ABOUT THE RIPPER: “The Long Shadow.” / “This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.”

“The Long Shadow” (Sundance Now) British true crime, details the five-year manhunt for the serial killer Peter Sutcliffe (1946 – 2020). Also known as The Yorkshire Ripper, an allusion to the Victorian serial killer, Mr Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering 13 women and attempting to murder 7 others between 1975 and 1980.

       Difference with other serial killer movies, “The Long Shadow” didn't focus on the perpetrator thus inadvertently humanizing him and his evil, but the emphasis is on the women, or the 7-episode series tries to. Meanwhile, misogyny and racism were all over the place, especially from the investigators, but those were the years.

       Still, the series keeps you on the couch as it issued an almost documentary-style, journalistic narrative of the situation. Credit to writer George Kay and director Lewis Arnold. “The Long Shadow” offered no statement but a review of the cold facts, cold and cadaverous facts. 🎥💻📽

“This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper” (Amazon Prime) British crime drama, also a dramatization of the real-life investigation into the notorious Yorkshire Ripper murders of the late 1970s. 

       This shorter, 3 episode series focuses more on the effect that the case had on the health and career of Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield, played by Alun Armstrong, who led the investigation.

       “The Long Shadow” also delved with ACC Oldfield's faltering health and resulting impatience, as portrayed by David Morrissey, but this longer, 7-episode version gave more emphasis to the victims and their families + the women police officers who were involved in tracking down the killer were not ignored. 🎥💻📽