389. Web-series Reviews – 204

More web-series reviews…

Broadmoor: For the Criminally Insane – Came in 2024.  Former patients and staff reveal insights and stories about Broadmoor hospital. From untold secrets, to historic accounts of staff brutality, and first-hand testimony from former staff on patient violence, and even murder within its high walls.

A review of one episode from gazette live...

A new Channel 5 documentary called Broadmoor - For The Criminally Insane - sheds new light on one of the UK's most notorious killers.

Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital houses some of the UK's most dangerously disturbed individuals, including serial killers, rapists and terrorists. However, one former inmate instilled fear even in experienced Broadmoor staff and veterans.

In new programme, Broadmoor, which started at 10pm on Monday, October 21 on Channel 5 and My5, Neil Wheatcroft, a nursing assistant at the Berkshire high security hospital for nearly 15 years, recounted his first encounter with Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe.

He said: "He frightened me to start with, because his eyes were like looking into a shark's – there was no life there at all."

Neil revealed on Channel 5's Broadmoor, that Sutcliffe, who brutally killed at least 13 women between 1975 and 1980 - including Ormesby woman Jaqueline Hill - didn't really mingle with other inmates.

"He was never a mixer. He didn't play pool or card games," he explained. Sutcliffe was the victim of several violent attacks while incarcerated, including a 1983 assault by fellow-inmate James Costello, which left the murderer with four wounds requiring 30 stitches.

When asked if he was unpopular with other inmates, Sutcliffe responded: "Yes, but it does not affect me because it is an ignorant opinion they hold. Anyway, they just do not understand.", reports Yorkshire Live.

However, the one thing that the deranged murderer did care about was money. Author Geoffrey Wansel reveals how Sutcliffe, after turning 65, pursued legal action to claim his state pension while incarcerated.

He shared: "He told the world, or anybody who cared to listen, 'I worked hard all my life and I paid my taxes, so why can't I have my pension?" When he requested his state pension, he specifically argued: "This is a hospital, not a prison. I'm therefore entitled to my pension'.

Despite his efforts, Sutcliffe never received his pension, but he was assigned the sought-after task of delivering patients' food orders to Neil Wheatcroft. While prison food is generally deemed subpar, the meals at Broadmoor are considered superior. "Food in prison's terrible," one ex-inmate explained, "but the food in Broadmoor... it was like a hotel. Sutcliffe would go around in the mornings and ask them what they wanted," Neil added.

Out of Sutcliffe's 39 years in custody, 32 were spent in Broadmoor. He eventually passed away from complications related to diabetes in HMP Franklin at the age of 74.

My Take – Worth a watch!

 

Bank Under Siege – Came in 2024.  Spain, 1981: When armed men hold up a bank and take hundreds hostage, a reporter races against the authorities to uncover the true motive for the heist.

A review from IMDB...

Bank Under Siege is an engaging TV show set in the 1980s, offering a gripping storyline that mixes action, intrigue, and suspense. While it doesn't quite reach the heights of Money Heist in terms of complexity or emotional depth, it's still an entertaining watch and a good choice for those looking for a tense, high-stakes drama. It serves as a decent time-pass for fans of the heist genre, with enough twists to keep viewers hooked.

The series begins with a group of robbers storming the Central Bank armed with guns. At first glance, their motive seems clear: to steal money. However, as the plot unravels, it becomes evident that their true objective goes beyond simple theft. The robbers initially demand the release of high-profile criminals, creating an illusion that this is their primary goal. In reality, this demand is a distraction, allowing them to access the bank's vault undisturbed.

As the robbers break into the vault, they uncover more than just stacks of cash. They retrieve a specific safety deposit box containing highly sensitive documents. These documents become the centerpiece of the robbery, revealing that the heist was meticulously planned for reasons far more sinister than mere greed. The money, in this case, serves only as a secondary prize-"icing on the cake."

As the series progresses, it's revealed that the robbery is tied to a larger conspiracy involving the director of CESID, Spain's intelligence agency. The mastermind behind the heist, known as "Number 1," was hired by the CESID director to retrieve these incriminating documents for personal gain. The documents are cleverly smuggled out of the bank when the robbers negotiate the release of 50 hostages in exchange for food and cigarettes. This pivotal moment underscores the cunning strategy behind the operation, blurring the line between organized crime and political corruption.

However, things start to unravel for the robbers. While they successfully secure the money and the documents, their escape plan hits a major obstacle. Their intended route through the bank's sewage system is blocked by impenetrable stone walls. Meanwhile, outside the bank, the military and police forces prepare to storm the building, tightening the noose around the robbers.

When the military finally enters the bank, chaos ensues. The robbers attempt to blend in with the hostages in a desperate bid to escape. While some manage to evade capture, others are apprehended, including Number 1. In custody, Number 1 confesses that the CESID director orchestrated the heist to recover the sensitive documents. However, this revelation is short-lived, as Number 1 later retracts his statement after being threatened by the very man who hired him.

The show concludes with subtitles providing a glimpse into the aftermath. These epilogues detail the fates of the robbers, the hostages, and the documents, leaving viewers with a sense of closure while also highlighting the murky overlap between criminality and institutional corruption.

Bank Under Siege stands out for its layered narrative and its focus on the political intrigue that lies beneath the surface of the robbery. While it may lack the emotional resonance and character depth of shows like Money Heist, it compensates with its taut pacing and unexpected twists. The 1980s setting adds an extra layer of nostalgia, and the show does a great job of capturing the socio-political climate of the era.

If you're looking for a show with high-stakes drama, unpredictable turns, and a dose of political conspiracy, Bank Under Siege is worth your time. It may not redefine the heist genre, but it delivers a solid, suspenseful story that keeps you invested until the end.

My Take – Worth a watch!

 

Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey – Came in 2024. Nearly 30 years since her murder, a three-part Netflix series revisits the death of JonBenét Ramsey, the child beauty queen killed in her Colorado home, featuring interviews with key figures including her father.

A review from IMDB...

Police ineptitude saved the murderer

I knew the case of the mysterious death of JonBenét Ramsey from podcasts. At first view, the case is like hundreds of others - the child goes missing, no one knows anything, no one has saw anything, so the parents are suspects. The difference, however, is that here the police literally did everything not to solve the investigation. They make a lot of mistakes, and while collecting evidence, they forget why they were summoned.

Could we find out who killed the girl if only the police did what they should? I don't know, but it would be nice if the police were not extremely incompetent in such delicate cases.

The documentary doesn't talk about anything that hasn't already been said. However, it's a very good summary of the investigation, the collected evidence and the theorys about the girl's death (perhaps focusing too much on one of the theories, but still).

It's sad to watch documentaries like these, because they remind us that sometimes the perfect crime is the result of a lack of knowledge and investigative skills, not a calculating villain with super intelligence.

It's worth watching, but it's even better to google the case and listen to a podcast about it (for example, "Deception Detective", who recorded 7.5 hours of material on the subject), because Netflix, as usual, omits a lot of police negligence, and oversimplifies some threads.

My Take – Worth a watch!

Adios till next time😊!!