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DVD Description
In this ITV adaptation of Jake Arnott's bestselling novel, the story follows three men who’ve never met, three lives inextricably linked by a shocking triple murder, and a manhunt that spans three decades...
It’s August 1966, the long hot summer of World Cup euphoria is suddenly shattered by the brutal slaying of three policemen. The fates of a detective, a journalist and a villain are irrevocably bound up with this shocking event.
For Frank Taylor, a Detective Sergeant on the Met's fast track, the shooting claims the life of his best friend, a tragedy which might have been avoided, and for which he will endure a lifetime of guilt...
For Tony Meehan, an ambitious journalist, it is more than a career-making front page scoop; the slaughter he witnesses awakens a violent impulse within him and finding the perpetrator becomes an all-consuming 20 year obsession.
For Billy Porter, war-time hero turned petty thief, it's a plan that went fatally wrong; a gratuitous act of violence from which he must spend two decades running.
A tale about corruption and obsession, it explores how the consequences of one single act of brutality reverberate across two decades and reveals a creeping decay at the heart of a morally degenerate society.
Special feature: From novel to screen - includes interviews with cast, crew and author
Based on the novel He Kills Coppers by Jake Arnott.
Starring: Rafe Spall, Mel Raido, Steven Robertson, Liam Garrigan with Kelly Reilly and Maureen Lipman
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2.4 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital Stereo ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Cast/Crew Interview(s), Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: It's August 1966, the long hot summer of World Cup euphoria is suddenly shattered by the brutal slaying of three policemen. The fates of a detective, a journalist and a villain are irrevocably bound up with this shocking event. For Frank Taylor, a Detective Sergeant on the Met's fast track, it's not only the death of his best friend but also a moment for which he will endure a lifetime of guilt as it is a death which might have been avoided. For Tony Meehan, an ambitious journalist, it is more than a career-making frontpage scoop; the slaughter he witnesses awakens a violent impulse within him and finding the perpetrator becomes an all-consuming 20 year obsession. For Billy Porter, war-time hero turned petty thief, it's a plan that went fatally wrong; a gratuitous act of violence from which he must spend two decades running. A tale about corruption and obsession, it explores how the consequences of one single act of brutality reverberate across three decades and reveals a creeping decay at the heart of a morally degenerate society. ...He Kills Coppers
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Jake Arnotts excellent novel He Kills Coppers was based on the real life murder of three policeman. The incident took place in Braybrook Street , Shepherds Bush on August 12th 1966. The murders were carried out by Harry Roberts, Jack Witney and John Duddy. Duddy subsequently died in prison while Witney was beaten to death after being released. Roberts is still in prison.
Billy Porter(Mel Raido) is based on Harry Roberts. He has left the army and fallen into a life of petty crime. Doted on by his mother Lily (Maureen Lipman) the revellery created by England's World Cup exploits mean nothing to him....indeed not much seems to. Career coppers Jonathon Young (Liam Garrigan) and Frank Taylor (Rafe Spall) are inseparable until they run into call girl Jeannie (Kelly Reilly). Both fall for her but she only has eyes for the more sensitive less brash Jonathon and this drives a wedge between the two friends.But when the paths of Jonathon and Billy Porter cross on a random stop and search it ends up with three officers gunned down in cold blood including the fleeing Jonathon .
The capture of Billy Porter becomes an obsession with Taylor as does capturing the heart of Jeannie.It has also become an obsession with reporter Tony Meehan( Steve Robertson) who see,s Porter as his ticket to the big time. Porter mean while goes underground-literally at one point- to evade capture and as the years slip by he attains almost mythic status but is never scared to use extreme force if he feels his liberty is under threat.
For prime time ITV drama this is uncompromising fare with profanity and serious violence. It also has a profound period feel. However He Kills Coppers is not altogether succesful as the powerful drama it pupports to be. It somehow fails to engage emotionally , relying too much on it,s fulsome period soundtrack to make the viewer empathise with the characters. That said the DVD version rather puzzingly dispenses with Dusty Springfield singing "I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten" for the pivotal shooting scene , something robs it of much of it,s punch-though it,s still powerful.
He Kills Coppers is also let down slightly by some of the performances.Mel Raido brings a low key eerie intensity to the role of Porter but Rafe Spall is unconvincing . He is either screaming in spittle spraying fury or wandering around with a dazed expression . Steve Robertson overdoes the twitchy neurosis of his character and its left to Maureen Lipman and Kelly Reilly to bring some tangible gravitas to proceedings.
The DVD has a perfunctory making of documentary with cast interviews. Compared to the previous Jake Arnott adaptation "The Long Firm" it,s hard to come to any conclusion other than that this is something of a missed oppurtunity . It,s worth veiwing once, but lacks the visceral emotional hook to reward repeated viewings. In short it,s not as much cop as it could have been.
Billy Porter(Mel Raido) is based on Harry Roberts. He has left the army and fallen into a life of petty crime. Doted on by his mother Lily (Maureen Lipman) the revellery created by England's World Cup exploits mean nothing to him....indeed not much seems to. Career coppers Jonathon Young (Liam Garrigan) and Frank Taylor (Rafe Spall) are inseparable until they run into call girl Jeannie (Kelly Reilly). Both fall for her but she only has eyes for the more sensitive less brash Jonathon and this drives a wedge between the two friends.But when the paths of Jonathon and Billy Porter cross on a random stop and search it ends up with three officers gunned down in cold blood including the fleeing Jonathon .
The capture of Billy Porter becomes an obsession with Taylor as does capturing the heart of Jeannie.It has also become an obsession with reporter Tony Meehan( Steve Robertson) who see,s Porter as his ticket to the big time. Porter mean while goes underground-literally at one point- to evade capture and as the years slip by he attains almost mythic status but is never scared to use extreme force if he feels his liberty is under threat.
For prime time ITV drama this is uncompromising fare with profanity and serious violence. It also has a profound period feel. However He Kills Coppers is not altogether succesful as the powerful drama it pupports to be. It somehow fails to engage emotionally , relying too much on it,s fulsome period soundtrack to make the viewer empathise with the characters. That said the DVD version rather puzzingly dispenses with Dusty Springfield singing "I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten" for the pivotal shooting scene , something robs it of much of it,s punch-though it,s still powerful.
He Kills Coppers is also let down slightly by some of the performances.Mel Raido brings a low key eerie intensity to the role of Porter but Rafe Spall is unconvincing . He is either screaming in spittle spraying fury or wandering around with a dazed expression . Steve Robertson overdoes the twitchy neurosis of his character and its left to Maureen Lipman and Kelly Reilly to bring some tangible gravitas to proceedings.
The DVD has a perfunctory making of documentary with cast interviews. Compared to the previous Jake Arnott adaptation "The Long Firm" it,s hard to come to any conclusion other than that this is something of a missed oppurtunity . It,s worth veiwing once, but lacks the visceral emotional hook to reward repeated viewings. In short it,s not as much cop as it could have been.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was really impressed with this series when I saw it on TV and recently bought it on DVD to see it again. I was a little surprised that the soundtrack seems to have been altered to exclude some of Dusty Springfield's tracks but I'm prepared to bet this is because of copyright issues. A minor criticism but a bit of a shame.
The storyline, acting and direction are all excellent in He Kills Coppers. The impression of sixties Britain seems very authentic, and I couldn't fault the accuracy of this depiction. The fact that the manhunt continues into the seventies and eighties gave an added dimension to this story.
The personalities of the three main characters are explored in a fascinating manner and provide a shocking exploration of the way a single violent event, lasting only a couple of minutes, can alter and destroy so many lives.
The scene where peace protesters are chanting the song referring to Billy, not realising that he is there among them, was well handled. There are a lot of facets to this story that I found fascinating regarding how criminals are perceived by the public and I found the actions of the seedy journalist trying to track the murderer down, in order to write true life crime books about him, very believable.
I understand that the book is different in many ways and the series made me want to read it and also examine the shocking crime that it is based upon. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where the notorious murderer hides out in the woods using his national service skills to survive and was interested to find that this is based on fact.
He Kills Coppers made quite hypnotic viewing with memorable characters and a great storyline. The extra footage about making the series was a bonus and I can't recommend this DVD enough. Well worth buying!
The storyline, acting and direction are all excellent in He Kills Coppers. The impression of sixties Britain seems very authentic, and I couldn't fault the accuracy of this depiction. The fact that the manhunt continues into the seventies and eighties gave an added dimension to this story.
The personalities of the three main characters are explored in a fascinating manner and provide a shocking exploration of the way a single violent event, lasting only a couple of minutes, can alter and destroy so many lives.
The scene where peace protesters are chanting the song referring to Billy, not realising that he is there among them, was well handled. There are a lot of facets to this story that I found fascinating regarding how criminals are perceived by the public and I found the actions of the seedy journalist trying to track the murderer down, in order to write true life crime books about him, very believable.
I understand that the book is different in many ways and the series made me want to read it and also examine the shocking crime that it is based upon. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where the notorious murderer hides out in the woods using his national service skills to survive and was interested to find that this is based on fact.
He Kills Coppers made quite hypnotic viewing with memorable characters and a great storyline. The extra footage about making the series was a bonus and I can't recommend this DVD enough. Well worth buying!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I had never heard of this but seeing that it was the same writer as the brilliant Long Firm I thought I would give it a spin.I was not diappointed.He Kills Coppers is based in fact,the murder of three police officers in London in 1966.The story is part fiction so if you are looking for the true story this will not do the job.It is well written,well shot and well acted taking us on the run with Billy Porter for over twenty years.Jake Arnott does this kind of thing very well and has given us another blinder.I watched all three episodes back to back and it left me wanting more.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
good cop bad crook
a great t,v adaptation of a good crime novel well acted and screen played, it will take a place with many as a favourite.
Published 27 days ago by hanging judge
excellent
Well filmed, well acted. Atmospheric, interesting and illuminating. This is a very good DVD covering an important period of recent British history.
Published 4 months ago by Richard Roberts
I remember it well?
I thought it was a pretty good story sort of half-based on a true incident as it was it's just that I didn't like the way it seemed to fall-away a bit at the end? Read more
Published 4 months ago by Patrick H. Williams
He kills coppers
Was expecting to be entertained ended up being sent to sleep. Found this very boring and below par acting. Quality of the dvd was okay.
Published 7 months ago by Site manager
just like the book
if you have read his other books then you know what i mean
very pleased with the service
quick delivery no fuss
very pleased with the service
quick delivery no fuss
Published 20 months ago by george
great stuff
mel raido does an excellent job playing the sinister cop killer billy porter..i enjoyed it very much..well worth a watch..
Published 24 months ago by rama o rama
Started well but tailed off slightly.........
I watched all 3 episodes when it was recently on TV and the first episode was excellent, however the story tailed off in the next 2 episodes and changed dramatically from the... Read more
Published on 7 April 2008 by A. Thorpe
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