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The Black Panther

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The Black Panther

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Summary

Between the years of 1972 and 1975, the British countryside was rocked by the crime spree of the notorious hooded killer, Donald "The Black Panther" Neilson. Terrorizing local families this ex-military man pursued a secret life of crime, culminating in the kidnapping of a teenage heiress.

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Review

A star rating of 1 out of 5.

Terry Staunton

The kidnapping of teenage heiress Lesley Whittle in 1975 grabbed headlines across the UK, but this underwhelming dramatisation focusing on her abductor Donald Neilson, aka the Black Panther, fails dismally in telling the story with any degree of accuracy. Donald Sumpter stars as the former soldier felon, seen carrying out violent Post Office burglaries and mistreating his wife and daughter, before putting his more elaborate ransom plan into action. Director Ian Merrick appears to have just given his cast stilted words to recite, with little instruction on how to perform them with any semblance of credulity, and only the most basic research seems to have gone into real-life events. Neither Neilson's family nor Lesley's relatives are given names. Meanwhile, the narrative would have viewers believe a major, important case was investigated by a single police detective (David Swift, character also unnamed) who routinely allowed members of the public to handle, and clearly contaminate, crucial evidence. The film was slated heavily upon release and all but disappeared from circulation soon after.

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6.7/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameDonald NeilsonDonald SumpterLesley WhittleDebbie FarringtonNeilson's wifeMarjorie YatesNeilson's daughterSylvia O'DonnellLesley's brotherAndrew BrutLesley's sister-in-lawAlison KeyLesley's motherRuth DunningDetective Chief SuperintendentDavid Swift

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Crew

rolenameDirectorIan Merrick

Details

Released on

1977-12-26

Languages

English

Available on

DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

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