Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Delight Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

jc-osms I grew up watching snooker just as it boomed on TV and the Higgins / Davis rivalry came to prominence, so I thoroughly enjoyed this warts and all dramatisation of the relationship between the mercurial Irishman and the stolid Essex boy in the early 80's. I like my sporting and musical heroes to be mavericks so no prizes for guessing where my sympathies lay and from the production here, I suspect that was true for the director too. Unquestionably an often far from pleasant man, an alcoholic with a foul tongue and short temper, Higgins, like that other genius Belfast boy, George Best, always seemed to have one finger poised over the self-destruct button, treating his life like one big game of snakes and ladders, where the falls outnumbered the rises not only in number but in scale.Sporting rivalry always makes for good copy, as witness down the years Borg and McEnroe, Hunt and Lauda, Ali and Frazier to name but three, where one is usually undramatic and coolly professional, the other as being flamboyant and rebellious. Higgins at his best could beat anyone on the green baize, but with his showmanship, temper outbursts and alcoholic intake all distracting him at times, he could never match the discipline, professionalism and steadiness of a Davis. If Higgins was the self-proclaimed People's Champion, then Davis was the Grannie's Favourite.This BBC movie accurately captures the 70's and 80's era as snooker came out of the smoky back rooms and, its image greatly cleaned up, onto TV screens as the favourite armchair sport of the nation in the mid 80's. With a largely contemporary rock music soundtrack in the background, although many songs are haphazardly placed in the wrong year, excellent recreations of the big matches themselves and above all a terrific performance by Luke Treadaway as the compelling Higgins, I was certainly transported back to my youth eagerly following the Hurricane's wayward progress in both his sport and his troubled life.With sharp dialogue, including many good jokes and fine acting support by Will Merrick as the "interesting" Davis and especially Kevin Bishop as the latter's Kingmaker manager Barry Hearn, this was as riveting as watching Higgins compiling a break. I didn't believe everything I saw, especially the scenes where Higgins begs Hearns to be his manager or Davis talking Higgins out of his depression at losing a match when well into his decline, but I recognised enough other scenes and can allow some dramatic licence to heighten the drama.In the final summing up I'd prefer to watch Higgins play than Davis, but after the match I'm sure I'd prefer to be in the latter's company. I'm sure they played down some of the Irishman's excesses, but being deceased, he probably deserved the respect this fine film affords him. And just as a postscript, I personally think they should have added his name to Best's for the naming of Belfast's airport, his star burned as brightly and briefly as his footballing near-contemporary.

Prismark10 Just before the start of the 1982 snooker world championship, Alex Higgins gave an interview to a newspaper. He criticised Steve Davis as staid and downplayed his own chances for the tournament. Davis as defending champion was knocked out in the first round and Higgins went on to win the tournament.Ten years earlier Higgins was the youngest world snooker champion, a bolt of lightning in a sport known to be slow and played by old men. My older brother used to rave about Higgins in the 1970s.Then again if you watch this film the only person that raved about Higgins were people who never met him or got to know him. Higgins was a drinker, drug taker, womaniser and a bona fide hell raiser. I think this film just showed us the edited highlights and a toned down version at that. There was a disgusting true incident where he threatened to send the paramilitary terrorists to sort out Dennis Taylor that was wisely excised from this film.Nerd Alert Warning: I saw Steve Davis when he made his snooker television début in Pot Black in 1978 where he played Fred Davis. I saw him do the first televised 147 break which was on ITV and hence not commentated by Ted Lowe as shown here. I even remember his chat show 'A frame with Davis.' Actually I am a fan of Steve Davis even though he is a Tory supporter.This drama made Davis out to be a lot more nerdy than he was at the time but I think it was just to add contrast to the characters. Barry Hearn as portrayed here was a lot more jovial than the hard headed businessman he is and you have to be ruthless if you enter the world of boxing promotion which Hearn did in the mid 1980s. I did think the actor playing Higgins was just too much of the caricature of the Higgins we know from the press and television although I was amazed by the potting skills of the actors or it might had been clever use of CGI.Of course there was a lot more shades of greys in real life back in the days when snooker took off in the 1980s. We just see Higgins and Jimmy White as the bad boys of snooker and the press were more interested in the rivalry between White and Davis who were the emerging new generation.Yet during the era many snooker players lived life to the hilt with booze, drugs and women. Even Cliff Thorburn shown here as dull and with a dodgy Canadian accent was exposed as a cocaine user.Still a celebration of a time when snooker was more than a load of old balls.

mk-34089 After watching the final on Sunday 17.1.16 and then the scenes for this film I was well eager to download it on the iplayer. What a treat. I'm 62 and in those days I lived in a snooker hall. Pot Black in black & white and colour eventually. This film really did bring back the nostalgia. I found the actors portraying the snooker players to be very realistic and all did excellent jobs. Brilliant directing and story line. Self destructing Higgins and clean cut Davis where brill in my opinion. Steve was great as he comes out of his shell, gains his conference and gets cheeky with the help and guidance of of Barry Hearn. Same goes for self destructing Alex 'no malice he was a great guy' I will deff watch this again I enjoyed it that much. A must see for snooker fan and all. I hope they do one about Rocket Ronnie, I'd love that. Well done all those involved with the making of this top notch film. I

tr91 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.