Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman

R 2005 1h 34m Drama List
79% Tomatometer 53 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Albert Pierrepoint (Timothy Spall) finds great success as Britain's most famous public executioner, and his notoriety rises to a new level after he is selected to hang Nazi war criminals after the Nuremberg trials, but the experience changes him, and he begins to question the morality of his vocation at the same time that abolitionists begin a campaign to end hanging.

Where to Watch

Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman

Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Director Adrian Shergold doesn't shy away from the darker elements of the movie's subject, and Timothy Spall is mesmerizing as the title character.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (53) Critics Reviews
Margaret Lyons Time Out Rated: 2/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review David Fear Time Out Rated: 3/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The key to the film is in the performances by Spall and Stevenson -- and by Marsan. The utter averageness of the characters, their lack of insight, their normality, contrasts with the subject matter in an unsettling way. Rated: 3.5/4 Nov 2, 2007 Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site Adrian Shergold's The Last Hangman, an account of the career of Albert Pierrepoint (Timothy Spall), Britain's final executioner, is a superior work. Feb 15, 2021 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Plodding biopic. Rated: C+ Jul 17, 2009 Full Review Jennie Kermode Eye for Film Rated: 5/5 Dec 7, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (310) audience reviews
william d Interesting biopic and excellently executed (no pun intended), terrific acting by Timothy Spall. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Morbidly fascinating Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member An insightful and emotive character study of Pierrepoint that integrated some key moral issues rife in the society it was performed. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member good, be warned this ain't no barrel of laughs. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review william s One of the best performances of the year as Spall just weaves his spell perfectly as an unassuming man doing the devils bidding. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Excelente Timothy Spall, en un sencillo pero intenso relato sobre la pena de muerte. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

The Designated Mourner 65% 73% The Designated Mourner Wah-Wah 54% 63% Wah-Wah Land of the Blind 17% 63% Land of the Blind The Assassination of Richard Nixon 68% 69% The Assassination of Richard Nixon American Gun 39% 43% American Gun Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Albert Pierrepoint (Timothy Spall) finds great success as Britain's most famous public executioner, and his notoriety rises to a new level after he is selected to hang Nazi war criminals after the Nuremberg trials, but the experience changes him, and he begins to question the morality of his vocation at the same time that abolitionists begin a campaign to end hanging.
Director
Adrian Shergold
Producer
Christine Langan
Screenwriter
Jeff Pope, Bob Mills
Production Co
Granada Television
Rating
R (Nudity|Disturbing Images|Brief Sexuality)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jun 1, 2007
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 10, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$21.8K
Runtime
1h 34m
Most Popular at Home Now