all the sites

Berkoff entered mainstream films with major roles on blockbusters Beverly Hills Cop, Octopussy and Ramdo.  It could have been the start of a profitable career for Berkoff.
 

Absolute Beginners

Berkoff as guest star along with rock singers including Bowie. The dancing and song have an interesting undercurrent portraying the racism and fascism of the time. Berkoff is convincing as the fascist leader stirring up hatred in a Mosley style rally.  Berkoff´s fascist speeches are in rhyming verse- written by Berkoff himself?   Directed by Julien Temple in 1986.

Beverly Hills Cop

Black actors can star but not kiss the girl. Eddie Murphy at his best.

Berkoff says, talking of strangers he meets when travelling "Loved your work in Beverly Hills Cop...here we go again; the film that will haunt me for the rest of my life".  Stallone was to star but pulled out. He was impressed by Berkoff and his role as gangster Victor Maitland so wanted him on Rambo.  Berkoff is impressive, the perfect mixture of the businessman/ mafia boss with superficial pleasantry, but generally disdain for others.  This works extremely well against the innocent/ street wise Murphy.  The two together have real chemistry and tension.  Directed by Martin Brest in 1984.

McVicar

Roger Daltry plays the true-life criminal McVicar. What is interesting about the real story of McVicar is how a vicious criminal ended up reformed and writing for the New Statesman magazine. The film ignores this and covers his glamorised life as a criminal in prison. Berkoff is the East End prisoner, and in the predictable prison riot scene he sings "Maybe its because I'm a Londoner".  Directed by Tom Clegg in 1980.

Octopussy

A James Bond film, with Berkoff playing Colonel Orlov, his usual villain piece. Moore and Berkoff had worked twice earlier on The Saint.  Directed by John Glen in 1983.  Berkoff is good, Moore gives his usual vacant performance.

Site vistor P. Orrebrand comments: ."I just wanted to point out that Mr Befkoff's role in Octopussy is referred to as "Colonel Orlov".  However, he is referred to as "General Orlov" in the
actual motion picture, and also carries the the two stars of a Soviet/Russian Lieutenant General on his
uniform.  (In the old Eastern European/Communist armed forces, Brigadiers did not exist, so one star was/is a Major General and two stars a Lieutenant General.) Perhaps not a matter of life-and-death, but important to us fans and military buffs. :o)"- Thanks!!! Iain.

Outland

A minor role in a Sean Connery film. Berkoff plays a coward with space sickness who turns homicidal.  Berkoff injects himself then becomes homicidal, attacking a woman and ending up killed by the rescue squad.  But why did he and others go mad?  Sean Connery has to find out why.  The role proves either that some parts are so bad that they cannot be made good, or that good actors have bad days.  Directed by Peter Hyams in 1981.

Prisoner of Rio

Another British gangster film alongside the Krays, McVicar and Charlie. This is about the Great Train Robber.  Berkoff wrote a book about the filming "my main accusation against the film was the crime of humiliation, both committed by me and against me".  Berkoff has a fake Scots accent, and the whole film is dull and inept. Directed by Lech Majewski in 1988.

Rambo also called First Blood part II and Rambo II

Berkoff tortures Rambo but does not become any wiser. Berkoff says "I waited for my moment of triumph in the film but it was not to be...The director wasn't too fond of me but I did what I could with the role". Berkoff´s play Acapulco is based on his experience of filming Rambo 2. He plays the villain well.  In Overview Berkoff´s description of a torture scene with Stallone is superb sarcasm about Stallone "Slide my knife across Sly´s stomach again and he pulls back sharply...oh my God! I've made contact with real flesh...I prise the horror off, and behold, his flesh is intact and firm. He is acting! It certainly gives me a scare".  Directed by George P. Cosmatos in 1985. Stallone and James Cameron are co-writers.

Revolution

Al Pacino is the star, Annie Lennox another of the minor roles in a commercial failure about the American Civil war. But the film has genuine emotion and depth.  Berkoff plays Sgt Jones who recruits Al Pacino to the army then pays him off at the end. Berkoff is in really good form creating a memorable convincing character.  Berkoff and Pacino work well together and became friends, though Pacino later was offended at Berkoff's well-intentioned satire of him in Shakespeare's Villains.  Directed by Hugh Hudson in 1985.
 

Transmutations also known as Underworld

Clive Barker's horror story about mutants. Berkoff plays Motherskille, but he shows no interest as this tedious badly directed film drags on.

The special effects must be among the worst ever- presumably Special Effects Supervisor Malcolm King had no budget.

When Berkoff dies, in a fog of poison gas and open mouthed, it was probably how he was feeling.  Directed by George Pavlou in 1985.

Under the Cherry Moon

The Prince film. Berkoff got the part when Terence Stamp walked off. Stamp had the judgement, Berkoff got the money.

Berkoff plays Mr Sharon the rich criminal with the expensive house, dogs, wife, daughter and minders. Prince falls for the daughter. As the film progresses the acting gets worse, presumably as everyone lost interest.  It is so bad, the film ends with an up-skirt shot.

The wife, played by Alexendra Stewart, would next  do Sins, also with Berkoff.  Other actors Sam Karman and Victor Spinetti would also be back shortly with Berkoff in Sins and The Krays respectively.

Prince's death scene. The film was written by Becky Johnston and directed by Prince in black and white in 1986.

all the sites