Highpoint

Obscure Canadian comedy (belatedly released in 1984 after sitting in the canister since 1980) with Harris as a mild mannered accountant who inadvertently saves the life of drunken Beverly D'Angelo, resulting in being employed by the family matriarch (Reid) to manage their ill-gotten gains. Meanwhile, estranged brother and former heir to the fortune (Plummer) is desperate to get his hands on the stash, as are two hoodlums (Chaykin and Rubinek) working for mobster Peter Donat, and the CIA (Gammell).

Some amazing car chases and a rousing finale atop Toronto's Needlepoint tower (hence the title) are action bookends to what is an engaging, humorous and action-filled 85 minutes. The stunt-work is addictive and enough itself to warrant another viewing (particularly the nail-biting climax).

Chaykin and Rubinek make a likable pair of nitwit goons, and the appearance of Harris, Plummer and D'Angelo lend a certain prestige that can't easily be ignored. Not especially sophisticated in its humour (largely slapstick and situational), "Highpoint" earns a laugh or two without pretense or self indulgence and I found it highly entertaining. Arguably Harris' best of a bad lot during the eighties, if that's a useful benchmark.