The Black Panther

Although I have tagged this as 'liked', I don't think that's quite the word. Impressive, believable and very grim this is a virtual reenactment of real events that I remember well and took place only a couple of years before the film was made. A little bit of stylish photography, a bit of humour, just something to relieve the dull horror and it would have been possible to enjoy the film more.

What we have, though, is a unique cinematic impression of a real series of violent attacks and kidnap. The original newspaper reporting at the time presented a most unpleasant picture and here it is honestly and accurately represented on film. Everybody does well but the male lead is exceptional and the poor young girl victim almost too believable. You won't like it but as an example of gritty 70s UK cinema it is a great example.

Ian Merrick's directorial debut arrived in 1977 soon after Donald Neilson was convicted of the murder of Lesley Whittle in 1976.

At the time the movie was regarded as exploitative and inspired sensational headlines. It's run at the movie theatres was limited and it was in effect banned until released on video.

There are some rumours that the police wanted to see the back of this movie. It is clear they come across as inept when young heiress Lesley Whittle was kidnapped ny Neilson.

The film is not lurid or exploitative. It is a character study of Neilson played by Donald Sumpter. He had done National Service, although a builder by trade. He had done a series of burglaries in the 1960s.

By the 1970s he made money by robbing post offices. Despite military precision planning, several of them were bungled, as Neilson was now a killer. As he wore a black hood was the reason he became known as the black panther.

The kidnapping of Lesley Whittle was another attempt of doing something different. Post Offices had beefed up security by now.

The problem was the ransom drop off became too complicated and error prone.

The movie is a character study of Donald Neilson. Merrick uses economy to give details of the man. A racist, just watch him as he trips over and a black man goes to help him.

His home life was that of a bully. Aggressive to his wife and daughter.

Neilson was focussed on keeping fit, maintaining his arsenal of weapons and his thorough planning. Even if things did go wrong. He ended up being arrested by chance.

Of course now the movie looks rather tame. It did gloss over some of Neilsen's early life. There is a moody performance from Sumpter.

We were all sick to our stomachs when this thing came out in 1977.

The Leslie Whittle case had rolled across the news for months and months and most kids were afraid to go out at night.

Kaye Alexander looked sick to her stomach every time she read the news.

For some opportunistic cast, producer and director to capitalise on the crime and Whittle family misery to make a few quid was absolutely disgusting.

It was centre stage in our local video shop for months and I don't think anyone hired it about from the local weirdos and paedos.

Cheapskate media is always willing to have a laugh at our expense.

Video nasty? Made all the porn films look tame. Hang your heads in shame.

Living in the surrounding area of where the crimes took place I was pleased to find that the film followed the truth of what actually happened very closely.I enjoyed the film immensely,I thought it was well acted and well shot.

I enjoyed this dramatisation of a true crime committed in the early 70's, but feel guilty for doing so. I remember the enormous headlines that this series of armed robberies, murders and the kidnapping of a teenage girl received at the time and how shocking they were. Donald Sumpter gives a convincing portrayal as the unpredictable Donald Nielson the ex soldier who rules his home as if he his still in the army. His wife and daughter are clearly afraid of him, although they have no inkling of his evil activities, with his long spells away from home accounted for by carpentry contracts. This drama centres almost entirely on the perpetrator and his activities including the extensive planning he does before he carries out his crimes. So, we get little insight into the long running police investigation where many people were dead before Nielson was finally caught. Maybe that could be another film, or perhaps it has been done already.