Hash (film)

"Hash" is a 2005 comedy film directed by Scott Innes and written by Innes and Daniel Smith, who also stars along with Lisa Walker, Richard Wright and Adam Young. The film's central character is Hash McBrown. It is narrated by Stephen Fry. The film itself is a sequel to Innes' first film, "Bones", in which Hash McBrown appears in four scenes as a narrator of sorts.

Production history

A hugely low budget DV-camcorder production, it took almost four years from inception to completion. The first draft of the script was written in May 2002 with filming commencing in August of the same year. After innumerable technical difficulties in post-production, a finished DVD cut of the film saw the light of day in late December 2005. The film has very limited availability, with most copies produced by the film-makers themselves. Innes has recently completed a Hash McBrown novel.

Plot

Hash McBrown (Dan Smith) is a down-on-his luck bounty hunter and former three-time "Kiss the Canvas" (bare-knuckle fighting) champion. The film starts with Hash midway through apprehending an unknown man, which we are to believe is for the collection on a bounty. Hash is met by his friend Foxtrot Charlie (played by director Innes in a cameo) and then invited to take part in the upcoming annual Kiss the Canvas tournament. Although no other tournament matches are seen in the film, we are to assume that Hash is victorious in his unspecified number of other matches as he makes it to the final, facing maniacal Bruce Van Pride (former underground wrestling star Stuart Tilston). Hash is victorious, and in doing so catches the attention of the villainous Black Pudding. Innes' novel has many differences to the film, although in the novel Pudding comments that he sees McBrown on "the audio-visual box" which is one of the key areas of continuity. In the film Pudding is briefly seen watching the fight on the television.

Pudding comes to McBrown offering him a cash sum to obtain the girlfriend of one of his enemies, a man called Mungo Salamander, (Richard Wright) who, according to Pudding, was responsible for the disfigurement that Pudding has suffered. It is revealed to Hash that Pudding and Salamander were part of a criminal faction called The Four Horsemen, that was destroyed by Salamander as he strived for total dominance of the empire. Hash declines as he has already announced his retirement from bounty hunting and desires to begin a new life elsewhere.

Pudding then drugs Hash's friend Foxtrot Charlie and brags that only he has the antidote to save him, which he will not give up unless Hash brings back the girl. Hash reluctantly agrees to one last mission, and begins the trek to Salamander's mansion. Upon kidnapping the girlfriemd Hash is horrified to discover that she is Hash's ex, Sandy Beaches (Lisa Walker). Hash is then placed in the dilemma of whether to hand her over to Pudding for certain death or lose Charlie. A scene that fully explained the initial break-up of the Hash/Sandy relationship was filmed, although cut from the final production.

All the while Mungo and his army are tracking Hash. Mungo's army consists of ex-soldier Sgt Lyndon (Adam Young) Beverly Hills (Cath Livsey) and his "goons". The goons were portrayed by a variety of extras as all were masked. The constants were "Brummy Goon" and "Kilroy Goon" (later re-named "Troubled Pete" and "Bothersome Pat"). The former appeared in scenes wearing Mungo's black army attire with a baseball cap on sideways and a midlands accent. This role was played by Young doubling up. The latter was played by Smith wearing a black balaclava and putting on a voice patterned after the Alistair McGowan take on veteran TV host and politician Robert Kilroy-Silk. These two Goons seem to kidnap Hash's mute, suicidal friend Jerry (played by Innes' real life cousin, Karl Aris), although at the end of the film it is discovered that actually the three have simply formed a strange friendship.

As the chase wears on Pudding captures Sandy and leaves Hash for dead. It transpires that the poison that was given to Charlie was fatal, and Charlie dies. Pudding used the chance of an antidote to get Hash to do his bidding, when in actuality no such antidote existed. Hash is left broken, having lost both his friends in Charlie and Jerry and Sandy, with whom we are to assume he has reconciled after they spend the night together.

Hash decides to seek retribution and get Sandy back before she can be harmed, and so treks to Pudding's layer, only to discover that Pudding is not the mastermind behind the whole plan.

A series of flashbacks throughout the film is designed to fool the audience. At one point we see a blurred recollection through the eyes of Black Pudding, designed to give the impression that the Horsemen were made up entirely of men. This is later revealed to be misleading, as in reality Sandy Beaches was in the Horsemen instead of Mungo, and her sister Shelley (played by Walker's real life sister Amy) was the Horseman who turned on the rest. It is never made clear if Pudding actually was in the Horsemen or if his strange disfigurement was caused by another incident.

Apparently tired of Mungo's constant ineptitude, Sergeant Lyndon and Beverly Hills spilt from Mungo after they get lost en route to Black Pudding's lair. Mungo continues alone, meets up with Pudding outside the layer and slays him in a sword fight.

Inside the lair Shelley, apparently insane, plans on blowing up the building in which she is holding Sandy with both of them still inside. When Hash comes to intervene, Shelley shoots him, then pushes the detonator herself, seemingly blowing all three of them up.

The film ends with Stephen Fry's voice-over, showing the audience what happens to the main characters.

*Shelley Beaches died in the blast.
*Sergeant Lyndon returned to the army, but was dishonourably discharged after striking his commanding officer on three separate occasions - he went on to work as a military advisor for the film industry.
*Beverly Hills became a corrupt politician.
*Mungo Salamander won the lottery and left his criminal ways behind him.
*Jerry disappeared paid off a string of previously unmentioned gambling debts before mysteriously disappearing.
*Black Pudding survived the sword fight but was incarcerated in a mental asylum.

In the final shot of the film we discover that Hash and Sandy survived the blast, and are living happily ever after with Sandy expecting their child.

Cameos

The film features appearances from actors who starred in Innes' first film, most notably Adam Young who stars as Lyndon and Paul Nightingale, who in "Hash" appears in Pudding's flashback scene and as Lyndon's comanding officer, General Lee Speaking, at the end of the film.

Character inspiration

Dan Smith has often said that he based his characterisation of Hash on Eastender's Steve Owen (played by Martin Kemp). Smith commenting in 2008 said, "I wanted him to be a more bumbling version, what with the suits, the charm and a dark side... but much more of a jackass." Smith did not mention this to Innes until fiming had ended, and while Innes disputes any link between the two characters Smith, an avid Spandau Ballet fan, claims it to be true.

Dan Smith created most of the plot for the film, with Innes writing the screenplay. Smith wrote the plot in under 30 minutes one evening, as he was jokingly trying to persuade Innes to create a sequel to "Bones". The name "Sandy Beaches" came to him while he was pouring a drink.

The characters Beverly Hills, Mungo Salamander, Sergeant Lyndon, Black Pudding and Foxtrot Charlie were all created by Innes. In the original plot that Innes had to work from Smith had only provided "Villain", "Sandy's boyfriend" and "mistress" for Pudding, Mungo and Hills.

The character Black Pudding was nearly called Hairy McMole in reference to a mutual acquaintance of Innes and Smith.

There was originally going to be a follow up on "Kilroy Goon" at the end, although time restrictions on the recording of Fry's narrative caused this to be cut. The Goon was, like his namesake, going to enter politics. This character development was eventually given to Beverly Hills.

The fight scene between Smith and Tilston was filmed late at night in the old parachute room on the former RAF Finningley base (now Robin Hood International Airport). A friend of the producers had a lease of the property at the time that was to elapse at midnight on the day of filming. As everything had been cleared at 5 pm the scene was filmed in the late hours with wrapping up just 25 minutes before the lease expired.

The Black Pudding character is loosely based on the WWF Character Kane (circa 1998) and the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera. As Pudding appears alone in most of his scenes the actor/actors that played him were never disclosed. In the credits he appears "As Himself".

The Four Horsemen team was a homage to the legendary professional wrestling clique. Likewise the fight commentators BJ and Eric Heyman are a reflection of producer Smith's great love of professional wrestling.

There were three possible endings to the film planned at different stages. These were changed for logistic reasons.

The character that Hash chases in the opening sequence was played by Jon Rees, Smith's University room mate.

The Hash-Sandy flashback shots at the start of the film were filmed at Primrose Valley in North Yorkshire. The external chase shots at the start of the film were shot in Leeds with the bulk of filming taking place in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The Stephen Fry narration was taped in September 2003 in Soho, London, in between takes filming the BBC show "Absolute Power". It was also only hours before he taped his appearance on ITV's Parkinson to promote his directorial debut "Bright Young Things" which was released later that week.

The "Kilroy Goon" and "Brummy Goon" characters were created on-set, as Young and Smith were having fun between takes. It was decided to include them in the film.

The role of Foxtrot Charlie was eventually filled by director Innes, although he wasn't the first choice. There were actually two men and one woman considered for the part before scheduling conflicts meant Innes had to fill in.

One of the original endings caled for all the characters to meet up in a disused warehouse. The character Jerry was meant to arrive with Mungo's henchmen, prompting Hash to shout "Mungo? Jerry? Mungo Jerry?" It is likely that both characters were named so allow this joke, which did not make the final film.