Pilgrim FilmsIn 1998, 17 years after a certain Jack Carter had left his mark on Newcastle, director Bharat Nalluri called the shots on a British crime thriller that blended the bizarre with the bullets. The plot followed a corrupt cop (Craig Fairbrass), who hired a lady lifetaker (Kendra Torgan) to rub out the sadistic gangster responsible for icing his partner. For some reason Fairbrass didn't check his bank balance before she got on the plane, and calamity naturally ensued. It may have passed into the cinematic ether, but Killing Time carried a surprisingly healthy pedigree. A Cockney lead and an Italian assassin meant it didn't have much of a local flavour front of camera. The north east connection happened more behind the scenes. Production company Pilgrim Pictures were based in the Tyneside Cinema, and future Dog Soldiers director and Newcastle lad Neil Marshall co-wrote the script alongside Byker Grove star Caspar Berry. Toon-educated Nalluri went on to work extensively on TV, co-developing Hustle and helming Life On Mars and Spooks, including recent film instalment The Greater Good.
I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.
