Public hangman #1

Most Brits are familiar with the names Ruth Ellis, Derek Bentley, Timothy Evans, John Christie and Lord Haw Haw. We know of their trials and their eventual fate at the gallows. What is not so well publicised is that they all met their maker at the hands of the same man. His was the last voice they heard and the last pair of eyes they looked into. That man was Albert Pierrepoint.

Timothy Spall's performance is brilliant as he conveys the way that Pierrepoint moves from being utterly confident and comfortable in his role as Public Hangman Number One to being progressively disturbed and disillusioned.

You might feel that a film focused on such a bleak subject matter is not for you, but Pierrepoint is drama at its utmost best. It's style and imagery remind me so much of Mike Leigh's 'Vera Drake' but this film even though originally meant for TV only surpasses it in terms of substance and story.

My only gripe is that it's not entirely historically correct, it skips over the years too fast. Alberts career progression from assistant to hangman was actually much slower.

Nonetheless Pierrepoint is a fantastic film, I urge you all to grab the DVD.

10/10