The Black Panther (1977)

A gung-ho ex-military man pursues a secret life of crime, culminating in the kidnapping of a teenage heiress.

Director:

Ian Merrick

Writers:

Michael Armstrong (film written by), Joanne Leighton (original treatment)

Stars:

Donald Sumpter, Debbie Farrington, Marjorie Yates

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Donald Sumpter	...	Donald Neilson
Debbie Farrington	...	Lesley Whittle
Marjorie Yates	...	Neilson's Wife
Sylvia O'Donnell	...	Neilson's Daughter
Andrew Burt	...	Lesley's Brother
Alison Key	...	Lesley's Sister-in-Law
Ruth Dunning	...	Lesley's Mother
David Swift	...	Det. Chief Superintendent
Michael Barrington
Lila Kaye
Delia Paton
Edwin Apps
Gerry Sundquist
Ruth Kettlewell
Graham Ashley

Storyline

A gung-ho ex-military man pursues a secret life of crime, culminating in the kidnapping of a teenage heiress.

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Plot Keywords:

kidnapping | docudrama | bank robbery | color in title | ex soldier | 

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Taglines:

What you are about to see is TRUE...it actually happened!

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 December 1977 (UK)

Also Known As:

Donald Neilson, la jena di Londra

Filming Locations:

Dudley, West Midlands, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Impics Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ian Holm was originally offered the role of Donald Neilson and agreed to accept providing a meeting of reassurance could be arranged between the family of Lesley Whittle and himself. The Whittle family however had distanced themselves from the film and Holm withdrew from the production.

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Connections

Referenced in Ban the Sadist Videos! (2005)

User Reviews

True to life

Living in the surrounding area of where the crimes took place I was pleased to find that the film followed the truth of what actually happened very closely.I enjoyed the film immensely,I thought it was well acted and well shot.