Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 23, 2026

"Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection" (1982-2023) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include multiple archival interviews; documentary film; outttakes and deleted scenes; featurettes;vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. Region-Free.

Tough and tougher

“It is far better to be a resident on the brink of hell than spend a lifetime in a relentless pursuit of a mythical heaven.” Jake West’s documentary Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow credits this quote to the man himself, Cliff Twemlow, a fascinating character from Manchester who apparently treated cinema like religion. The quote appears to have been Twemlow’s true credo, a source of seemingly endless spiritual strength to keep making films that only true believers would have committed to. There is no other way to put it. These films were not good on paper, and they weren’t good after they were completed. Before he passed away in 1993, Twemlow appeared in more than a dozen of them, most shot on cheap videotapes, a few not even deserving to be classified as proper films.

Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection, a nine-disc box set, gathers all of them, plus West’s documentary. Excluding Tuxedo Warrior and Moon Stalker, which appear to have undergone some proper remastering work, the remaining films look pretty rough. However, it is not because no one cared to treat them right. They were shot on cheap videotapes, gonzo style, with too much enthusiasm and too little time and resources. In other words, they are supposed to look cheap and rough.

And yet, a few of these films are effective. G.B.H. (Grievous Bodily Harm) is arguably the best in the entire bunch. In it, Twemlow plays a popular tough guy who agrees to be a bouncer at a nightclub targeted by an ambitious mobster and his goons. The acting is stiff, and the visuals are absolutely impossible to praise, so the whole thing looks like a legitimate underground documentary about a real bouncer working in a real nightclub facing real troubles.

The Hitman is arguably the most suspenseful and coherent film. In it, a military veteran-turned-professional hitman tries to walk away from the murder business. However, his employers at The Bureau, a secret government entity, determine he would be a huge liability and proceed to change his mind. Shortly after, other shadow entities interested in his services begin attempting to recruit him. Twemlow has a small, easily forgettable part in The Hitman, but other actors, including its star, John Saint Ryan, bring in plenty of his enthusiasm.

The Ibiza Connection seems like a basic blueprint for a few of Andy Sidaris’ future gems, like Hard Ticket to Hawaii and Picasso Trigger. It is about a supposedly exciting new production, helmed by Twemlow, featuring a futuristic, custom-made car called Striker that falls apart and evolves into a real-life melodrama. The concept is neat, and a few of the twists are surprisingly good, but The Ibiza Connection makes Hard Ticket to Hawaii and Picasso Trigger look like massive summer blockbusters with unlimited box office potential. (For reference, both are only B-films).

The Eye of Satan has bits of material that remind of Cat People. However, Twemlow, playing a betrayed hitman, infuses it with macho energy that gives it a different identity. This film shows plenty of potential. Some of its special effects and edits are surprisingly decent, too. However, it was doomed from the get-go because it appears to have been made with the tiniest amount of money possible.

Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection gives Twemlow all the love he deserves. However, spending a few days and nights with it can be an exciting trip down memory lane for most older film collectors who simply feel nostalgic about the glory days of the mom-and-pop video stores. Low-budget and tiny regional films were routinely given plenty of attention there, sometimes even as much as the latest Hollywood blockbusters, and Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection seems like a brilliant throwback to what was unquestionably a great practice.

Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection, a nine-disc box set, gathers multiple feature films, one documentary, and a couple of late-night programs that are described as specialty films.

Excluding Tuxedo Warrior and Moon Stalker, which appear to have undergone some proper remastering work, the remaining films look pretty rough. However, it is not because no one cared to treat them right. They were shot on cheap videotapes, gonzo style, with too much enthusiasm and too little time and resources. In other words, they are supposed to look cheap and rough.

The roughest films produce visuals that have basic VHS-like quality. Detail and clarity are all over the place. Image stability is good, but occasional bumps are present. On the two remastered films, color balance is very good. Tuxedo Warrior, in particular, looks outstanding. I did not see any traces of problematic digital corrections on them. On the rougher films, I noticed a few blemishes and spots. Standard definition content can be properly remastered and cleaned up as well. However, even by standard definition standards, I think that most of these films are too low-budget. So, I think that they look perfectly fine as they are.

Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Each film is presented with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track and optional English SDH subtitles. However, the lossless track is simply a container that hosts audio of widely varying quality. This is not to imply that some or most films have serious audio defects. All DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks are perfectly fine, but their quality varies because each film was shot differently. I think it is fair to declare that there are no serious anomalies. However, clarity, balance, and dynamic variety can vary quite a lot.

Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

DISC ONE - MANCUNIAN MAN: THE LEGENDARY LIFE OF CLIFF TWEMLOW

• Additional Scenes - in English, with optional English subtitles. (58 min).

• Manchester Locations Tour - in English, with optional English subtitles. (15 min).

• The Swedish Connection - in English, with optional English subtitles. (14 min).

• The Pike Rediscovered - in English, with optional English subtitles. (20 min).

• Manchester Premiere: Into/Q&A - in English, with optional English subtitles. (47 min).

• Glasgow Premiere: Into/Q&A - in English, with optional English subtitles. (23 min).

• London World Premiere: Into/Q&A - in English, with optional English subtitles. (12 min).

• Mancunian Man Trailer - in English, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Image Gallery - (30 min).

DISC TWO - TUXEDO WARRIOR

• Trailer - presented here is a theatrical trailer for Tuxedo Warrior. In English, with optional English subtitles. (2 min).

• Gag Reel - in English, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Outtakes - presented mute. (4 min).

DISC THREE - THE MANCUNIAN PRE-RELEASE VERSION / G.B.H. UK RELEASE VERSION

The Mancuanian Pre-Release Version

• Alternate Opening Credits Sequence - in English,with optional English subtitles. (6 min).

• G.B.H. Teaser Trailer - in English,with optional English subtitles. (1 min).

• G.B.H. Trailer - in English,with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• TV Special: The Pike - in English,with optional English subtitles. (11 min).

• Promo: Mason's War - in English,with optional English subtitles. (6 min).

G.B.H. UK Release Version

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by critic David Flint and actor Brian Sterling-Vete.

DISC FOUR - EVE ISLAND / THE IBIZA CONNECTION

Eve Island

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by producer Martin De Rooy and actor Brian Sterling-Vete.

• Trailer One - in English, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Trailer Two - in English, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Rushes - in English, with optional English subtitles. (12 min).

• Grenada Tourism Promo - in English, with optional English subtitles. (2 min).

• Alternated Credits - in English, with optional English subtitles. (5 min).

• For the Love of Cliff - in English, with optional English subtitles. (5 min).

The Ibiza Connection

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by critic David Flint and actor Brian Sterling-Vete.

• Brett Sinclair's Home Videos - in English, with optional English subtitles. (67 min).

DISC FIVE - THE AFRICAN RUN / MOONSTALKER

The African Run

• Scenes Breakdown - in English, with optional English subtitles. (13 min).

• Alternate 'Omega Connection' Credits - in English, with optional English subtitles. (5 min).

• David Ball - Test Footage - in English, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

The African Run

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by critic David Flint and actor Brian Sterling-Vete.

• Alternate 'Predator" The Quietus' Credits - in English, with optional English subtitles. (8 min).

• Trailer - in English, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• The Blind Side of God - in English, with optional English subtitles. (5 min).

• Jerry Harris Showreel: Harrising Moments - in English, with optional English subtitles. (6 min).

DISC SIX - THE HITMAN / THE EYE OF SATAN

The Hitman

• Alternate Credits - in English, with optional English subtitles. (5 min).

• Trailer - in English, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

The Eye of Satan

• Deleted Scenes - in English, with optional English subtitles. (11 min).

• Bloopers - in English, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Trailer One - in English, with optional English subtitles. (5 min).

• Trailer Two - in English, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

DISC SEVEN - FIRESTAR: FIRST CONTACT / TOKYO SUNRISE

Firestar: First Contact

• Deleted Fight Scene - in English, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Trailer - in English, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

Tokyo Sunrise

• Making Of - deleted section from the Mancunian Man documentary. in English, with optional English subtitles. (9 min).

• Promo One - in English, with optional English subtitles. (5 min).

• Promo Two - in English, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Outtakes/Bloopers - in English, with optional English subtitles. (5 min).

DISC EIGHT - G.B.H. 2 : LETHAL IMPACT PRE-RELEASE VERSION AND SPECIAL EDITION

• Bad Weekend - in English, with optional English subtitles. (42 min).

DISC NINE - FITNESS OVER FORTY / THE ART OF NUDE MASSAGE

• Bonus Features - there are no bonus features on the disc.

DISC TEN - CD: THE PETER RENO TAPES

Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cliff Twemlow dreamed of transforming Manchester into the Hollywood of the North. However, he had a better chance of becoming the British Andy Sidaris. Well, sort of. Twemlow was chronically low on cash, so he made very, very cheap movies with extremely limited appeal. All of these films are gathered in Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection, a nine-disc box set, produced by Severin Films in association with Nucleus Films. I found a couple of these films amusing because they ooze pure enthusiasm of the kind that no longer exists in contemporary mainstream films. Also, Jake West's documentary Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow is very nicely done and informative. I would recommend this release to folks who feel nostalgic about the glory days of the mom-and-pop video stores, where they may have discovered some small films like the ones Twemlow made, and wish to take a somewhat risky trip down memory lane. RECOMMENDED.