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Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman (2005)

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From Time Out Chicago

Albert Pierrepoint was the most prolific hangman in British history, responsible for the executions of more than 600 people. He developed his own system of efficiency and cleanliness, and was hailed as the “Avenging Angel” when he executed dozens of Nazis after World War II. It’s a stunning history, and capital punishment continues to be a contentious issue. So why is this movie so damn boring? If this is a by-the-book biodoc, then it shouldn’t be gaudily dramatized with Pierrepoint (Spall) having to hang someone he knows. If it is a loose retelling, then it should include some insight. But it’s neither, and that ambivalence means the film never sets a tone, neither for itself nor for most of its characters. The creepy brutality of the hangings—which we see over and over and over again—is self-evident, but Pierrepoint seems clinically detached from the work, which you’d have to be. How does he cope? Uh, he…just does. His change of heart at the end seems not to come from a crisis of conscience but from his distaste for notoriety. The jovial Strauss waltz that plays while he executes war criminals is a jarring, misguided attempt to inject emotional range into the film, but it doesn’t make sense—is that Pierrepoint’s glee we’re listening to? Britain’s? Ours? The film’s? Pierrepoint’s saving grace is Spall’s twitchy, evocative performance, which lends the title character a sense of humanity otherwise absent in the story, but even his phenomenal turn isn’t enough to dig the film out of its bleak, bland hole.

Author: Margaret Lyons

Time Out Chicago Issue 121: June 21-June 27, 2007

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frank said...

Posted on Jan 20 2009 09:12 This review is from Time Out New York, you might be interested in this review from Time Out London: http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/83554/pierrepoint.html

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ralph said...

Posted on Jan 20 2009 05:27 I totally agree with James, i found the film gripping and even emotional. Tim was the best to play the part which he did a great job of, the film was honest for a change and, gave a lot to think about, i rate it 9 outa 10.

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James said...

Posted on Nov 26 2008 22:46 I am amazed that you could find such a compelling, emotional and incredible true story "boring".
I suppose an if you are more used to having entertainment shoved down your throat, rather than being asked to think, you might find this boring,
Timothy Spall is indeed an amazing actor, but that is not what makes this film so special, nor is it what "saves" this film. No, what makes this film special is its honesty, its unpretentious, unglamorous and honest portrayal of a man doing a terrible job, and the awful realization of just how terrible that job really is.
If you are not afraid of a difficult subject and do not require explosions or love affairs, over acting and over dramatised schmaltz, then watch this film.

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