
London, 1949. John Christie is an unassuming, middle-aged man who, along with his wife Ethel, lives in the ground-floor flat at 10 Rillington Place. His demeanor masks the fact of being a serial killer. His modus operandi is to act as a person with a medical background, lure unsuspecting women to his apartment on the pretense of curing them of some ailment, knock them unconscious with carbon monoxide gas, gain his sexual release through contact with the unconscious body, then... (Full plot summary below)
FREE with your Prime (USA) subscription or when you start a 30-day free trial!
Links compiled using automated software. Availability of offers subject to change / might be region specific / out of date.
London, 1949. John Christie is an unassuming, middle-aged man who, along with his wife Ethel, lives in the ground-floor flat at 10 Rillington Place. His demeanor masks the fact of being a serial killer. His modus operandi is to act as a person with a medical background, lure unsuspecting women to his apartment on the pretense of curing them of some ailment, knock them unconscious with carbon monoxide gas, gain his sexual release through contact with the unconscious body, then strangle the victim dead before disposing of the body somewhere in the house or outside area. His next intended target is Beryl Evans, a young woman who has just moved into the top flat in the house. Beryl's husband, Tim Evans, is an illiterate man who likes to put on airs. Already with an infant daughter named Geraldine, the Evanses learn they are going to have another baby, which they cannot afford to have, nor can they afford to abort the pregnancy. This problem, on top of the constant issue of lack of money in all aspects of their lives, places a strain on the marriage, of which all their neighbors are aware through the constant fighting they overhear. Christie will offer to perform the abortion for free. The difference with this intended murder is that Tim will be aware that his wife will have died, but Christie plans either to goad Tim into keeping silent since the abortion would have been illegal, an act to which Tim would have provided his consent, or pin the murder on Tim who would have motive. Will this change in modus operandi affect Christie's ability to kill Beryl, or kill her without detection?
Leave your thoughts about 10 Rillington Place.
| Time OutKeith UhlichAs infamous serial murderer John Reginald Christie, Richard Attenborough is just exaggerated enough to remain credible. |
| Eye for FilmJennie KermodeKennedy's book was fiercely confrontational and the film reflects this. This is a world where everybody is kicking downwards. |
| ÜberCinéGregory WeinkaufDeeply disturbing and probably the worst date movie ever made. |
| Village VoiceJ. HobermanMore highly regarded these days than when it was released in 1971, Richard Fleischer's 10 Rillington Place is a grimly efficient treatment of a once-notorious case. |
| Creative LoafingMatt BrunsonThe banality of evil takes on a slightly different chill in this effectively low-key drama about a banal nebbish committing unspeakably evil acts. |
| The Retro SetNathanael Hood...it can't reconcile its exposé on the British justice system which dominates the last third of the film and its lurid reenactments of Christie's crimes. |
| User ReviewJoanne TExcellent acting from Richard Attenborough & John Hurt .... Chilling story which makes it more scary in the fact that it actually happen .... Classic |
| User ReviewFrancis M(****): Thumbs Up A dark, unforgettable film. Great performances and solid direction. |
| User ReviewLuke BImmediately one of the greatest films I have ever seen. I feel so privileged that I was able to see this film on the big screen. It starts with the wonderful Richard Attenborough being a sick little puppy. Set during the war, in a policeman's unifrom, offering medical help to a young woman. Attenborough is everything that someone should trust. A calm English man that offers you tea. Next, he's murdering the woman with gas, and not a hint of remorse. The film jumps forward 5 years, and introduces a tragic couple. They are about to have a baby, but cannot afford one. This sparks Attenborough's killing side, and he offers to perform an abortion. The film becomes a tense and depressing thriller that outlines the problems with capital punishment. It's sad as it's a battle of wits, but one of the protagonists has no wits to battle with. Attenborough is one of the most chilling and disturbing villains I've ever seen. The claustrophobic setting, the invasion of someones life, and the heartless deception, are just some of the great things about this movie. As it finished on a freeze frame we hear heavy breathing, next the credits scroll silently. Everyone in the cinema stood up in silence as though they had just been punched and winded. This film had more dread and a bigger impact than any I can recall. |
| User ReviewStephen CAfter the success of the Boston Strangler ,Director Richad Fleischer went back to the serail Killer well with this bleak story of John Christie who,s cold bloodied murders caused one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British legal history when Timothy Evans was sent to the gallows for killing his wife and child. Christie is played by Richard Attenborough and its quite possibly his best performance as he is truly terrfying as the silken voiced murderer. Attenborough freely admits he had trouble with the role ,but my god he is totally belivable as he gasses and rapes innocent women to feed his twisted passions. John Hurt is good value too as the doomed Timothy Evans ,a barely literate patsy who pays the ultimate price for Christies wrongdoings. Fleischer handles the film with great panache and the post war period detail is superbly handled with grimy buildings and interiors adding to the overall doomy atmosphere. One of the best British films of the period and a great arguement against capital punishment. |