The thing that disturbs me most about this man's reign of terror is that it could happen almost anywhere - any place where laws are rendered useless by a combination of slick lawyers, intimidated witnesses and 'jobs-worth' officials. Despite our hopes and belief that we are advancing in all areas of society, this film serves to remind us that over-complicating the system has the ability to set us back to square one.
Prior to the set-up of recognised Police Forces in the UK (apart from the efforts of feeble wardens) criminal activity was sometimes countered by the raising of a 'Hue & Cry' - the local community rallying around with anything they had to hand to give chase and apprehend the culprit(s) - for everything from sheep stealing to murder. That is exactly what these people did in order to protect themselves AND RIGHTLY SO - there is no better precedent than something that has existed since the dawn of civilisation. If we have a system that is rendered next to useless by having the law-enforcers handcuffed, what else can we expect? This PC world we live in has gone berserk - for every pro-victim advocate that exists there seem to be ten on the side of the culprit.
The film was excellent and deserves to be on DVD - whether it was low budget or not. The slow-burn, laid back yet chilling portrayal by Brian Dennehey (whose work I have always admired) was simply the cherry on top - everyone should see this film at least once and I totally agree with the comments made by both blondie and gunrunner.
The latter contributor's comments loosely reminded me of a rowdy local family who were eventually 'run out of town' by the strict application of laws, however trivial. Three police officers (often assisted by more) were assigned to shadow them around the clock and, after a while, the sheer cost of their misdemeanours in fines and other inconveniences forced this one-family crime wave to move. I am not saying this would have worked in the case of ROWAN in IBD but it might have spared the community from taking the role of Judge, Jury & Executioner upon themselves, the trauma and burden of which they have had to carry ever since.
Prior to the set-up of recognised Police Forces in the UK (apart from the efforts of feeble wardens) criminal activity was sometimes countered by the raising of a 'Hue & Cry' - the local community rallying around with anything they had to hand to give chase and apprehend the culprit(s) - for everything from sheep stealing to murder. That is exactly what these people did in order to protect themselves AND RIGHTLY SO - there is no better precedent than something that has existed since the dawn of civilisation. If we have a system that is rendered next to useless by having the law-enforcers handcuffed, what else can we expect? This PC world we live in has gone berserk - for every pro-victim advocate that exists there seem to be ten on the side of the culprit.
The film was excellent and deserves to be on DVD - whether it was low budget or not. The slow-burn, laid back yet chilling portrayal by Brian Dennehey (whose work I have always admired) was simply the cherry on top - everyone should see this film at least once and I totally agree with the comments made by both blondie and gunrunner.
The latter contributor's comments loosely reminded me of a rowdy local family who were eventually 'run out of town' by the strict application of laws, however trivial. Three police officers (often assisted by more) were assigned to shadow them around the clock and, after a while, the sheer cost of their misdemeanours in fines and other inconveniences forced this one-family crime wave to move. I am not saying this would have worked in the case of ROWAN in IBD but it might have spared the community from taking the role of Judge, Jury & Executioner upon themselves, the trauma and burden of which they have had to carry ever since.