The Rack Pack (2016)

Very disappointing...

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Better than most people think

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

I thought the movie was very good, the first half brought some very good music tracks back to life. I seem to remember that in 1979 the snooker was on the BBC for hour after hour, and if memory recalls Higgins lost to Taylor during that championship. However 1979 was a dark year for most of the people in the U.K. when something happened that made the £ or $ sign more important than people. It took Higgins another ten years until 1982 to win the title again, which is where the film portrays him to be struggling as the best, but not the most commercialized snooker player. The films shows one of the main characters out to be a child of this greed for cash. Nearly forty years later I still have the same opinion as do nearly all my mates of that said person. Anyway good sounds, good story, (not sure if all snooker player portrayed sold their souls for cash) In short it appears that the title would of been more appropriate to be named as, (Barry Hearne is a CTNU)

In the 1970's the BBC show Pot Black started to create some TV personalities like Ray Rearden and Dennis Taylor. Who would have thought that a program about two men taking turns to hit balls with sticks would be popular but it took off. Pretty soon the world championship snooker tournament was being televised. Millions of viewers proved they had the desire and stamina to watch games that lasted hours, interest in the players grew and the prize money rocketed.The Rack Pack documents snooker's rise in popularity and how it alternatively made and broke two people. It focuses on Alex Higgins and Steve Davis. We see one personality being created from almost a blank canvas. On the other hand we see a dynamic personality destroyed by inner demons, be repaired and then self destruct.In parts this film is funny, sad, informative and made me reflect on the need for identifiable personalities in sport. Do we need "bad" boys in our viewing before we really engage? At 88 minutes this film isn't as long as some snooker frames and is well worth your time.

From Treadaway's accent and mannerisms, to the clever interposition of excerpts of TV commentary from those early 1980s matches.. this film is (like the Steve Davis era it portrays) universally professional.The characters are spot on, the emotional story played with respect, but without deference and above all (in capturing the effectiveness of this piece) the snooker sequences are brilliant! If you go onto Youtube and watch Higgins' 1982 Semi-Final "break of the tournament", then straight after you watch Treadaway jerking and swaying to the same beat you will see what I mean. How on this planet they recreated that blue to the top corner??? - The best thing I've seen for at least a year!

Having just watched Ronnie O'Sullivan beat Barry Hawkins 10-1 to win his 6th Masters title, I tuned in to The Rack Pack on BBC iPlayer for a great throwback to the 70s & 80s of Snooker. I myself have been a massive snooker fan for the past 10 years, I know a lot about players from the past from reading various books about them and of course seeing a lot of them still involved in snooker today, playing and commentating/analysing.Unfortunately I wasn't around when these players were at their peak so this film provided me with some great insight. The main actors playing Steve Davis & Alex Higgins were terrific. It was also great to see plenty of other players portrayed in the film such as Jimmy White, Dennis Taylor, Cliff Thorburn, Willie Thorne & even a mention of Stephen Hendry towards the end of the film.The whole atmosphere of the film was excellent and seemed very realistic. The Crucible looked as good as ever, the commentary was authentic and the crowds looked real. Although many snooker fans will know the outcome of the film and each match that is shown, that doesn't make it any less dramatic. It's just great to see how these characters dealt with the fame that snooker bought them. The film had a lot of heart and the story was told with a lot of realism as well as a lot of good humour. The film also boasts a brilliant soundtrack which sets the scene perfectly.Overall I am very impressed with this film on iPlayer and I hope to see more of this kind, whether it's about snooker stars or a different sport altogether. Highly recommended to snooker fans especially but I also think people who like good drama programs can enjoy it too.