Before he tragically passed away suddenly from a brain aneurysm at just age 46 on March 11th 2019, this had been a title that family friend Guy Morgan regularly talked about, since I had been able to track the film down for Guy online in Christmas 2018.
One thing I vividly recall, is Guy saying that he was unable to take his eyes off the screen, due to how utterly strange this movie is. Along with watching Guy's all time favourite film again: The Thing (1982-also reviewed), I decided to pay tribute on the anniversary of Guy's death, by meeting Cliff Twemlow for the first time.
View on the film:
Barging in as his theme song Mancunian Man blurs into a wah-wah Funk rip-off of John Barry's theme for On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969-also reviewed), the love to put Manchester on the big screen, that stuntman/composer/ writer/lead actor Cliff Twemlow has, shines as brightly as the love Tony Wilson had in making the city a star on the music scene.
Working as a nightclub bouncer, Twemlow & director David Kent-Watson attempt to cut through the warm VHS fuzz and give the nightclubs a dangerous glamour, via gliding panning shots over the floor of the Zoo nightclub whilst Donovan charms all the ladies, going outdoors to shoot-outs on the rooftop of The Rainbow Rooms.
Inbetween unexpected homo-erotic slo-mo seqrences and illegal hand-held camera-moves on the streets of Manchester, (where locals look straight at the camera, as they walk through scenes of Donovan talking to gangsters) and despite the editing looking like it was done with a nail gun, the action set-pieces shine with a fantastic homemade quality.
Rolling from close-ups of Donovan's toned abs withstanding any punches thrown at it, Kent-Watson and Twemlow keep the delightfully amusing on a roll, jumping from tomato sauce blood being spread across the screen with each thump Donovan hands out to a local heavy, to a hilarious awkward attempt at a car chase.
Surrounded by wonderful local faces as thugs, (including a snarling John Saint Ryan as John Saint Ryan) Twemlow shines in his performance as Donovan, visibly appearing happy when saying one of the 007-style one-liners that he had written whilst beating up gangsters.
Referencing Charles Bronson in his rough and ready screenplay, Twemlow takes his own nightclub bouncer background, into a wish fulfillment territory, where Donovan gets the girls with a smile, and becomes a one man army, fighting to save the night clubs of Manchester.
One thing I vividly recall, is Guy saying that he was unable to take his eyes off the screen, due to how utterly strange this movie is. Along with watching Guy's all time favourite film again: The Thing (1982-also reviewed), I decided to pay tribute on the anniversary of Guy's death, by meeting Cliff Twemlow for the first time.
View on the film:
Barging in as his theme song Mancunian Man blurs into a wah-wah Funk rip-off of John Barry's theme for On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969-also reviewed), the love to put Manchester on the big screen, that stuntman/composer/ writer/lead actor Cliff Twemlow has, shines as brightly as the love Tony Wilson had in making the city a star on the music scene.
Working as a nightclub bouncer, Twemlow & director David Kent-Watson attempt to cut through the warm VHS fuzz and give the nightclubs a dangerous glamour, via gliding panning shots over the floor of the Zoo nightclub whilst Donovan charms all the ladies, going outdoors to shoot-outs on the rooftop of The Rainbow Rooms.
Inbetween unexpected homo-erotic slo-mo seqrences and illegal hand-held camera-moves on the streets of Manchester, (where locals look straight at the camera, as they walk through scenes of Donovan talking to gangsters) and despite the editing looking like it was done with a nail gun, the action set-pieces shine with a fantastic homemade quality.
Rolling from close-ups of Donovan's toned abs withstanding any punches thrown at it, Kent-Watson and Twemlow keep the delightfully amusing on a roll, jumping from tomato sauce blood being spread across the screen with each thump Donovan hands out to a local heavy, to a hilarious awkward attempt at a car chase.
Surrounded by wonderful local faces as thugs, (including a snarling John Saint Ryan as John Saint Ryan) Twemlow shines in his performance as Donovan, visibly appearing happy when saying one of the 007-style one-liners that he had written whilst beating up gangsters.
Referencing Charles Bronson in his rough and ready screenplay, Twemlow takes his own nightclub bouncer background, into a wish fulfillment territory, where Donovan gets the girls with a smile, and becomes a one man army, fighting to save the night clubs of Manchester.