Brian Cockerill describes himself as “The Taxman.” Others prefer to call him an extortionist, street fighter and one of Britain’s most terrifying gangsters. He makes a living by “taxing” drug dealers, collecting a levy to allow them to operate in Teeside.
Reporter Donal MacIntyre and his team spent several months observing Cockerill as he appeared to operate as an alternative justice system used by those in the area that have lost confidence in the police.
Now the Taxman is planning on taking his unconventional style into politics. He’s decided to fight for election as Mayor of Middlesbrough and go head to head with the current mayor, “Robocop” Ray Mallon. Cockerill believes he can use his powers of persuasion to get the voters to back him.
Physically, Brian Cockerill is hugely intimidating. In one of the film’s most disturbing scenes, he demonstrates fighting techniques to Donal MacIntyre. These include how to yank out a man’s eye from its socket. To keep one step ahead of his enemies, Cockerill trains three times a day. He’s a 22 stone, steroid-filled fighting machine who claims never to have lost a fight.
MacIntyre’s Underworld: The Taxman is a powerful film that reveals a parallel justice system that appears to operate in many of 21st century Britain’s towns and cities.
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