Prismark10
American director Richard Fleischer could sometimes ham up his films but shows a sure footing here showing a shabby, dishevelled post war London in this film chronicling a notorious miscarriage of justice, one which took an important step in the abolition of capital punishment from the British statute books.Richard Attenborough is chilling as the softly spoken charlatan John Christie, who claimed to know it all and who enticed women to his home in the pretext of inducing an abortion but who used his gas set up to murder women and then it is hinted, committed sexual acts on their dead bodies before hiding the corpses.John Hurt plays the dim braggart Timothy Evans who moves in as a tenant in the house along with his wife and baby daughter. The Evans are a tempestuous couple and when Beryl Evans becomes pregnant she has no idea how she would cope as the family were financially unstable.Christie kills Beryl by coaxing her to abort the foetus and also kills the infant child. Timothy Evans who was illiterate as well as being not too bright was easily manipulated by Christie and easy pickings for the police. He was hanged in 1950 but when other corpses were later found in 10 Rillington Place, the criminal justice system realised their gross error.Attenborough's quiet creep is magnificent but a youthful John Hurt is also effective as the simpleton Hurt. Fleischer makes good use of location shooting showing a London where people disappeared all too easily during the blitz.
gavin6942
Based on the real-life case of the British serial killer John Christie (Richard Attenborough), and what happened to his neighbors Tim (John Hurt) and Beryl Evans (Judy Geeson).Although I went through a phase where I was reading far too much about serial killers, I do not recall ever reading much -- if anything -- on John Christie. And I wonder why, as he lead such an interesting life and the aftermath is just as interesting as the crimes themselves. I suspect this was because 1) the books tend to focus on American killers and 2) the killers spotlighted are generally from the 1960s-1980s, and Christie beat them to the punch.Anyway, great acting from everyone involved. Attenborough, who is now probably best known as the old man from "Jurassic Park", really managed to keep the creep factor high. There were moments of Hannibal Lecter in there... but again, before Lecter was ever dreamt of.
gioconda91423
The first time I saw this movie was at least 30 years ago. Sleepless night. Richard Attenboroughs' portrayal of the nerdy "doctor" who was a real life serial killer terrified. Watched again 10 years later. Same effect. No sleep.Sets are extremely claustrophobic & the soundtrack of endless clattering tea cups & kettles, w/trains rattling by the flat all day & night are a set-up to hiss of gas pipes that creates an ambiance so depressing, eerie, and unbelievably frightening when you realize what's coming to Christie's victims...aagh. This movie is as suspense-filled as any Hitchcock movie.John Hurt ~ electrifying as always ~ plays a man falsely accused ~ got the gallows when he had no idea what happened ~ genius performance ~Horribly horrifyig horror movie This is one of the scariest movies ever. Extremely hard to watch but absolute genius acting
Tim Kidner
Long before the horror of Fred & Rose West, one John Christie undertook similar heinous acts of murder and burial, in 10 Rillington Place, Notting Hill, London, just after WWII.Richard Attenborough IS Christie, a small, bald and bespectacled man who can almost never tell the truth. Through injury, he became semi- invalided out of regular and useful employment and resorted to sub- letting his apartment at the infamous address, that he shared with his dutiful wife, Ethel (Pat Heywood).Despite its utterly grim premise, Rillington Pl, is a sober and utterly absorbing and compulsive drama that sees some of Attenborough's finest ever acting. Never glorifying in the subject but likewise, never shying away from how the devious and conniving Christie wormed his way into people's desperate lives, the main thrust of the narrative is about new tenants, illiterate Welsh Valley's Timothy Evans (a young, utterly superb John Hurt, sporting a fine accent) and his wife, Beryl (Judy Geeson).With the couple in arrears with their rent at Rillington Place, Beryl finds that she is, again pregnant. Almost unable to cope with the baby they already have, Christie suggests a favour. Back-street abortionists were a real scourge of the period, illegal of course and it's obvious he gets a kick out of extinguishing life, whether it's living in the womb or outside, as a person.I'm not going to give much away, though in the middle of the film, when Evans goes to visit his Aunt and Uncle back up in South Wales, we start seeing a well-constructed crime drama unfold as Evans first confesses to what Christie has indeed done and the resulting Case at the Old Bailey.Once that chapter is concluded, we might expect the end of the film, but no, this goes on, as first Christie's wife leaves him, he sells the furniture and then stays at a hostel for the homeless. Meanwhile, the new residents at number Ten, Rillington Place, make an unpleasant and unexpected discovery....
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