Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Pluskylang Great Film overall

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

BobbyUK Sgt Tommy Cannon and PC Bobby Ball are a two-man law enforcement operation working in Little Botham (pronounced 'bottom'). They are successful not because they are good at their job but merely because little to no crime occurs in their sleepy little village. As a result, Ball moonlights (or daylights in this case) as a shop owner while 'romancing' village cook Kim (Suzanne Danielle).Since Little Botham police station is surplus to requirements and will be merged with other stations in the vicinity under the exasperated supervision of the chief constable (Eric Sykes) Cannon and Ball's jobs as policemen are on the line. After ruining the chief constable's car at the start of the film, Cannon and Ball devise a way to keep themselves employed by looking for crime to justify their pay-packet. They call on new resident Hilling (Edward Judd) and Lloyd the businessman (Roy Kinnear who had the best lines in the film) for inspiration and devise a framing operation involving theft of Lloyd's artwork but find themselves engaged in a real crime involving art smuggling and a UFO...The film, as previously mentioned by others, was loosely based on 'Ask a policeman' featuring Will Hay and Graham Moffatt. There are similarities to the original but Cannon looked too sophisticated to rival Hay's blustering Samuel Dudfoot and Bobby Ball didn't have the boyhood charm of Albert Brown. The original film had a headless horseman sub-plot and The Boys in Blue used the same plot device but instead opted for a UFO (probably to keep the budget down as the flickering lights from the UFO seemed to reveal a police car underneath if you look carefully). However, The Boys in Blue referred more to the Headless Horseman, including the rhyme from the original film, than the UFO making the whole thing redundant if not absolutely confusing.The problem with Cannon and Ball's roles as policemen was they didn't really fit their temperaments. I know the double act were trying to show how inept they were in their roles of authority but out of all the characters in the film (including the smugglers) it is Cannon and Ball who come across as the most aggressive, shouting and pulling each other about and Ball threatening to strangle a farmer. He was close to headbutting Cannon twice in one scene! They probably would have been better cast as the smugglers rather than the coppers.There were various veterans of the day in bit-parts but you probably wouldn't notice them for different reasons. Jack Douglas was superintendent but played his role straight rather than use his Alf Ippititimus persona like he did in the Carry on films. Dr Who veteran and Worzel Gummidge star Jon Pertwee had a small but amiable part as a polite rascal coastguard who puts his lamp on the police station roof. Billy Burden and Arthur English have very small acting roles as sheep and pig farmers. You would barely recognise Arthur English and this leads me into my first issue with the film... A major problem was the lack of lighting (Arthur English's role occurred in complete darkness and only knew it was him because I recognised his voice). Most of the film was set either in the dimly lit police station or in darkness and I found it unintentionally funny that you could barely see what was going on yet heard this blaring Magnum P.I type action music in the background. The ending featured a chase between Cannon and Ball and the smugglers which was fairly identical to the original apart from the introduction of passengers that leapt on to the bus during the chase. I was quite surprised they survived as the bus collided with the smugglers car head on before the hapless duo walked off into the sunset.The soundtrack 'The Boys in Blue' was quite catchy and those lyrics were so profound...Heh heh, a bit of sarcasm on the last bit..."We're the boys in blue...Woo-woo-woo-woo...We're the boys in blue...Woo-woo-woo woooo..."The film is an awful mess though despite the very low mark it is watchable in the right mood and typical of what Cannon and Ball provided for people on Saturday nights on their ITV show. I suppose the question ought to be asked why it was made in the first place unless it was just a vehicle to raise Cannon and Ball's profile (which it failed to do). I place the film The Boys in Blue under arrest for gross incompetence. ;-)

wb010b4494 Will Hay and the gang are still the best but this is a very worthy try. And now, thanks to DVD it's back! In the UK anyway.I remember my folks renting it on Betamax video years ago. Loved it then, love it more now. If you get a chance try and get the Will Hay original too - 'Ask A Policeman'.Cannon and Ball were a comedy staple of 80's UK t.v. and this move into film is right up there with other comedy British films of the time like 'Are You Being Served? and 'Steptoe And Son'.Yes it's silly, yes it's a little too fluffy and twee but those are the charming things about it. It was intended to be family entertainment and that's exactly what it is. Better than many modern family films ('Sleepover', 'Princess Diaries 2' and even the PG13 'Alien Vs Predator') and also filled with a cast that actually tries to create something most recent films have forgotten - memorable characters! Stand up Jon Pertwee and take a bow! If you like slapstick, farce, and comedy one liners then this is for you.

MetalMiike The utter, utter stupidity of this film is legendary. It is in fact known in the UK (to the tiny, tiny, number of people that have ever seen or even remember it) as the worst British film ever. The cast is tiny, Cannon and Ball, God forgive them (no really, they may well go to hell for this) don't even look ashamed! And when I tell you that a major plot device involves... SPOILER WARNING... a van disguised as a flying saucer THAT ACTUALLY FOOLS PEOPLE, you will know the level this film is pitching to. The only thing about the original was Will Hay, and he is very funny. The only thing about this is that someone lost about 75p making it. Hell, that's what? $1.50?

simon-397 Contrary to other comments this is a British classic. If you're not a Cannon & Ball fan - don't read on - in fact, why watch it??!! True "CannonBallians" will relish in the banter between two of the top comedy double acts.Never again, alas, will we see the likes of Roy Kinnear ("If I 'ad a secretary, I'd 'ave someone with something that bounces up & down when she's typing <wheezy laugh>") or Jon Pertwee ("That's very kind of you I'm sure - such heartwarming social sentiments are hard to find in these grasping avericious days") but they are immortalised here.My personal favourite is the "somebody at the door" scene - but there are plenty of others to have you in stitches including "I'm going to lend you me Monarch of the Glen"!!!!Top marks for a top film!