Unlawful Killing
Dir: Keith Allen
2011
****
I like Keith Allen. His documentaries are quite unique as they seem to balance humour and intensity perfectly when it doesn't really seem possible or appropriate. I find them to be quite effective but I wonder if his other comedy outings as Fat Les or indeed any of his other comedy work has prevented him from being taken seriously by some, particularly with Unlawful Killing. Allen is a very intelligent man, an underrated actor and a brilliant writer. His confrontation with the Westboro Baptist Church was overshadowed by Louis Theroux's even though it was far more effective and thorough. He also went on to challenge the unpopular BNP to great effect and made a rather tender and touching tribute to the much loved TV chef Keith Floyd, proving that he is a more than capable documentary maker. For a staunch Socialist to admit a level of admiration for Conservative leader David Cameron shows a certain amount of humility too, so he and this now notorious documentary should be taken seriously. Watch and judge for your self but you have to admit he raises some serious questions regarding the death of Diana, Dodi and their driver in 1997. Whether you love or hate the Royals, what he states is true (their history that is) and he sticks to the facts and only suggests an outcome based on factual evidence. The press hate him and so they should, he's pointed out just how manipulative and stupid they really are, this being the strength of the film. Until watching it I didn't even know that 'Unlawful Killing' was in fact the final verdict of the trial. Believe what you will but this is a real eye-opener but then it wouldn't be banned if there wasn't something to it!?