f you were picking a Hollywood actor to play Ewart Brown in a biopic then Samuel L Jackson would be your man.

Tall, commanding, charismatic and slightly scary the star of Pulp Fiction and Shaft shares many of the characteristics of the man-who-would-be-Premier.

And while the screen actor is used to playing both heroes and villains, the Bermuda voters awaiting the final reels of the PLP's own dramatic showdown tonight are still trying to work out whether Dr. Brown is the good guy or the bad guy.

While a dominating presence could be a plus on the international stage, electors are not necessarily wanting Rambo in sedate Bermuda, preferring to be consulted rather than dictated to. Certainly there has been plenty of drama since Dr. Brown strode on to the political scene in the 1993 general election by turfing out the former Premier Sir John Sharpe in Warwick West in his first attempt.

That entrance was portended by Dr. Brown's infamous quote that he returned home after 28 years of living abroad because he had "scores to settle" and "accounts to pull even".

Certainly he was well aware of his enemies in the white power structure who ran Bermuda ? blaming them for failing him in a medical exam all physicians have to pass in order to practise in Bermuda.

The set-back forced him into self imposed exile when he left to establish a medical career in California. He even took American citizenship and soon had established a network of friends among the US black elite.

However he never lost sight of his ultimate goal ? the Premiership of Bermuda.

It was no surprise as politics was in his blood.

His mother, Helene Brown, was a United Bermuda Party MP who was instrumental in the formation of the party's black caucus while her sister Gloria McPhee was Bermuda's first female Cabinet Minister. After leaving Parliament she joined the PLP. Other MPs in the family were his uncle Russell Levi Pearman, Gilbert Darrell and Cal Smith.

But for a man in a hurry Dr. Brown's political career began slowly with a frustrating period in Opposition.

He busied himself with internal party politics. Just three years after entering Parliament he stood for the Deputy leadership of his party but was defeated by incumbent Eugene Cox while leader Jennifer Smith held out against Alex Scott ? ironically then seen as a firebrand but now seen as the moderate force in tonight's head to head of the two perennial leadership contenders.

Some saw Dr. Brown's appointment in 1998 to the usually dreary Transport portfolio as punishment for his pushiness but Dr. Brown managed to inject some pizzazz by upgrading Bermuda's ageing ferry force into sleek catamarans ? the ultimate in luxury commuting. The UBP veered between bleating about the cost and claiming it was their own idea.

Ever ambitious, Dr. Brown stood again for the Deputy Leadership against Mr. Cox in 2000. Although again heavily defeated he was keen to establish with delegates that he regarded himself as future leadership candidate.

Biding his time he seized the moment in 2003 when hours after the electors had reaffirmed the PLP in power, half the parliamentary party split from Jennifer Smith.

Unable to cobble together a solution the MPs put the decision in the hands of the PLP delegates to pick a new leader after Alex Scott and Ewart Brown put their names forward.

But no vote was taken as the party acclaimed both on a joint leadership ticket designed to unite both rebels and Smith loyalists. And for a brief while the party exuded the semblance of unity.

Seizing the Tourism brief when his former ally Ren?e Webb walked out of Cabinet in 2004, Dr. Brown threw himself into a whirlwind of lobbying as he sought to increase airlift and decrease exorbitant flight prices.

The public loved the results but it came at a cost of mass resignations from Tourism while opponents still question how much had been spent on subsidies.

His new role raised his profile and led to accusations of grandstanding.

But while critics within his party have nursed suspicions about Dr. Brown's numerous media conferences he has always been selective with press access, infamously saying he would refuse to answer what he dubbed 'plantation questions' ? questions he deemed as 'unreasonable and unfair'.

Indeed plantations seem to weigh heavily on his mind. In the 2003 election campaign he told thousands of PLP supporters that Opposition supporters risked voting their way back onto the plantation.

Yet despite the racial rhetoric he scores heavily among white voters with the most recent poll showing 66.7 percent would prefer him compared to 23.8 percent wanting Alex Scott. For supporter Cal Smith it is because he gets things done.

But while Dr. Brown's track record in tourism has been a marked improvement after years of decline, his handling of the taxi industry has raised more questions than answers.

Keen not to compromise on his insistence that Cabbies install GPS, the issue still rumbles on nearly five years after it was first raised with many drivers choosing to drive around with the mandatory machines turned off. Another turn off has been some of Dr. Brown's personal dealings. In 2004 he offered to buy back a property he had pressured the Bermuda Housing Corporation into purchasing three years earlier ? but the offer did not take into account the massive property inflation of those proceeding years. Auditor General Larry Dennis had raised questions about the original sale, particularly that Dr. Brown had not declared his interests when transacting with a Government quango.

And Dr. Brown became embroiled in pay to play allegations when it emerged Government's pension fund consultant Tina Poitevien arranged a $2,500-per-head lunch in which guests, allegedly all money managers or consultants either connected with or potentially connected with the Bermuda pension funds, were asked to pay cheques payable to "Dr. Ewart Brown (PLP)".

Dr. Brown termed the luncheon a "fundraising" event, for his personal election campaign in the 2003 General Election.

Backbench MP Ashfield DeVent, who served in Cabinet with Dr. Brown was asked to weigh up his pros and cons.

He said: "He's media savvy. He's very good at highlighting any merits, the appearance of getting the job done."

But Mr DeVent said the taxi industry was no different than before the long-running GPS controversy.

"I think the media have been very nice to Dr. Brown.

"He's a great orator. But I am not so sure if he's a much of a team player as the country needs. I question his team commitment. He will go off on his own without seeking other people's input." But whatever the doubts PLP delegates will be sorely tempted to turn to the doctor tonight to make everything better given Mr. Scott's seemingly terminal position in the polls.