The Big Switch Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Big Switch Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 28, 2025

Pete Walker's "The Big Switch" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include recent program with Pete Walker and recent program with actress Virginia Wetherell. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

How about we skip drinks and go to my place?

Everything in The Big Switch a.k.a. Strip Poker begins to make perfect sense if one concedes that Pete Walker wanted it to look and behave like a tough American film noir. Not one of those massive Hollywood projects that united several A-listers, just a tough crime film, imitating as much of what made the American film noirs famous as possible.

The Big Switch did not turn out as Walker intended. Oddly, it is worth seeing precisely because Walker could not control it and instead ended up with a very British chameleon that repeatedly mishandles several fake personalities. Crime material, ‘kitchen sink’ drama, and sexploitative material define these fake personalities as they frantically overlap each other while Walker rushes to wrap up The Big Switch.

There are two versions of The Big Switch: Domestic Version, which is approximately 68 minutes long, and Export Version, which is approximately 77 minutes long. The latter features zestier, but not sexually explicit, material. While decent and representative of Walker’s style, this material does not make The Big Switch a better film. Kino Lorber’s presents only the shorter Domestic Version. The longer Export Version is available on this Blu-ray release, produced by the British Film Institute in 2009.

In both versions, despite being edited differently, the cocky playboy and gambler John Carter (Sebastian Breaks) picks up a hot blonde in a posh nightclub and they drive back to her place. However, while Carter is out to buy a pack of cigarettes, someone kills the blonde. A day later, Carter loses his job in an advertising agency and is tortured by several guys playing strip poker with another blonde at his place. Then a third blonde (Virginia Wetherell) abruptly enters Carter’s life, and together they end up in Brighton to do a job to satisfy crime boss Karl Mendez (Derek Aylward), who knows about his short rendezvous with the dead blonde and a large unpaid gambling debt. The job turns out to be far more complicated and dangerous than advertised.

It is difficult to tell what Walker’s preferred version might have been because both are flawed. The Export Version makes The Big Switch look like a sexploitation flick pretending to be a crime film, while the Domestic Version transforms it into a cheap crime thriller that heads in multiple directions at the same time. However, in both, the footage from the apartment in Brighton causes the most damage. It is just not good enough, even for a B-film.

The best material comes from a wild, surprisingly well-staged and filmed shootout at the Brighton Pier. This material reminds of the memorable finale from another, much bigger and better British crime film, Neil Jordan’s Mona Lisa.

The Big Switch is one of four films included in Pete Walker Crime Collection, a two-disc set. The remaining films are: Cool It, Carol!, Die Screaming, Marianne, and Moon.

The Big Switch Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Big Switch arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Kino Lorber's release presents only the shorter Domestic Version of the film. The longer, zestier Export Version is included in this release, produced by the British Film Institute in 2009.

On my system, the film looked noticeably better than it does on the British release. I am a little surprised because it appears that the same master was accessed. On the other hand, the Domestic Version and Exports Version show some minor discrepancies as well. Regardless, on a large screen, now the film boasts sharper and better detailed visuals. While color balance is identical, select primaries and supporting nuances look lusher and healthier as well. This is an upgrade that is more difficult to appreciate, but it is there. Image stability is good. A few tiny blemishes can be spotted, but there are no large cuts, debris, marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Big Switch Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

All exchanges are clear and very easy to follow. However, even though there is quite a bit of jazzy music throughout the film, there is little dynamic excitement. Most of the time, it feels like the music floods the film simply to make it look a lot bigger than it is. To be honest, I was reminded of The Professionals, where music is used in almost identical manner.

The Big Switch Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Man of Action - in this program, Pete Walker explains how The Big Switch came to exist and why nudity had to be a key element of its narrative. Walker also confesses that he wanted The Big Switch to be a proper film noir. Moon a.k.a. Man of Violence is addressed as well. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• The Big Switch From Strip Poker - in this program, Virginia Wetherell recalls how she was offered her part in The Big Switch and what it was like to work with Pete Walker. Wetherell addresses the two versions of the film as well. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

The Big Switch Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Big Switch exists in two versions. This release presents only the softer Domestic Version, which is easier to promote to connoisseurs of low-budget odd British film noirs. The zestier Export Version can be found on a couple of different British releases. It is also an odd film with issues, but it has more fireworks of the kind that made Pete Walker's work popular. The Big Switch and the rest of Walker crime films can be pretty entertaining if approached with the right mindset and seen in the wee hours of the night.