Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Paul Evans Real life events are chillingly brought to life in this three part series from ITV. A case that spanned three years, William Muncie takes on Serial killer Peter Manuel, a clever and twisted killer who took great pleasure in taunting Muncie. Manuel, a cocky and sadistic man known as The Beast of Birkenshaw, left his calling card at the scenes of his crimes, and almost got away with murder.Almost a drama of good and evil, the case of Manuel is well known, and the drama does a good job of remaining grounded and not sensationalising the events, almost subtle.The drama was very much in sage hands, Douglas Henshall is such a talented actor, bringing Muncie to life, giving him credibility. Martin Compston on the other hand, what a turn around, so used to him in Line of Duty as the handsome good guy Steve Arnott, he shows us his skills here, he injects a venom into the character, he manages to look older and sinister. A fantastic interplay between both characters.

drbadass5 This is the Drama of the year for me from ITV (that are based on fact). Compston plays Manual great and Henshall plays Muncie great as well. This 3 part series tells the story of the murder spree of Peter Manual and IMO doe's a great job, each episode went by so fast for me and they did not drag it out like many other dramas have been before. I would say to anyone watch this mini series and the fact it is based on real events makes it more interesting. Manual was a cocky man but Muncie was going to get his man. Muncie investigated 50 murders during career and solved everyone but will be remembered for the Manual case. Manual was a twisted man who even did his own defense at trials after sacking his legal team, even the judge comments on how he performed his defense. He was a step ahead all the time until his downfall came. He was a very committed his offenses in a very calculated manor, all the time right under the nose of the police hence the title i guess. I recommend this 100%. Good script and great acting to along side it.

whatithinkis Once the premise was established during the first episode, Compston and the writers did such a thorough job of portraying Manuel's taunting, teasing and flaunting in the face of his bad acts already performed and yet to come that I found it impossible to actually watch. Especially in the face of Muncie's (Douglas Henshall) repeated and repeated and repeated defeats and humiliations.In that context I found the pace too slow, the tension too high, my frustration and dislike too much. So I fast forwarded through much of the first two episodes, checking in to get a feel for what was what.I hadn't googled any of it and didn't know the outcome. I was able to settle in and watch the third episode once things had advanced to the point where something else was likely to evolve.So, given all of that, I can say it was pretty good. The accents are at times challenging and access to subtitles will help with that.

Tweekums This three part mini-series, based on real events, is set in Lanarkshire where police detective William Muncie spent several years trying to bring rapist, and later murderer, Peter Manuel to justice. Muncie knows just what Manuel is like but finding the evidence will be very difficult and all the time he knows that Manuel is sure to strike again. For Manuel it is almost a game as he taunts Muncie and escalates the scale of his offences.Given that this is based on events that really happened the ultimate outcome is not in much doubt but it is still a tense watch at times. Manuel's crimes are not actually shown; not to introduce an element of doubt but I suspect because the makers thought is inappropriate to dwell on details of unpleasant real crimes that took place within living memory. Douglas Henshall does a fine job as the determined policeman William Muncie but it is Martin Compston's performance as Manuel that stands out the most; he makes the character genuinely disturbing while still being plausible. The rest of the cast are pretty solid too. The production nicely captures the feel of the 1950s; a time long before DNA evidence and CCTV cameras. Overall I'd say this was a fine drama and well worth watching.