Nuns on the Run
Encyclopedia
Nuns on the Run is a 1990
British comedy
film starring Eric Idle
and Robbie Coltrane
, also featuring Camille Coduri
and Janet Suzman
. It was written and directed by Jonathan Lynn
and produced by HandMade Films
. Many of the outdoor scenes were shot in Chiswick
. The soundtrack was composed and performed by Yello
.
Nuns on the Run grossed $10,959,015 US dollars, according to Box Office Mojo
.
) and Charlie McManus (Robbie Coltrane
) pulling off a bank heist with their mob, but their boss is killed and replaced with a new, rather brash one, Mr. "Case" Casey. Disapproving of Casey's methods, Brian and Charlie wish to leave, and a corrupt auto dealer, Norm, on Casey's payroll, desiring the same, tells Casey of this. Casey kills Norm to make an example of him, apparently intending to spare Brian and Charlie. Meanwhile, Brian meets and begins a romantic relationship with Faith Thomas (Camille Coduri
), a short-sighted aspiring psychology student.
Brian and Charlie ultimately come up with a plan to betray their gang and flee the country, whilst robbing a Triad gang of their ill-gotten money through drug dealing. However, Casey, no longer trusting Brian and Charlie, plans to betray them at the same time, ordering his hit men, Abbott and Morley, to kill them during the robbery. Brian and Charlie's plan, to rob the Triads and flee, goes well until their car runs out of petrol, as Brian had forgotten to refill it. They flee the gunfight on foot and hide in a nunnery, dressing up as Nuns and introducing themselves to the Sister Superior, Liz (Janet Suzman
) as Sisters Euphemia (Brian) and Inviolata (Charlie). Enraged, Casey places a bounty on Brian and Charlie's heads.
Faith, who witnessed the gunfight and saw Brian and Charlie enter the nunnery, goes to the nunnery to find them, but she is taken to the infirmary after Sister Liz notices a gunshot wound on Faith's arm (inflicted by Morley, who wanted to silence her). Brian spots her, and confronts her in her room, telling her that he is married and wants her to leave them alone for her safety. Faith lets slip that she is going to the church to confess. Brian, worried that the priest, Father Thomas, may advise Faith to go to the police, enlists Charlie's help in distracting Father Thomas long enough for Brian to pose as him. During the confession, Faith admits that she does love Brian, and Brian advises her to "keep her trap shut" and lie to the police if she has to. However, as Faith leaves the church, the Triads abduct her and interrogate her about their stolen money. Faith tells them that Casey will most likely have it, as Brian and Charlie worked for him. The Triads release her, but she bumps into a pole and bangs her head when she falls over, ending up in the hospital.
Brian attempts to call Faith at her home to renew their relationship, but she does not answer. They break into her apartment, but at the same time, Morley and Abbott come looking for her. They narrowly escape through the window, at the cost of leaving their nun attire behind. That night, after narrowly avoiding the Triads, Brian and Charlie sneak back into the nunnery through the window of a rather eccentric nun, Sister Mary, who wakes up and starts a commotion. Brian and Charlie make it to their rooms just in time and slip into their spare nun clothes
. Once alone, Charlie convinces Brian that their best option now is to take their money and just go to the airport, but Brian learns that Faith is in the hospital and goes to see her as a nun. Brian begs Charlie to let him bring Faith with them, but Charlie refuses, spotting a Triad posing as a janitor, waiting for them.
Brian and Charlie prepare to carry out their plan, but Sister Mary spots them and recognises them as the two men who broke into her room. They tie her up and break into the cupboard to regain their confiscated money, but the other nuns catch them and they are forced to tell them the truth before making a run for it. Unfortunately, Abbott sees them steal a man's truck with the money and he and Morley give chase, as do Sisters Liz and Mary. Abbott contacts Casey, who joins the chase, as do the Triads, who were watching him. Brian directs Charlie to the hospital, where he tells Faith the truth whilst Charlie distracts their enemies and the police. Ultimately, Casey, Morley and Abbott meet their individual fates as Brian and Charlie escape from the hospital with Faith, disguised as nurses and stealing an ambulance. The Triads spot them, but are unable to give chase. Sisters Liz and Mary find a briefcase of money left behind accidentally by Brian and Charlie, and decide to donate it to a drug rehabilitation clinic.
At the airport, Brian and Charlie book a flight to Brazil for themselves and Faith, but a security guard appears and demands to speak with anyone called Hope or McManus. The final scene shows Faith on the plane to Brazil, apparently alone, until Brian and Charlie appear before her, disguised as flight attendants.
1990 in film
The year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
British comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
film starring Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
and Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
, also featuring Camille Coduri
Camille Coduri
Camille Coduri is an English actress. She is best known for her role in Doctor Who as Jackie Tyler.-Career:She featured in the film comedies Nuns on the Run and King Ralph...
and Janet Suzman
Janet Suzman
Dame Janet Suzman, DBE is a South African-born-British actress and director.-Early life:Janet Suzman was born in Johannesburg to a Jewish family, the daughter of Betty and Saul Suzman, a wealthy importer of tobacco....
. It was written and directed by Jonathan Lynn
Jonathan Lynn
Jonathan Lynn is an English actor, comedy writer and director. He is best known for being the co-writer of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Personal life:...
and produced by HandMade Films
Handmade Films
HandMade Films is a British film production and distribution company. Through a series of sales, and acquisitions, the company now known as Handmade Plc owns all the rights and assets of the original HandMade Films Ltd...
. Many of the outdoor scenes were shot in Chiswick
Chiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
. The soundtrack was composed and performed by Yello
Yello
Yello is a Swiss electronica band consisting of Dieter Meier and Boris Blank. They are probably best known for their singles "The Race" and "Oh Yeah", which feature a mix of electronic music and manipulated vocals, as does most of their music....
.
Nuns on the Run grossed $10,959,015 US dollars, according to Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. Brandon Gray started the site in 1999. In 2002, Gray partnered with Sean Saulsbury and they grew the site to nearly two million readers when, in July 2008, the company was purchased by Amazon.com through...
.
Plot
The film opens with two common thugs, Brian Hope (Eric IdleEric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
) and Charlie McManus (Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
) pulling off a bank heist with their mob, but their boss is killed and replaced with a new, rather brash one, Mr. "Case" Casey. Disapproving of Casey's methods, Brian and Charlie wish to leave, and a corrupt auto dealer, Norm, on Casey's payroll, desiring the same, tells Casey of this. Casey kills Norm to make an example of him, apparently intending to spare Brian and Charlie. Meanwhile, Brian meets and begins a romantic relationship with Faith Thomas (Camille Coduri
Camille Coduri
Camille Coduri is an English actress. She is best known for her role in Doctor Who as Jackie Tyler.-Career:She featured in the film comedies Nuns on the Run and King Ralph...
), a short-sighted aspiring psychology student.
Brian and Charlie ultimately come up with a plan to betray their gang and flee the country, whilst robbing a Triad gang of their ill-gotten money through drug dealing. However, Casey, no longer trusting Brian and Charlie, plans to betray them at the same time, ordering his hit men, Abbott and Morley, to kill them during the robbery. Brian and Charlie's plan, to rob the Triads and flee, goes well until their car runs out of petrol, as Brian had forgotten to refill it. They flee the gunfight on foot and hide in a nunnery, dressing up as Nuns and introducing themselves to the Sister Superior, Liz (Janet Suzman
Janet Suzman
Dame Janet Suzman, DBE is a South African-born-British actress and director.-Early life:Janet Suzman was born in Johannesburg to a Jewish family, the daughter of Betty and Saul Suzman, a wealthy importer of tobacco....
) as Sisters Euphemia (Brian) and Inviolata (Charlie). Enraged, Casey places a bounty on Brian and Charlie's heads.
Faith, who witnessed the gunfight and saw Brian and Charlie enter the nunnery, goes to the nunnery to find them, but she is taken to the infirmary after Sister Liz notices a gunshot wound on Faith's arm (inflicted by Morley, who wanted to silence her). Brian spots her, and confronts her in her room, telling her that he is married and wants her to leave them alone for her safety. Faith lets slip that she is going to the church to confess. Brian, worried that the priest, Father Thomas, may advise Faith to go to the police, enlists Charlie's help in distracting Father Thomas long enough for Brian to pose as him. During the confession, Faith admits that she does love Brian, and Brian advises her to "keep her trap shut" and lie to the police if she has to. However, as Faith leaves the church, the Triads abduct her and interrogate her about their stolen money. Faith tells them that Casey will most likely have it, as Brian and Charlie worked for him. The Triads release her, but she bumps into a pole and bangs her head when she falls over, ending up in the hospital.
Brian attempts to call Faith at her home to renew their relationship, but she does not answer. They break into her apartment, but at the same time, Morley and Abbott come looking for her. They narrowly escape through the window, at the cost of leaving their nun attire behind. That night, after narrowly avoiding the Triads, Brian and Charlie sneak back into the nunnery through the window of a rather eccentric nun, Sister Mary, who wakes up and starts a commotion. Brian and Charlie make it to their rooms just in time and slip into their spare nun clothes
Religious habit
A religious habit is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognisable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anachoritic life, although in their case without conformity to a particular uniform...
. Once alone, Charlie convinces Brian that their best option now is to take their money and just go to the airport, but Brian learns that Faith is in the hospital and goes to see her as a nun. Brian begs Charlie to let him bring Faith with them, but Charlie refuses, spotting a Triad posing as a janitor, waiting for them.
Brian and Charlie prepare to carry out their plan, but Sister Mary spots them and recognises them as the two men who broke into her room. They tie her up and break into the cupboard to regain their confiscated money, but the other nuns catch them and they are forced to tell them the truth before making a run for it. Unfortunately, Abbott sees them steal a man's truck with the money and he and Morley give chase, as do Sisters Liz and Mary. Abbott contacts Casey, who joins the chase, as do the Triads, who were watching him. Brian directs Charlie to the hospital, where he tells Faith the truth whilst Charlie distracts their enemies and the police. Ultimately, Casey, Morley and Abbott meet their individual fates as Brian and Charlie escape from the hospital with Faith, disguised as nurses and stealing an ambulance. The Triads spot them, but are unable to give chase. Sisters Liz and Mary find a briefcase of money left behind accidentally by Brian and Charlie, and decide to donate it to a drug rehabilitation clinic.
At the airport, Brian and Charlie book a flight to Brazil for themselves and Faith, but a security guard appears and demands to speak with anyone called Hope or McManus. The final scene shows Faith on the plane to Brazil, apparently alone, until Brian and Charlie appear before her, disguised as flight attendants.
Cast
- Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
as Brian Hope/Sister Euphemia of the Five Wounds - Robbie ColtraneRobbie ColtraneRobbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
as Charlie McManus/Sister Inviolata of the Immaculate Conception - Janet SuzmanJanet SuzmanDame Janet Suzman, DBE is a South African-born-British actress and director.-Early life:Janet Suzman was born in Johannesburg to a Jewish family, the daughter of Betty and Saul Suzman, a wealthy importer of tobacco....
as Sister Liz (Sister Superior) - Camille CoduriCamille CoduriCamille Coduri is an English actress. She is best known for her role in Doctor Who as Jackie Tyler.-Career:She featured in the film comedies Nuns on the Run and King Ralph...
as Faith Thomas - Robert Patterson as "Case" Casey, the gang boss
- Doris HareDoris HareDoris Hare MBE was a Welsh actress, best known for her appearances as "Mum" in the popular sitcom On the Buses alongside Reg Varney and Stephen Lewis....
as Sister Mary (of the Sacred Heart) - Lila Kaye as Sister Mary (of the Annunciation)
- Robert MorganRobert Craig-MorganRobert Craig-Morgan is an actor who first appeared on television in the 1976 BBC production of I Claudius playing the Young Caligula, although he was best known for his character "Justin Bennett" in the BAFTA award winning Grange Hill which he played for five years from the start of the...
as Abbott - Winston Dennis as Morley