very difficult to watch & even more difficult to review because of the subject matter. Let me get this over and said right away. You WILL see hangings. Executions. It's a very dark film. And not just the subject matter. This is some of the story of Albert Pierrepoint, the United Kingdom's most prolific executioner of modern times. The settings of most scenes and the shooting of them are very dark or quite dark. Not much of this film is brightly lit, but there is a good reason for that.
A dark subject needs a suitable background and setting, and these were events that started just before World War 2 and carried on into the early 1950's. Albert starts out as a humble grocer who is eager to follow in his fathers footsteps as an executioner. His 1st job is supposed to be as an assistant to a hangman but the man he is supposed to be assisting loses his nerve and Albert steps in to take his place and hang the man.
Albert is even chosen by Field Marshal Montgomery to go to Germany and execute the war criminals after the Belsen Trials. Albert's most difficult moment is definitely having to hang his friend known only to him as Tish. This is a very hard film to watch but well worth the effort.
Timothy Spall is excellent as Albert and the film looks visually brilliant.
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