Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes

I was pleasantly surprised that the focus of this documentary lied heavily with investigators and victims rather than the murderer himself. The storyline flowed easily, the interviews were relevant, and good use of archival footage. The paired re-enactment footage was complimentary. Overall a well made documentary.

It's a tough watch at times due to the nature, but it's really well done. Good watch and done in a unique way from all perspectives...

If you like serial killer docu's go watch it. It has a different more original approach than most and is told for a big part by the killer himself. I really liked this approach, the killer has very relaxed way of talking. Would give it between 7 and 8. Wished it was a bit longer.

I'd like to start this review by apologizing to the writer and director of this documentary. When Netflix first came onto the scene this would have been a jaw dropping, white knuckling thrill ride. Sadly. We've seen it. We've seen it all. I give a 7/10 because it not the writer or directors fault. It's a well put together 1 hour and 30 minute murderer bio. But it's clear Netflix has a template for these now. Again, it's not a bad film just played out. You wouldn't run across the street screaming if Alice Cooper was walking towards you in the sidewalk. But 25 years ago you might of.

Netflix has been doing a pretty solid job at serial-killer documentaries and this one falls under the 'fairly okay' category. The core story of Dennis Nilsen's crimes is interesting with some unpredictable layers, however, the recalling style lacks a finite flow. The deeper you get into Nilsen's life journey, the less engrossing it gets. What intrigues is the manner in which he's caught, the articulate person that he is on the tapes, and also some of the survivors' accounts. The homosexual angle is given somewhat less footing here but it's also carefully and respectfully put across. I would have also loved to see more interviews with people who worked alongside Nilsen to get a better insight of how he was publicly perceived. It may also have shed additional light on how he was able to keep his cover for such a long time. At 1h 24m, this one's relatively short and crisp. What astonishes me is that we still don't know the identities of half of his victims.