A Shot at Glory
Encyclopedia
A Shot at Glory is a film by Michael Corrente
produced in 1999 and released in 2001, starring Robert Duvall
and the Scottish
football player Ally McCoist
. It had limited commercial and critical success. The film features the fictional Scottish football club Kilnockie, as they attempt to reach their first Scottish Cup Final. The final game is against Rangers
.
The film is loosely based on underdog Raith Rovers'
1994 season and Scottish League Cup win against Celtic
.
plays the club coach, Gordon McLeod. Jackie McQuillan (Ally McCoist
) is the team's striker who has recently been signed from Arsenal
. McQuillan is a legendary ex-Celtic (ironic given McCoist's iconic stature at Rangers
) player as well as the coach's son-in-law, and has a reputation for being a troublesome player. The two men put their personal problems aside as they try to prevent the small fishing town of Kilnockie from losing its club, which is owned by an American (played by Michael Keaton
) who wants to move the team to Dublin in Ireland.
Actual k/nockies in Scotland include:
, including Boghead Park
(the former ground of Dumbarton
), Dumfries
club Queen of the South
's Palmerston Park
ground, Kilmarnock
's Rugby Park
ground and Hampden Park
. Several extras in the film were then players of Airdrieonians, a club Duvall went to see regularly to learn from John McVeigh
, the manager, whom his character was based on.
Michael Corrente
Michael Corrente is an American film director and producer from Pawtucket, Rhode Island. His films include A Shot at Glory, American Buffalo, Outside Providence, Brooklyn Rules and Federal Hill.-Biography:...
produced in 1999 and released in 2001, starring Robert Duvall
Robert Duvall
Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
and the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
football player Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist
Alistair Murdoch "Ally" McCoist, MBE ; 24 September 1962) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Rangers in Scotland....
. It had limited commercial and critical success. The film features the fictional Scottish football club Kilnockie, as they attempt to reach their first Scottish Cup Final. The final game is against Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
.
The film is loosely based on underdog Raith Rovers'
Raith Rovers F.C.
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League, currently playing in the First Division, having secured promotion from the Second Division as champions in 2009. Rovers have won one national trophy, the...
1994 season and Scottish League Cup win against Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
.
Plot
Robert DuvallRobert Duvall
Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
plays the club coach, Gordon McLeod. Jackie McQuillan (Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist
Alistair Murdoch "Ally" McCoist, MBE ; 24 September 1962) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Rangers in Scotland....
) is the team's striker who has recently been signed from Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. McQuillan is a legendary ex-Celtic (ironic given McCoist's iconic stature at Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
) player as well as the coach's son-in-law, and has a reputation for being a troublesome player. The two men put their personal problems aside as they try to prevent the small fishing town of Kilnockie from losing its club, which is owned by an American (played by Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton
Michael John Douglas , better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor known for his early comedic roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice . Keaton is also famous for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's...
) who wants to move the team to Dublin in Ireland.
Cast
- Robert DuvallRobert DuvallRobert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
as Gordon McCloud - Ally McCoistAlly McCoistAlistair Murdoch "Ally" McCoist, MBE ; 24 September 1962) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Rangers in Scotland....
as Jackie McQuillan - Cole HauserCole HauserCole Kenneth Hauser is an American film and television actor.-Family background:Hauser was born in Santa Barbara, California, son of Cass Warner, who founded the film production company Warner Sisters, and actor Wings Hauser. His paternal grandfather was Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dwight...
as Kelsey O'Brian - Michael KeatonMichael KeatonMichael John Douglas , better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor known for his early comedic roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice . Keaton is also famous for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's...
as Peter Cameron - Brian Cox as Martin Smith
- Kirsty Murphy as Kate McQuillan
- Bill Murdoch as Desmond
Location
From its name, the fictional north eastern coastal village of Kilnockie (literally church·small-hill) would be a village around, or near a church on a small hill.Actual k/nockies in Scotland include:
- Loch Knockie – a small loch alongside Loch NessLoch NessLoch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
- Gilnockie TowerGilnockie TowerGilnockie Tower is a 16th-century tower house, located at the hamlet of Hollows, 2.3 km north of Canonbie, in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. The tower is situated on the west bank of the River Esk. It was originally known as Hollows Tower...
, Bridge and Castle – in an inland hamlet north of CanonbieCanonbieCanonbie is a small village in Dumfries and Galloway in south west Scotland, six miles south of Langholm and two miles north of the Anglo-Scottish border. It is on the A7 road from Carlisle to Edinburgh, and the River Esk flows through it... - PortknockiePortknockiePortknockie is a coastal village on the Moray Firth in northeast Scotland, in Moray. Portknockie is a coastal village on the Moray Firth in northeast Scotland, in Moray. Portknockie is a coastal village on the Moray Firth in northeast Scotland, in Moray. (Family historians will note that this...
, BanffshireBanffshireThe County of Banff is a registration county for property, and Banffshire is a Lieutenancy area of Scotland.The County of Banff, also known as Banffshire, was a local government county of Scotland with its own county council between 1890 and 1975. The county town was Banff although the largest...
– a small village on the Moray FirthMoray FirthThe Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of north of Scotland...
coast in the north east
Production
Filming took place at several locations across ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, including Boghead Park
Boghead Park
Boghead Park is a former football ground in the town of Dumbarton, Scotland. It was formerly owned by Dumbarton F.C., who had played there since 1879, making it one of the oldest sporting venues in the United Kingdom. It was used by the club until the end of November 2000, when they moved to their...
(the former ground of Dumbarton
Dumbarton F.C.
Dumbarton Football Club is Scotland's 4th oldest football club – founded in 1872, just after Queen's Park , Kilmarnock and Stranraer...
), Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
club Queen of the South
Queen of the South F.C.
Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club founded in 1919 and located in Dumfries. The club currently plays in the Scottish First Division, the second tier of Scottish football. They are officially nicknamed The Doonhamers, but usually referred to as Queens or QoS...
's Palmerston Park
Palmerston Park
Palmerston Park is a multi-purpose stadium on Terregles Street in Dumfries, south west Scotland. The site of the ground was formerly a farm called Palmers Toun. This is on the Maxwelltown side of the River Nith in Dumfries. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of...
ground, Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
's Rugby Park
Rugby Park
Rugby Park is a football stadium situated in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock. It was first used in 1899 and is the home of Kilmarnock F.C..It underwent a major redevelopment in 1994–95, becoming an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 18,128...
ground and Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
. Several extras in the film were then players of Airdrieonians, a club Duvall went to see regularly to learn from John McVeigh
John McVeigh (footballer)
John McVeigh , is a former Scottish football midfielder and manager.-Playing career:McVeigh started his career with Airdrieonians in 1975, before moving to Australia to play for Brisbane City. He stayed in Australia for a year, before moving back to Scotland to play for Clyde, where he spent four...
, the manager, whom his character was based on.