Search - See No Evil: The Story of The Moors Murders on DVD

Steven H. (sehamilton) from BIRMINGHAM, AL
Reviewed on 6/20/2011...

I viewed this movie after seeing HBO's Longford. It sets the stage nicely for the latter movie, an excellent study of trust, goodness, and forgiveness. See No Evil is not exploitative in the least, telling the story of The Moors Murders in a subdued manner. Anyone who has seen this film would do well to see Longford, which focuses on the member of the House of Parliament that developed a friendship with the female of the murderous couple. His persistent pursuit of prison reform and unwavering commitment to this woman, despite being used and manipulated by her, is a classic study in forgiveness. If you've seen Longford, then this film will serve to further disclose the cold-blooded personality of the woman Longford dedicated himself to helping, which makes his ability to believe in the basic goodness of people an even greater accomplishment than is otherwise possible.

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

A Good Docudrama

Kurt Keefner | Outside Washington, DC | 06/30/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Don't get the wrong idea about this 2' 20" British production: it's not the pornography of cruelty. It only shows one murder, fleetingly, in silhouette and of a 17-year old, not a child. It only shows that death because that was the only one anyone other than the murderers saw (and because it would be obscene to show the rape and murder of a child). This movie depicts the infamous Brady and Hindley as others saw them, primarily Hindley's sister and brother-in-law, and a police detective. We do not see the killers private lives and actions. It's third-person limited narrative.

This may sound like a limitation, but it's actually an effective way of communicating what these two monsters were like. It's very interesting to see the four young people as a social circle, drinking and smoking cigarettes out on the moors (on the gravesites, unbeknownst to two of them), talking about family and job prospects, cooing over the baby, etc. The first chapter is mostly about how Brady tries to lure Hindley's brother-in-law David Smith into his little circle of evil. Brady kills someone in front of Smith, thinking Smith will join in the fun. Smith cooperates in the clean-up enough to get out of the flat alive and turns Brady and Hindley in. The second chapter is about the investigation, trial and aftermath, as Brady and Hindley try to implicate Smith and Smith's community blames him for the deaths of the children.

Overall, it's a fascinating look at a time (1960s) and a place (impoverished Northern England), all seemingly well-recreated. The social dynamics are fascinating. Watching Brady with his fascination for Sade makes you realized that all those academics who flirt with Sade are kind of perverted. A very interesting movie for grown-ups, not a sick flick for adolescents."