Pierrepoint- The last Hangman

Rating R Formats DVD Genre drama Starring Timothy Spall, Juliet Stevenson, Eddie Marsan Directed by Adrian Shergold Publisher IC First Take External Links Official Last Hangman Website

“...Pulling the trigger, well, that’s one thing. But standing with them on the gallows, both knowing what’s going to happen... It’s the knowing that’s the hard part, the absolute certainty that they’re going to die.”

This quote is derived from a scene in Pierrepoint- The last Hangman; which is a grisly tale of a man who became a federal executioner. The scene of the movie is set from pre-World War 2 to post World War 2 England. The main character, Pierrepoint, had a father who was also an executioner. As the saying goes, like father like son. However, there isn’t a disposition within him for simply hanging or killing people, or any cruelness, or pleasure derived from the same. He does it because in his mind, these people are repenting for their sins. Not because he’s a psychopathic murderer, but because they’ve killed someone else, or similar acts. They are paying for what they’ve done, with they’re life. He shows a certain tenderness for the bodies. He labors under the idea that, they’ve repented for their sins, now their body should be taken care of. He insists on taking care of the bodies after they’ve died, such as washing them and finding a casket for them. This is an interest that very few executioners take part in.

Pierrepoint is a man who takes pride in his work. He, like any other professionals, want to be the best in the business. He wants to make records, fastest kill, smoothest kill, the most painless, etc.

He is required to go to Germany after WW2 on business. He arrives after the trials of the German Nazi officers were completed. The verdict for all the officers was death, and he was the one to kill them all. He was assigned an officer to help him, the officer who made the statement above regarding the feelings he received from “standing on the gallows” and hanging people.

After he returned home from Germany, Pierrepoint realized he’d become a celebrity. His name was in the newspapers, as well as what he’d done. He didn’t like that at all. He felt his name should have been hid from the public’s inquiring eye. For good reason too. There were two types of people who welcomed him, those who were cheering his return and those who were against the death penalty.

Throughout the film he showed resembling reoccurrences of emotions, or feelings, towards what he’d done, and what he felt he was rapidly becoming. He felt on several degrees that he was becoming a monster, a person without feelings, having looked back at that he’d done and the death of one person in particular. He felt this person, should not have been killed, or at least he shouldn’t been the person to do it. He had a melt down which led to an inevitable decision.

All in all the movie was quite interesting, in parts it was a bit much to watch, and in other parts it was quite comical. I would recommend this movie to someone only if they had a strong stomach; for it comes at you fast, and hits you on several different fronts.