A strange film that didn't go far enough with the absurd. © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Directed by Alan Clarke. A snooker film in an opera style....whats not to like!!! | FAQ Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. I generally like watching any roles that Phil Daniels played, this may be zany, but it is still good. People wanting to know what BTK is 'about' won't get much from the next few paragraphs. Billy The Kid and the Green Baize Vampire, “The year Is 2234, after the great world war…”. Trevor Preston's scripts, with its often dark and always sharp humour, is delivered deadpan by a cast of excellent actors who've never failed to impress in both their stage and screen performances and, in classic Brechtian style, it's a film that manages to draw you completely into the action (the grudge match itself it genuinely edge-of-the-seat stuff) while never quite letting you forget that you're the audience watching a show; so none of this sappy "getting emotionally invested in the characters and plot" that's been in vogue for so long now. Included with Shout! Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2014. Basically, Maxwell wants to set up a grudge match (the loser will never play professional snooker again), the Wednesday Man tricks T.O. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2016, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2019. (The One), Billy's wide boy manager, the Wednesday Man, to whom T.O. BTK and the GBV doesn't give any pretence of "real life", never patronises the viewer and gives the impression that if you enjoy it then great and if you don't - well who gives a toss what you think anyway. The sinister loanshark has engineered a clause in the game's legal documentation to the effect that the loser will agree to never play professional snooker again. (The One), a compulsive gambler, falls into debt with psychopathic loanshark the Wednesday Man, who offers to cancel T.O's debt if he can arrange a 17-frame grudge snooker match between Billy and the reigning world champion Maxwell Randall (popularly known as the Green Baize Vampire). Metacritic Reviews. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed. Unable to add item to List. Here's hoping. Phil Daniels seems a little bit shaky in his boots signing lead in some of the numbers but other performers fare well in the format, including the agitated and menacing Alun Armstrong as the vampire, and Bruce Payne having a hidden talent for singing. It’s also very much a product of its time, a musical And if you’re one really into all things that culturally “camp”, especially those from the 80s, this will surely fit the bill. That and London/mod poster boy of the 70s and 80s, Phil Daniels, was starring in . Although the whole film is a blast I particularly remember the closing sequences of the tournament play-off itself specially the music track for the whole sequence (having played and rewound that umpteen times)(Yeah I recorded it, just wish I could find that tape). His manager, T.O. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2010. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Such a pity. At it's time of making, Snooker Tournaments were big pullers for TV audiances in the UK so it is suprising that this film didn't make it to the cult status that it might have made if repeat showings had taken place. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 March 2013. It deserved, perhaps, to develop something of a cult following, but this hasn't happened and the film will now, perhaps, slowly vanish from view forever. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Billy The Kid and the Baize Green Vampire — the name alone draws up a lot of curiousity and that’s pretty much how I got around to watching it. Any scenes that take place “outside”, such as driving in a car, are completely artificial — laid thick with ridiculous amounts of impossible coloured lighting and smoke, much like the way Fellini opted to shoot ocean scenes by making watery waves out of garbage bags. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2010. (At last I can bin my beta-max tape. I don't agree with some reviewers about his being comparable to Rocky Horror Picture show. Phil Daniels is as good as ever, but I was especially impressed by Bruce Payne (a new name to me) who does a great job with the least defined role in the movie, 'T.O. The film was directed by Alan Clarke, who directed a lot of films based on the reality of life in London in the 70s and 80s with classics such as the gritty Made In Britain starring Tim Roth as a skinhead and the comedy-drama Rita, Sue and Bob Too. Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2020. Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire 1985 Directed by Alan Clarke Synopsis Off the wall British musical. Yes, it has been done. I too loved this film, originally done as part of the Film Four franchise I believe. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. I first saw BTK when I was a demure early-teen, being granted permission to stay up past ten-o-clock. Somewhere in between those films Clarke decided to take a far more artier slant with Billy The Kid… The first thing one notices is the complete lack of outside, establishing shots. Its so naff its good! Add to them T.O. It is entertaining but videography and music just aren't quite up to par. T.O. You won't be bored. I first saw this so many years ago I really don't care to remember. (The One), Billy's wide boy manager, the Wednesday Man, to whom T.O. Cocky cockney snooker player Billy Kid accepts the challenge of a grudge match from Maxwell Randall (the Green Baize Vampire), six times world champion; the loser will never play professional snooker again. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2013. the time it aired on the brand new channel four. Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2014. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2006.