Plot
In 1979, during the height of The Troubles, Black British paratrooper Reuben James is attacked by IRA militants while leaving a pub in Northern Ireland. He is saved by fellow soldier and Londoner Tony, who goes by the nickname Fish. In 1982, Reuben and Fish fight in the Falkland Islands, along with another soldier from London, Bob Harper.
In 1988, Reuben leaves the army and returns to his old neighbourhood in the East End of London. There, he is harassed by police officers, including the racist Challoner and Kilcoyne. Walking around his housing estate, Reuben realises the poverty and malaise he joined the army to escape has not changed. His childhood friend Lynford still sells stolen goods and runs other small-time hustles. Another longtime friend, Colin, is now the local kingpin, selling lots of drugs and bribing police. Fish, who lost his leg in the Falklands, is a gambler who cheats on his pregnant Irish wife, Debbie. Bob has become a policeman. Colin offers to make Reuben a part of his drug dealing operation, but Reuben declines.
Fish and Reuben attempt to celebrate Reuben's return to civilian life at a nightclub, but are turned away by the bouncer. The two get into a fight with nightclub security and spend the night drinking at Fish's flat instead. Returning home, Reuben finds his flat being burgled by two children, Oscar and Hayley. Reuben threatens Oscar until he points out Hayley's flat. Hayley's mother, Stacey, answers the door and denies that her daughter lives there. Reuben barges into the flat, looking for both Hayley and his belongings. Stacey threatens him with a knife to get him to leave. On his way out, Hayley comes home wearing Reuben's paratrooper beret, which he takes back. Later, Stacey finds Reuben's campaign medals from the Falklands and comes to his door to return them.
Reuben begins to look for a civilian job using his old army connections, but none of them returns his calls. Frustrated, he goes to a local pub and meets Lynford. Challoner and Kilcoyne appear there and begin questioning Lynford about his whereabouts during a robbery. Lynford says he was with Reuben. Reuben lies and confirms his story.
Reuben runs into Colin who takes him to see the legitimate business he has bought, a health club. Once again, Colin asks Reuben to join him, to no avail.
Bob and Fish come to Reuben's flat. Fish is flush from a big gambling win. Fish shows Reuben two tickets to Paris and says that he is taking Reuben on a trip, in part to thank him for covering an earlier debt with Bob. The three go to a party on the estate. There, Lynford thanks Reuben for backing him up with the police. Reuben once again encounters Stacey; the two dance, and Reuben walks her home. On the way home, they are subjected to racist insults from police officers. When they finally reach her door, Stacey kisses Reuben on the cheek. He returns to the party, but finds it being raided by the police. Several of his friends, including Lynford, get arrested, but Bob tells him not to get involved.
The next morning, Reuben and Fish are at Reuben's flat. Reuben gets a phone call saying that Debbie has given birth early. Reuben takes Fish to the hospital, and Fish gives him both tickets, saying he will not be able to go now.
Reuben takes Stacey and Hayley to a funfair; there, he asks Stacey to go with him to Paris. She agrees until she sees Reuben playing a shooting game. She becomes upset and storms off. He catches up with Stacey, who explains that Hayley's father was a gangster who kept guns in the house, including in Hayley's cot. Reuben comforts her and tells her he was done with guns when he left the army. On the ride home, Stacey offers to get Reuben a job, driving a minicab.
When they get back to the estate, there is a commotion going on. Three people bump into them, running away. One of them is Lynford. He sees the source of the commotion: Lynford has thrown a brick through a police car windscreen, killing a constable, Harry. Kilcoyne asks Reuben whether he saw anything, which he denies.
While preparing for the trip to Paris, Reuben applies for a new passport, but is rejected. He finds out that, since he was born in St Lucia, a change in British nationality law has stripped him of his citizenship despite the fact that he has lived almost his entire life in London, and has served in the British Army.
Disillusioned, Reuben agrees to work as muscle for Colin. On his way to meet Colin, with a gun tucked into his waistband, he runs into Stacey. When she hugs him, she discovers the gun and leaves, furious. Colin and Reuben go to make an exchange with another drug dealer, Sadiq, in a public toilet. The police arrest Sadiq shortly after, as Colin has set him up. Returning to the estate, Reuben gives Colin back his gun and quits.
Reuben later finds Fish distraught, shooting up his own home with a rifle. Debbie has left him and taken the children to Ireland. Reuben gives him money and tells him to go after her. Reuben then comes home to find Kilcoyne in his flat. Kilcoyne knows about the deal with Colin and Sadiq, and threatens to send Reuben to jail unless he says who killed Harry. Reuben reluctantly gives up Lynford.
Wanting to leave behind the hopeless situation on the estate, Reuben gets a St Lucian passport and a ticket to St Lucia. Meanwhile, Lynford and other locals gather bats, knives, Molotov cocktails, and a gun, preparing for a confrontation with the police.
Lynford walks across the estate and the police chase him. From a walkway, someone throws a Molotov cocktail, starting a riot.
With his bag packed for St Lucia, Reuben runs into Fish in the lift. When the door opens, they find Lynford hiding from police on the ground floor. Lynford points his gun at Reuben and accuses Reuben of giving him up to the police, but Fish tackles him. Challoner and another officer rush through the door. Challoner panics and shoots Fish dead; Kilcoyne then runs in. Overcome with grief, Reuben goes to Fish's flat to retrieve his rifle. In the chaos of the riot, he shoots and kills Challoner. As he walks the estate holding the rifle, Reuben gets in the sights of a police sniper, who is revealed to be Bob. Bob is ordered to take the shot. Bob then fires.
Production
For Queen and Country marked Martin Stellman's theatrical feature film directorial debut and writer Trix Worrell's first theatrical feature after penning a TV movie. Worrell said the character "Rueben James" was inspired by a friend's struggles to readjust to civilian life after serving in the Falklands War, with the decision to make him St. Lucian stemming from Worrell's own background from St. Lucia and concerns over his British citizenship. Producer Tim Bevan clarified that Denzel Washington's casting was not due to a lack of suitable black British actors but rather a strategic move aimed at the American market, with Atlantic Pictures contributing the majority of the $3.5 million budget after Washington's involvement.[9]
Principal photography was set to commence on October 12, 1987. To prepare for the role, Washington immersed himself in East End London life, residing with a mixed-race working-class family to perfect his Cockney accent, and even hired a chauffeur fluent in the dialect to transport him to set. Legal disputes arose when Zenith Productions filed a lawsuit against AEG Acquisition Corporation, alleging breach of a distribution agreement encompassing For Queen and Country, Patty Hearst (1988), and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1989). Despite AEG's failure to fulfill payment obligations for the films, they purportedly sold television rights without Zenith's consent. Despite AEG's bankruptcy, they eventually agreed in February 1989 to pay $1 million for distribution rights to each film. Zenith sought an injunction against future broadcasts of the films and unspecified damages.[9]
