‘Then maybe you shouldn’t be living here!’ – Taffin (1988)

Taffin Pierce Brosnan holding a shot gun in a U-Boat Peacoat

Click on image for 5 minute video about the style of Taffin

Who made Pierce Brosnan’s Leather Jacket in Taffin?

Taffin is mostly seen wearing a classic vintage U-Boat peacoat which suggests a naval background? Ex-army turned debt collector. It’s a lapelled jacket with a half belt and western yolk at the back and military tabs on the cuffs. As this is a vintage you can find these quite readily on eBay.

U-Boat Peacoat

My thoughts on Taffin

Taffin is a film about Pierce Brosnan’s hair, and much like how North by NorthWest is about Cary Grant’s suit and what happens to it, Taffin is about Pierce Brosnan’s hair and the adventures it goes on.

Taffin lives in an annex much like Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse. In fact it has a Roadhouse meets Father Ted vibe, in the case of some scenes. It wants to be Roadhouse but the fight scenes are too slapstick, then it wants to be Get Carter but doesn’t have the guile or the writing.

Taffin doesn’t have many hard edges. Despite the bravado, the of shirt-off, chest hair-out moments, it barely puffs hard enough to knock the plume off a dead dandelion.

Brosnan’s accent is all over the road in this film also, its like he’s desperate to get back to his Irish roots, yet still cant shake the Remmington Steele inflections.

AND it’s interesting that the author of the book, Lyndon Mallet said he didn’t want Brosnan because he didn’t want the main lead to be good looking. He wanted him to be overweight, and look like he had some menace about him. (Paraphrasing).

And I think I get his point because at some moments during the film, you just can’t get over how f*cking cool Brosnan looks. Just check out this shot below. It’s the best in the entire movie.

That said it’s a low budget movie, so low it looks like even the rich corporates made miniature models from used toilet rolls. So you have to cut it some slack.

Costume Designer quotes

The costumes for Taffin were designed by Imogen Magnus according to IMDB and tracking down anything that relates to the clothes in this little indie film after 30 odd years was quite struggle. Although I did find this transcript in the British Library, from an interview she did in 2013,

Oh film, film making, yes, yes. I’ve worked all over the world, I’ve been very lucky; I’ve worked in America, in Sri Lanka, all over Europe, Ireland. Oh yes, I worked with a young Irish actor some years ago, I hadn’t heard of him, he was called Pierce Brosnan. He’s doing okay now. Very nice man. He was the lead in this small Irish film. Very nice man. Very witty, really got the hang of what we wanted to do very quickly.

Rotten Tomatoes: Taffin

Whilst it seems critics haven’t discovered Taffin yet it’s clearly a fan favourite One audience member reviews it as: Taffin may be one of the greatest Irish films ever made. DON’T fuck with Taffin! (anon)

Fascinating Sh*t from: YourProps, IMDB Trivia, or PropStore or Wiki.

N/A

U-Boat Peacoat

Shopping list for Taffin

Further Reading & Credits

Some images sourced on PB Files  and a lost interview with Pierce Brosnan on set on Taffin can be found on Multiglom. With thanks to Tim for describing the jacket.