Dark Angel

Dark Angel (2016) was apparently seen in England as a two-part TV miniseries. We saw it as a full-length TV movie. It was directed by Brian Percival.

Joanne Froggatt plays Mary Ann Cotton, England's first known female serial killer. There's no suspense here--the movie opens with the protagonist being led to the gallows. The movie then circles back to explain to us how events brought Mary Ann Cotton to her execution.

Joanne Froggart must have been delighted to play this macabre role. All those years at Downton Abbey left her with the reputation as playing a fine person with a pure heart. Now she gets to play a far heavier role. She does a fabulous job with the part--you really do believe that she could, and would, murder people in order to get what she wanted.

As portrayed in the movie, Mary Ann Cotton wasn't a demon, and she didn't start out with a view towards murdering her way forward. Victorian times were repressive for women, and a bad marital choice left a woman on her own with no obvious opportunity for escape. I'm sure many women dreamed about getting out of an unhappy marriage by murdering their husband. However, dreaming is one thing, and arsenic is another.

It was easier to avoid detection as a serial killer at a time when many people died young of natural causes. Death was everywhere, and arsenic was readily available. (It was used to control vermin.) Apparently, it's still possible to buy arsenic. Here's a headline from The Guardian Newspaper: "Toxic chemicals such as strychnine, arsenic and cyanide are freely available for sale on the internet, leading toxicologists have warned." Not a happy thought.

There's hardly a cheerful moment in this movie, and yet I enjoyed it. Joanne Froggatt is a brilliant actress. Freed from ensemble work, she can show the breadth and depth of her talent. Even if the film is depressing, it's still worth seeing just to watch Froggatt act.

First let me say, I love Joanne Froggatt. She is a beautiful and compelling actress and I want to see more of her in better movies and series. In fact, all the actors in DARK ANGEL are very good. Laura Morgan, Emma Fielding, and Jonas Armstrong are standouts, and Alun Armstrong can do no wrong. However, the writing and direction of DARK ANGEL leave much to be desired. Mary Ann Cotton's motivations are very sketchy -- something vaguely feminist and she states that she wanted "more" -- and so it is very hard to sympathize with her character. What we are left with is a glorified crime re-enactment from one of those exploitative Dateline or crime channel shows. What's worse is that the series creators try to suggest some ambiguity about some of the killings, which comes off as coy rather than clever. And then at times the juxtaposition of her being a tight spot to a quick cut to a corpse is almost comic. Mary Ann Cotton deserves a better treatment. There is much more to her story than is shown here.

Nice production with epoch clothes and location. Not sure about the talking. The story is incredible but apparently true. The reality may have been more ruthless and chilling even though it was in this. We forget how death was routine in these times.

What a compelling drama, thoroughly interesting. I only stumbled across it after hearing the ghostly tale of Mary Ann on a history tour in Durham city. I grew up in the village from where she is claimed to originate and yet had never heard of her. Joanne Frogatt and Alun Armstrong have strong performances and I very much enjoyed the rest of the cast and the wonderful locations including the North East coastline and liberal use of our amazing Beamish Open Air Museum. An unknown and under rated tale of mystery brought to life, I would have only liked to know more behind her rationale but it seems little is really known of her, with limited written records for the rural mining community of the time I suppose it's no wonder. And also makes you question how many other "Mary Ann's" got away with similar crimes!!?

Dark Angel headlines the fabulous Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates in Downton Abbey) in a true story of Victorian poisoner Mary Ann Cotton, in a two-part drama beginning at Durham jail in March 1873.

British nurse and housekeeper who was believed to be Britain's most prolific female serial killer. They say poison is a woman's choice of murder weapon. Mary Ann Cotton is a major reason why. Criminologists and historians estimate she killed thirteen to twenty-one people with her little tea pot.

Joanne Froggatt is quietly ferocious playing against type as the sociopath Cotton. She is totally sinister, yet charming, approachable, promiscuous, stoic, no regard to consequence, manipulative, and completely narcissistic. She also projects the fear and vulnerability of a (periodically) single woman in a highly class-conscious society. It's a must-watch for Ms Froggatt, who acts her heart out at every turn. She's an amazing actress.

Outstanding period settings; great scenery and atmosphere. The period costumes were superb. I found it an overall interesting, an engaging approach of a macabre true story. Recommended for fans of British costume dramas and compelling crime shows.