Cliff Twemlow, a former night club bouncer with a passion for movies, entered the film industry as a stuntman. Based in Manchester, he began his career by starring in a series of low-budget action films, mostly shot on videotape. The first film, G.B.H. (1983),was a labor of love for Twemlow, in which he played the lead role, produced, coordinated the stunts, and wrote the music, all under various pseudonyms.
G.B.H. features Twemlow as an embittered former night club bouncer, Steve Donovan, a.k.a. "The Mancunian," who is drawn back into the violent world of Manchester club land. This was a world Twemlow knew well, as his autobiography, "Tuxedo Warrior: Tales of a Mancunian Bouncer," published around the time of the film's video release, reveals.
The film boasts fine performances from Anthony Schaeffer, a voiceover man, and stand-up comedian Jerry Harris, among others. The majority of the cast were Twemlow's friends from the local gym and fellow stuntmen. Cliff Fill, a movie buff, filled the film with references to classic films, such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and did the music under the name "John Agar."
G.B.H. sets the tone for Twemlow's unique blend of cinema, featuring impressive stunt-ridden set pieces, heavy emphasis on Manchester settings, and Mancunian characters, as well as plenty of Northern humor. The film was a modest success, leading to around 13 Twemlow vehicles filmed throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
These films, mostly directed by David Kent-Watson, include the horror-themed The Eye of Satan (1988) and a GBH sequel, Lethal Impact (1991),which was shot in Malta, Liverpool, and Manchester. Twemlow was also a horror novelist, penning the paperbacks "The Beast of Kane" and "The Pike," the latter of which was meant to be made into a film starring Joan Collins, but unfortunately never was.
Sadly, Twemlow passed away in 1993, but his two-fisted legacy of action films and horror paperbacks is well worth celebrating.
