The horse Gay Future is at the centre of an Irish betting syndicate in 1974 which saw trainer Antony Collins present a poor performing horse at his stables. The betting stakes were subsequently raised, before the real horse was entered in the race.
Niall Tóibín Pierce Brosnan T.R. Bowen Tony Doyle Derry Power Paul Antrim John Bardon Maurice Connor Patrick Malahide Gordon Kane James Donnelly Michael O'Hagan Johnny Shannon Preston Lockwood Richard Warner Ralph Nossek Nancy Mitchell Vass Anderson Peter Wight Robert McBain Neville Barber Ray Barron Harry Fielder Shay Gorman Seymour Green David Rolfe Terence Sewards Jeff Wayne Harry Webster
UKPG
UK
This 1980 Thames Television movie stars the great Niall Toibin and a young Pierce Brosnan. A dramatisation of a 1974 attempted fraud by an Irish betting syndicate headed up by millionaire Irish builder Tony Murphy and Scottish trainer Antony Collins, it's short and wryly entertaining, playing out like a great pub story.
At the centre of this betting coup were two horses. Both were chestnut, but not identical. Just similar enough. One was Gay Future, a good prospect, the other a poorly performing 'ringer' that Collins had presented at his stables to lower expectations and raise the odds ahead of a meet at Cartmel racecourse on the busy race day of the year; the August Bank Holiday weekend of 1974.…
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome...
....to the Brosna-thon.
"Tony, you're a mad bastard."
"Aye, but it's acute madness."
Based on a true story, Murphy's Stroke recreates an Irish betting syndicate's attempt to defraud the bookies and win big at horse racing. The actual affair is fascinating to read about, a meticulous master plan that accounted for various eventualities and intricacies. In execution however, this TV movie is decidedly underwhelming, with lethargic direction and a grating soundtrack.
Talking Brosnan: Pierce plays a horse trainer involved with the scheme. Although essentially the second lead under Niall Tóibín, he doesn't get much to do except wear nice suits and drink socially with his co-conspirators. Plus he disappears during the midsection, before mercifully reappearing in the last act. All in all, an inauspicious debut for the Irishman.
Broz Rating: ★★ - Pierce Under Par.
Der Fluch eines jeden Komplettisten von Filmografien diverser Schauspieler und Schauspielerinnen. Da muss man manchmal sogar durch einen 42 Jahre alten irischen TV-Film, der nicht zu Unrecht in Vergessenheit geraten ist. 🤣
Aber immerhin: Pierce Brosnan hatte sogar schon in seiner ersten Rolle mit zarten 27 Jahren eine gewisse Präsenz! Sicherlich kein Vergleich zu heute, aber hey, jeder fängt mal klein an...
There have been worse films in the history of #BrosFest but there have been few as low energy and dull. It almost - almost - gets its energy up when it gets to the meat of the con at the centre of the plot (one set up so underwhelmingly in the first act that it's hard to know what the con is) but then meanders to the end with a dreariness matched only by the picture quality of the YouTube rip we watched. It seems like it's trying to be a fun character lark but forgets the fun or characters or lark.
Also #TheBros fucks off for the whole second act.
I own a signed-by-Toibin VHS.
It's an interesting bit of blarney.
Brosnan's character is basically young Taffin.
Amateurish TV movie about the consternation caused by a dodgy builder swapping racehorses for "the craic."
