because the British government could think of no one else who had a chance of thwarting Kramer's plan. If Jennifer, the production platform, and Ruth, a nearby drilling platform, which Kramer has mined are destroyed, a good deal of British North Sea oil production will go up in smoke with them. The plot is ingenious. But then, so is ffolkes. And he's prepared to be just as ruthless as the criminals. folkes has one advantage. His plans never go wrong. Almost never. <br /><br />But back to ffolkes and women. "I do not!" ffolkes answers. "You see, I together with my five elder sisters was raised by my maiden aunt. Both my parents died tragically in childbirth. Until the age of ten I was forced to wear my sisters' hand-me-downs. Then when I married I discovered to my horror that my wife also had five sisters, all unmarried and all expecting my support. I find cats a far superior breed." <br /><br />This clever, exciting adventure did only modest business when it was released, and was quickly forgotten by most. Too bad, because it's a well-made film which generates tension, has an unusual setting in the cold, stormy waters of the North Sea, and has some fine actors. Among the standouts are Anthony Perkins as the vicious, confident, and, of course, unstable Lou Kramer; James Mason as Admiral Sir Francis Brindsen, a stock figure at first but who, thanks to Mason's skill, turns into a character of barely noticed wry humor; and Michael Parks as Kramer's key henchman, possible lover and explosives expert. <br /><br />Most of all, the movie depends on Roger Moore, and he delivers a dynamic and amusing performance of a man of action who'd be much happier in an earlier age. His complete self- confidence in his planning and his talents would be irritating if it weren't so well acted and expressed in lines so well written. "I suppose you're one of those fellows who does the Times' crossword puzzle in 10 minutes," says an irritated Admiral Brindsen after ffolkes offhandedly explained the meaning of a coded message the Admiral had just received from London. "I have never taken 10 minutes!" says ffolkes indignantly. Moore is perhaps underrated nowadays, but I think he was expert in light comedy and in amusing adventures. In my opinion, he is the second best by far of the James Bonds. (I haven't seen Daniel Craig.) Even aging a bit in the last couple, be brought style and insouciance to a franchise that was slowly going off the tracks. And yes, I'm a fan of A View to a Kill. Moore made this picture between Bond films and he plays against type. <br /><br />The movie ends, as it began, with ffolkes clearly happy with his favorite companions. We had earlier met Mary, his tortoiseshell tabby. We leave ffolkes with an award from the British government, delivered to him in Scotland by the Prime Minister herself...three white kittens named Esther, Ruth and Jennifer. <br /><br />For those unsure how to pronounce ffolkes, we may have to dig deep into Hitchcock. "I don't get the double 'F'," says American reporter Johnny Jones to Scott ffolliot, a man he's just met as they speed down a Dutch lane after an assassin. "They're at the beginning," says ffolliot. "Both small 'F's." "They can't be at the beginning," says Johnny. Says ffolliot, "One of my ancestors was beheaded by Henry VIII. His wife dropped the capital letter to commemorate it." "How do you say it, like a stutter?" asks Johnny. "Just a straight 'fuh'." <br /><br />Fuholkes is a well made, amusing adventure.