The Cater Street Hangman

The Cater Street Hangman is a brilliant movie with exceptional lead actors - McCarthy and Hawes. Eoin McCarthy and Keely Hawes shine as Inspector Pitt and Charlotte. The movie is brought to life by the exciting book it is based on by Anne Perry and by the fact that it is a period piece. This is a must see for murder/mystery fans. The movie keeps you guessing until the end. It would be great to see more of Anne Perry's novels in this series come to life. Until that happens, Cater Street will do to satisfy anyone's appetite. Enjoy!

While the Victorian social and moral notions are roasted as thoroughly as a movie can without losing sight of the murder mystery plot, I especially welcome the degree of detailed accuracy enforced in the wardrobe, the accessories and hair. The stiffness of the fabrics, the bustles, the cropped fringes and the minimal makeup reinforced the feel and look of the rising middle classes in 1880s Victorian London. Kudos to the staff and departments ruling those decisions. Thankfully that very realism makes this production very tricky to date so little of the movie's contemporary make-up and hair styling filtered through.That is too rare these days...that I had to look the date up.

This is a well acted TV mystery movie. I have not read the book on which it is based, but it is a story about young women being strangled in London in the 19th century, and the circumstances surrounding the investigation of two of the murders. Several characters emerge from these investigations to jolly the story along.

However, I found the characters to be stereotypical and shallow. The movie's view of the 19th century is lightweight, and all the characters - dastardly males, entrenched class snobs, decent humble servants, rebellious daughters, caring professional policemen, etc. - are cardboard cut-outs. I found the story to be crushingly predictable and boring.

If you like easy dramas, you will enjoy this.

I enjoyed this movie. I thought it was very well done and I cannot wait to see more shows. The acting was great. Mr McCarthy and Ms Hawes did an excellent job of bring the lead characters to life.

The characters were far from stereotypical...with the exception of Charlotte's father and mother. Of course, this was the intention...Mr & Mrs Ellison represented the mores of the day while Charlotte and Pitt were representative of a new day.

While the movie stayed fairly close to the book, I have to admit to being disappointed that the motive was sanitized. The fact that the motives in Perry's books are sometimes rather seamy make them stand out from other mysteries dealing with the Victorian era. Possibly that has something to do with Anne Perry's own history. If the book had ended the way the movie did, I probably wouldn't have bothered reading any of her others.