Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire (1985, Phil Daniels, Alun Armstrong, Bruce Payne) – Classic Movie Review 11,888

Director Alan Clarke’s 1985 British vampire snooker musical film Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire is written by Trevor Preston, and stars Phil Daniels, Alun Armstrong and Bruce Payne.

A 17-year-old snooker hustler Billy the Kid (Daniels) challenges ghoulish seven-times world champion Maxwell Randall (Armstrong) – the Vampire- to a final match in which the loser must break his cue for ever.

As Billy hustles the mean back streets of London, Maxwell gloats in a Transylvanian castle in Bradford, while the Kid’s manager T.O. [‘The One’] (Bruce Payne) has run into trouble with a gangster, must bet on the Vampire to square it and despatches Fleet Street reporter Miss Sullivan (Louise Gold) to pump up the contestants’ rivalry.

This 1980s British musical, owing something to The Hustler as well as Dracula, is a brave try at something weird by talented people. Despite hard work on the acting front, having some amusing ideas (like Dracula’s coffin being encased in glass under the snooker table) and being startlingly shot in pop video style, it doesn’t work for a moment.

Preston based it on the rivalry between snooker players Ray Reardon and Jimmy White.

It runs 95 minutes, is produced by Zenith Productions and released in the UK by ITC Entertainment.

The plan was for an all-location street musical, but it was entirely filmed at Twickenham Studios, London.

Filming began in March 1985.

It cost £2.7 million and was a critical and box office failure.

The cast are Phil Daniels as snooker player Billy the Kid, Bruce Payne as Billy’s manager T.O. [‘The One’], Richard Ridings as Billy’s minder Egypt, Alun Armstrong as Maxwell Randall (the Vampire), Don Henderson as loanshark The Wednesday Man, Louise Gold as reporter Miss Sullivan, Zoot Money as cafe owner Supersonic Sam, Eve Ferret as the Vampire’s wife Mrs Randall, Neil McCaul as snooker compere Big Jack Jay, Johnny Dennis as Referee, Kevin Lloyd, Caroline Quentin and Alan Frank.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 11,888

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