'A modern day Jack the Ripper'? (Serial Killers: Dangerous Pursuit (DVD))

Member Name: sunmeilan

Product:	Serial Killers: Dangerous Pursuit (DVD)
Date:	08/06/09 (119 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fascinating insight into the case against the killer

Disadvantages: Not enough insight into the reasons behind the crime spree

Originally shown as a documentary on the Discovery Channel, this is the story of one man, Paul John Knowles, who went on a crime spree across the US, killing eighteen people, raping and stealing with complete abandon. The story starts towards the end of his 'reign', when he attacks a woman with cerebral palsy, then kidnaps her sister and disappears with her. Once the attacked lady manages to free herself, the police become involved, quickly realising that the kidnapper is potentially a killer. As they unearth the evidence attached to him, they realise that he has a number of identities and is responsible for several previously unconnected rapes and murders. Can they work fast enough to rescue the kidnap victim? And will Knowles, who wants to be known as a modern day Jack the Ripper, ever be caught?

This DVD consists of a documentary of a true story (I picked it up thinking that it was a film based on a true story rather than a documentary). The story is told via a selection of interviews with law enforcement officers, interspersed with actors taking on the role of the main people involved, and with someone narrating and explaining how the case against Knowles was put together. The 'actors' rarely have a chance to say anything - it is all action shots more than anything else. Nevertheless, the unnamed actor who plays Knowles, while far from being outstanding, is competent in the role - enough for the viewer to know that he is evil and needs to be sorted out!

I am not familiar with the story of Paul John Knowles and have no idea how well known he is in the US. His crimes took place in the 70s, so it may just be that his name has disappeared into the mists of time. Nevertheless, this is a shocking story. My knowledge of serial killers, for what it is, has always lead me to believe that there are links between crimes. They may not always be obvious, but they are there all the same. In this case, Knowles' acts of violence seem totally random and unprovoked, which is incredibly frightening - I think everyone likes to think that there is a reason behind someone's violent behaviour.

Unfortunately, this is also the downfall of the documentary, because there seems to be no rhyme nor reason for his actions and only a superficial explanation is attempted. I suspect that this is because no-one really knows the workings of Knowles' mind, but I would have liked a little more insight into his past at least. As it is, it is a step by step explanation of how the case was investigated, and, while interesting, I'm not sure it merits a documentary all to itself. I was certainly left with more questions than answers. It also smacks a little of exploitation; the documentary makers are unable to answer any questions and are possibly just using the investigation to make money. The documentary may have brought a great deal of pain to Knowles' family and those of the victims, all for very little outcome, even though names of surviving victims were generally changed. Of course, that is just my opinion; they may have been perfectly content for Knowles' story to be told.

What is interesting is the explanation, via the narrator and some of the investigators, of how all the pieces of the investigation came together. As the crime took place in the 1970s, this was based mainly on leg-work rather than forensic evidence - obviously fingerprint technology existed, but a lot of forensic methods, including DNA testing, were not available then. The fact that the crimes took place across a number of states, yet the police were able to collaborate, with fairly basic technology (fax and telephone), and solve the crime is quite amazing. Nowadays, forensic science may not be the answer to all crime, but it certainly helps.

The narrator was, understandably, American. He was also quite annoying. I don't really know how to explain it other than he has the type of voice that is usually used in documentaries of this type; it is slightly patronising and grates after a while. He also repeats himself, probably to remind the viewer of the situation, but it is unnecessary and annoying. An explanation for this is possibly that the documentary was originally shown in parts rather than all in one go - but this could easily have been edited out for the DVD.

This is a documentary about a serial killer and some aspects of the investigation obviously discuss what happened to the victims. However, it is rarely more than that - a discussion. There is the occasional shot of someone's ankles and wrists bound or a violent gesture, but there are absolutely no shots of dead or injured people, real or faked. Nevertheless, the subject matter is not ideal for children, certainly not under 12. The DVD is classed as E (Exempt from classification - I had no idea it existed), but obviously parents should think carefully before letting children of any age watch.

A final gripe is that the blurb on the back cover gives away the ending to the investigation (something I've been careful not to do in the synopsis of the documentary). As mentioned before, it may be common knowledge in the US, but I didn't know anything about Knowles, and would much rather have waited until the end of the documentary to find out. However, that is perhaps not an issue for everyone.

There are no extras with the DVD.

On the whole, this is the sort of documentary that is worth catching if shown on television, but I am not sure that Knowles' story merits a DVD all to itself - it may have been better as part of a documentary on serial killers in general. I mean absolutely no disrespect to any of the families of Knowles or his victims, who may have been quite happy for the documentary to be released on DVD, but I can't help but feel that it was made for mainly financial reasons on the part of the film-makers. Then again, all true crime is exploitative to a certain extent. At the end of the day, it is down to the viewer whether they decide to watch or not. I'm just not sure that this DVD is worth purchasing when there is seemingly no lesson to be learned. Three stars out of five.

I bought my copy from Poundland for (obviously) £1. It is also available on Amazon for £5.99.

Classification: E

Running time: 90 minutes

Summary: Interesting, but wait til it's on TV