Let's be realistic.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

"The Black Panther" is the sad story of a man who should have stayed in the Army, as he needs to live in a military environment (see the 360° panoramic sequence in his private room full of weapons and military accessories - his wife and daughter do not seem to know what's happening inside, the movie doesn't say clearly). That killer needed to be in the infantry charging on the enemy, but definitely not being a burglar awakening everybody doing so much noise, getting mad and killing without reason. He fails everything he does, he wants to steal but succeeds only to kill. Fantastic performance by Donald Sumpter as the killer. And bright direction by Ian Merrick who directed only one other movie which seems forgettable.

This docu-drama focuses on a crime case I was only ever vaguely familiar with. The psychopathic criminal The Black Panther was a petty thief called Donald Neilson who moved up to robbing post offices in the middle of the night between the years 1972-75. These crimes became increasingly violent resulting in the murders of several postmasters. He followed this with his most notorious crime, the kidnapping of Lesley Whittle, an adolescent girl from a rich family. He abducted her from her bedroom in the middle of the night and hid her deep underground in a drainage shaft. The girl died here, hung by a wire noose that he had left her tethered to.This film was very controversial when released. It was singled out by the media as a film which was exploiting a recent notorious criminal case. As a result, after a brief release it was more or less buried, until recently when it was re-released on DVD. Perhaps the film was released too close to the horrible crimes it depicted but even so, this is a carefully handled film which remains downbeat throughout and doesn't veer into exploitation territory. In any case, there is a certain irony in the media getting on their high horse about this film, given that it was the print media's irresponsible actions which more than likely contributed to Lesley Whittle's eventual murder by emblazoning her kidnapping story across their front pages and in doing so seriously jeopardising the ransom situation. What can be said with certainty though is that this is a very strong bit of British cinema. It is underpinned by a chilling central performance from Donald Sumpter as Neilson. He completely convinces as this cold killer. Aside from some poetic license being taken for certain unverifiable moments, the film-makers were at pains to keep the details of the screen-play as close to the record as they possibly could. This has resulted in a downbeat and realistic portrayal of events. Nevertheless, it is highly suspenseful and compelling, if somewhat depressing, stuff. It truly is one of the best true crime films out there and is very much recommended.

I wasn't expecting too much from this, to be honest. the reviews I'd read in the past hadn't done the movie many favours and the lurid cover art on the video tape really makes you fear for the worst- but, in all reality, its not that bad. I'm guessing that as it was made only a couple of years after the actual crimes depicted that it could have run into trouble, what with the brutal nature of Nielsons crimes and the fact that it had been such a very public series of events that horrified Britain over its weetabix and toast as it flicked past page three and looked for what was on the telly that night in the national tabloids. The movie, for those too young and in foreign parts to remember or to even know, tells the story of ex-army loner Donald Nielson who, to subsidise his income has taken to robbing local post-offices. In a series of military style raids, Nielsons crimes escalate to the point where he ruthlessly murders 3 postmasters whilst all the time planning the kidnapping of a 17 year old whose late father had left her a large inheritance. The film is creepy and effective, Donald Sumpters bizarre performance as the titular Panther makes you want to double-check the door before you go to bed and pull the curtains all the way across the windows.. Of course, despite Nielsons detailed planning, things go terribly wrong. The films careful direction and adhesion to the known facts of the real events add an air of credibility seldom seen outside of the small screen, and its use of locations close to the real ones make it all the more unsettling. Whether or not the drain where the on-screen Whittle meets her horrible demise is a set or a location in Bathpool park, it still makes you uneasy and once again begs the question- is this just trashy exploitation or something much harder to face, perhaps a desire to present the ever awful truth?

Donald Sumpter is flawless in his portrayal of Donald Neilson, a pretty weird guy. I saw this on tape when I was about five or six, and fifteen years later I still remember certain scenes very vividly. By all accounts one of the most factual true crime pictures ever made.