Rillington Place - Der Böse

Many are saying this is slow and it is, but its done in a masterful way which builds to the end that we all know. For me, what makes this a joy is the remarkable acting.

They don't make many well acted murder series from the perspective the killer. This series is certainly interesting and well made. It makes a difference when you have actors who are at the top of their craft. I was not aware of the murders or Mr. Christie.

Despite the reality based subject matter, this is not an exploitational movie. Viewers seeking violence and gore will be disappointed. For the rest of us, it's a study of evil - its existence, its manifestation, and its consequences for innocent and guilty alike. Superbly filmed with a first-rate cast. Roth's restrained delivery of a seemingly innocuous man who contains a monster will make your blood run cold.

Being a TV series Rillington Place can (and does) go into so much more detail. Unlike the film, this is also about the life of his poor wife Ethel and the ill-fated Timothy Evans. The squalid area of Notting Hill and the dimly lit streets, look like something out of the darkest Victorian times and the conditions are almost inhuman. The feel and vibe is very creepy and leaves a lot to the imagination, right up the the final third of the last episode (of three). Depressing but a gripping true story. Tim Roth is magnificent and Just like the original movie, this will burn deeply, disturbing your mind.

The slow pace of this is like that of a snail leaving a trail of slime.

The lighting is dark. The setting dim and dirty. Squalid but normal given the time and place.

Tim Roth is so convincingly creepy and his speech, whispery and spare, so steeped in threat, it's a task just to undertake to watch each next horrible installment.

Horrible as in effective.

There is no actual violence and yet it is as if every single second of the entire production is violent.

I'd give it a higher rating, in that I think it is so evocative, but the subject matter is too dark and I prefer to save high marks for work that stimulates us to loftier places.

Still, simply as art, all the skills are wonderful. The actors excellent. The writing terrifying.

I wouldn't have undertaken to write a review at all, but at this juncture there are only two other reviews, neither of which seem, to me, to 'get it.' So here is another view.