Hash (film) - Plot

Plot

Hash McBrown (Dan Smith) is a down-on-his luck bounty hunter and former three-time "Kiss the Canvas" (bare-knuckle fighting) champion. The film starts with Hash midway through apprehending an unknown man, which we are to believe is for the collection on a bounty. Hash is met by his friend Foxtrot Charlie (played by director Innes in a cameo) and then invited to take part in the upcoming annual Kiss the Canvas tournament. Although no other tournament matches are seen in the film, we are to assume that Hash is victorious in his unspecified number of other matches as he makes it to the final, facing maniacal Bruce Van Pride (former underground wrestling star Stuart Tilston). Hash is victorious, and in doing so catches the attention of the villainous Black Pudding. Innes' novel has many differences to the film, although in the novel Pudding comments that he sees McBrown on "the audio-visual box" which is one of the key areas of continuity. In the film Pudding is briefly seen watching the fight on the television.

Pudding comes to McBrown offering him a cash sum to obtain the girlfriend of one of his enemies, a man called Mungo Salamander, (Richard Wright) who, according to Pudding, was responsible for the disfigurement that Pudding has suffered. It is revealed to Hash that Pudding and Salamander were part of a criminal faction called The Four Horsemen, that was destroyed by Salamander as he strived for total dominance of the empire. Hash declines as he has already announced his retirement from bounty hunting and desires to begin a new life elsewhere.

Pudding then drugs Hash's friend Foxtrot Charlie and brags that only he has the antidote to save him, which he will not give up unless Hash brings back the girl. Hash reluctantly agrees to one last mission, and begins the trek to Salamander's mansion. Upon kidnapping the girlfriemd Hash is horrified to discover that she is Hash's ex, Sandy Beaches (Lisa Walker). Hash is then placed in the dilemma of whether to hand her over to Pudding for certain death or lose Charlie. A scene that fully explained the initial break-up of the Hash/Sandy relationship was filmed, although cut from the final production.

All the while Mungo and his army are tracking Hash. Mungo's army consists of ex-soldier Sgt Lyndon (Adam Young) Beverly Hills (Cath Livsey) and his "goons". The goons were portrayed by a variety of extras as all were masked. The constants were "Brummy Goon" and "Kilroy Goon" (later renamed "Troubled Pete" and "Bothersome Pat"). The former appeared in scenes wearing Mungo's black army attire with a baseball cap on sideways and a midlands accent. This role was played by Young doubling up. The latter was played by Smith wearing a black balaclava and putting on a voice patterned after the Alistair McGowan take on veteran TV host and politician Robert Kilroy-Silk. These two Goons seem to kidnap Hash's mute, suicidal friend Jerry (played by Innes' real life cousin, Karl Aris), although at the end of the film it is discovered that actually the three have simply formed a strange friendship.

As the chase wears on Pudding captures Sandy and leaves Hash for dead. It transpires that the poison that was given to Charlie was fatal, and Charlie dies. Pudding used the chance of an antidote to get Hash to do his bidding, when in actuality no such antidote existed. Hash is left broken, having lost both his friends in Charlie and Jerry and Sandy, with whom we are to assume he has reconciled after they spend the night together.

Hash decides to seek retribution and get Sandy back before she can be harmed, and so treks to Pudding's layer, only to discover that Pudding is not the mastermind behind the whole plan.

A series of flashbacks throughout the film is designed to fool the audience. At one point we see a blurred recollection through the eyes of Black Pudding, designed to give the impression that the Horsemen were made up entirely of men. This is later revealed to be misleading, as in reality Sandy Beaches was in the Horsemen instead of Mungo, and her sister Shelley (played by Walker's real life sister Amy) was the Horseman who turned on the rest. It is never made clear if Pudding actually was in the Horsemen or if his strange disfigurement was caused by another incident.

Apparently tired of Mungo's constant ineptitude, Sergeant Lyndon and Beverly Hills split from Mungo after they get lost en route to Black Pudding's lair. Mungo continues alone, meets up with Pudding outside the layer and slays him in a sword fight.

Inside the lair Shelley, apparently insane, plans on blowing up the building in which she is holding Sandy with both of them still inside. When Hash comes to intervene, Shelley shoots him, then pushes the detonator herself, seemingly blowing all three of them up.

The film ends with Stephen Fry's voice-over, showing the audience what happens to the main characters.

• Shelley Beaches died in the blast.
• Sergeant Lyndon returned to the army, but was dishonourably discharged after striking his commanding officer on three separate occasions - he went on to work as a military advisor for the film industry.
• Beverly Hills became a corrupt politician.
• Mungo Salamander won the lottery and left his criminal ways behind him.
• Jerry disappeared paid off a string of previously unmentioned gambling debts before mysteriously disappearing.
• Black Pudding survived the sword fight but was incarcerated in a mental asylum.

In the final shot of the film we discover that Hash and Sandy survived the blast, and are living happily ever after with Sandy expecting their child.