Plot

When the doctors tell Harry Sterndale to get his affairs in order, he does just that - with a vengeance. With nothing to lose, Harry is out to give everyone who ever "done him wrong" something to remember him by: exactly what they deserve.

Harry just found out he only has a short time to live - but for his enemies, their prognosis looks even worse. Ben Kingsley and Bob Hoskins are among the many talents in this star-studded cast, which also includes John Cleese, who shine in this hilarious black comedy about getting even - and getting away with it. When the doctors tell failed photographer Harry Sterndale to get his affairs in order, he does just that - with a vengeance. With nothing to lose, he embarks on a rampage of outrageously bad behavior. From the friend who stole his ideas to his unfaithful wife, Harry is out to give everyone who ever "done him wrong" something to remember him by: exactly what they deserve.

Harry Sterndale (Chris Rea), a failed photographer, is told that he has only three months to live due to him getting cancer. After thinking things over, he decides that since he is dying anyway, that he will kill or destroy all of the people that has ever crossed or hurt him during his entire life. So this movie becomes literally the shots fired by Harry when he knows he is parting this Earth. After all, he will be dead anyway long before he can come to trial and get his just desserts from society. Harry even falls in love with Jill Saunders (Felicity Kendal) and hires an assassin to kill him in style. However, there is just one small problem with Harry's master plan. The cancer diagnosis is totally inaccurate and now he's got a hitman on his trail and several policemen who want to talk to him about some murders.—Lee Horton <[email protected]>

Harry Sterndale (Chris Rea) is a photographer who has been given bad news from his doctor that he is dying of cancer and he has only three months left to live. Before he dies, Harry looks back on his life and remembers all of the people who have made his life a misery, and he decides to kill those who have hurt and crossed him. Armed with a pistol, Harry sets out to give those people a dose of their own medicine, and he'll be dead by the time he stands trial and gets locked up in jail. When Harry meets and falls in love with a woman named Jill Saunders (Felicity Kendal), who works for Gerd Layton (Bob Hoskins), the greedy businessman who ripped him off, things start going wrong, when Harry kills unpleasant foreign chef Renzo Locatelli (Sir Ben Kingsley) and the Police begin investigating the murders, and an aging hitman named Jamie Campbell-Stewart (Oliver Reed) is on his trail.—Daniel Williamson

Failed wedding photographer Harry Sterndale is diagnosed with cancer and has only six weeks left to live. The next day, he tells his self-centered estranged wife Lisa, who shows no sympathy. When he looks through his photo album one night, Harry is reminded of all the people who made his life a misery, and tells his best friend John Fraser about them. Feeling he has nothing left to lose, Harry decides that he will kill them all.

Harry goes to see barmaid Freda Armstrong and illegally buys a gun off her. The next day, he visits Lisa and shows her his diagnosis report. But, Lisa is still unsympathetic, so this prompts Harry to shoot her. After covering his tracks by hiding his gun in a train station locker, Harry is visited by Inspector Charles Bass and Detective Constable Ray regarding his wife's death, but neither of the two suspect Harry did it. The next day at a restaurant, John finds out that Harry killed Lisa, which he indeed confirms.

Harry's next target is Gerd Layton, his crooked former financial advisor who swindled Harry and Lisa out of their money. Visiting him at his mansion, Harry kills Layton by drowning him in his swimming pool. However, Layton's housekeeper Jill Saunders catches Harry in the act and prepares to shoot him, but spares him because she too was one of many victims conned by Layton. After the two share an intimate evening, Harry decides to leave Jill the insurance money from his death. The next day, John informs Harry that Jill will inherit more money if he dies violently.

Later, Harry takes Jill to a restaurant, where the staff treat them poorly. After expressing distaste for their food, they are viciously confronted and thrown out by the head chef and owner Renzo Locatelli. After he and Jill go to a better restaurant, Harry returns to shoot Renzo for his lack of kindness, decency, respect, manners, civility, and courtesy.

During a police investigation the next day, Bass and Ray discover that Lisa and Renzo were both killed by the same gunman, so order a raid on Harry's house due to his connection with Layton. Meanwhile, Harry hires a hitman named Jamie Campbell-Stewart to kill him when the time is right, so Jill can collect the life insurance and Harry won't have to spend his last days in custody.

Upon returning home, Harry is confronted by the police, but points out that they have no evidence and kicks them out. Bass then orders a 24-hour watch on Harry's house, but Harry and Jill escape to the country before they arrive.

While dining at a country hotel, Harry and Jill meet Graham Cleverley, an old school bully of Harry's, who drunkenly disturbs them through the evening, with one of his lackeys urinating on Harry's car. The next morning, Harry confronts Cleverley on his morning jog and shoots him.

As the police are getting more suspicious of all the deaths, Harry posts his gun, hides the car in a barn, and buys a new one before he and Jill head back to a luxury hotel they moved into before heading to the country. Upon arriving at the hotel, Harry and Jill meet President Zlomov, a well-hated foreign dictator, before Harry collects his gun at reception and shortly pays Freda at the pub to give it to Jamie.

Harry's final target is Maurice Wadpole, his ex-business partner who stole all his ideas and took credit for them when they worked together in an advertising company. Harry confronts Maurice at his office about stabbing him in the back before leaving.

That night, Harry sneaks into Maurice's mansion and attaches a petrol-soaked rope to Maurice's car. As Maurice prepares to drive the next morning, Harry lights the rope, blowing up the car with Maurice in it. The police arrive to arrest Jill as Harry runs off.

At the police station, Jill points out to Ray that if Harry really did kill all those people, it's because they killed a little bit of him, therefore it's rough justice; Ray shortly agrees with Jill's theory. That night, Harry goes to see his doctor and get a stronger prescription, as well as call John to get Jill out of custody.

With all his enemies dead, Harry decides it's time to meet up with Jamie for the killing, but suddenly develops stomach pains, prompting Jill to call for an ambulance and rush Harry into a nearby hospital, at the same time Ray and Jamie show up at the hotel.

Harry soon wakes up in the hospital and is told by Jill that he actually had a stomach ulcer instead of cancer, and the doctors successfully removed the ulcer. Just then, as the detectives arrive, Jamie sneaks into the hospital disguised as a doctor and tries to shoot Harry, but accidentally shoots Ray in the arm, while Harry and Jill make their escape.

Back at the hotel, Harry bemoans to Jill that both Jamie and the police are closing in on him, but still decides to go through with the assassination anyway, and fakes calling it off to John over the phone. Jill is surprised that Harry would still have himself killed for her, and he tells her that they could get married before that.

As Harry and Jill head off to buy a wedding ring, President Zlomov is on his way to see the Queen amidst a horde of angry protesters, in which Jamie is hiding amongst. Jamie tries to shoot Harry, but accidentally kills Zlomov instead and is arrested by the police. With the murder having been seen on TV and no chance of avoiding prison, Jamie falsely confesses to the murders that Harry committed, thus taking the fall for him. But at the same time, killing Zlomov earns Jamie the respect of Britain's youth.

After just getting married, Harry and Jill visit Jamie in prison and ask him how they can repay him. Jamie asks them to kill a man whom he never got around to assassinating, and the three share a laugh before the credits roll.