Creators:
Lewis ArnoldDirected by:
Lewis ArnoldCinematography:
Mark WolfComposer:
Sarah WarneCast:
David Tennant, Daniel Mays, Jason Watkins, Ron Cook, Gerard Horan, Ben Bailey Smith, Barry Ward, Bronagh Waugh, Ross Anderson, Chanel Cresswell, Faye McKeever (more)Episodes(3)
Plots(1)
Des is a true crime drama focusing on one of the most infamous criminal cases in UK history. Dennis Nilsen (David Tennant), known as the kindly killer', was a local civil servant who spent five years murdering boys and young men he met on the streets of London's Soho from 1978 to 1983. When he was finally caught on 9 February 1983, Nilsen had murdered a total of fifteen men over a period of five years, making him Britain's most prolific serial killer of the time. After his arrest, Nilsen was astonishing in his honesty admitting outright to all fifteen murders in the police car outside his flat. But infuriatingly for the investigating detectives, he couldn't remember any of his victims' names. With no apparent motive, inconclusive forensic evidence and most of Nilsen's victims living off grid, the police started the biggest manhunt investigation in UK history. This time not for the murderer, but for the murdered. (Acorn Media Australia)
(more)Reviews (2)
A 3 hour intense case about a notorious Scottish serial killer named Dennis Nilsen, who confessed to 15 murders of men, whom he strangled, dismembered, boiled their heads and had homosexual intercourse with. He is now being questioned and tried. The series has a Mindhunter vibe and the atmosphere is pretty tense and chilling in places. The dialogue is polished, David Tennant's performance is absolutely gripping, and I enjoyed Daniel Mays as the detective a lot. I liked that you has no idea whether Dennis Nilsen is telling the truth or whether he is pulling all the cops' legs, and there is power in uncertainty. The highlight is the trial, which is breathtaking. The opening scene when the killer is caught after finding the remains of human bodies in the garbage and the killer tells the police to go upstairs, he has the rest in the closet! Very good and definitely a must see for serial killer fans! 8/10.
()
There are movies and series that list horror as one of its genres, and I often have no idea why. Des does not have this genre in its description, but I wouldn’t object if it did. Unlike in many "horror movies", the creators didn’t go for bloodshed or shots of the bits and pieces of human insides, however, the well-written dialogues and David Tennant’s great performance ensured a chilling atmosphere as well as the fact that this certainly wasn’t a feel-good miniseries (which, in this case, is a compliment). It was intense.
()