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Very disappointing...

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

"Der Henker von London" or "The Mad Executioners" is a west German movie from 1963 and as this one is already over 50 years old, it is still a black-and-white film. The director is Edwin Zbonek, who is not too well-known anymore today, but some people may still have heard of Robert A. Stemmle who adapted the novel by Bryan Edgar Wallace. And the latter is the son of Edgar Wallace, who followed in his father's footsteps and is responsible for this mix of crime, drama and horror. The lead actor is Hansjörg Felmy and he is also still somewhat known today and movie buffs from Germany may be familiar with his name and also with Dieter Borsche and Werner Preiss. Sadly, this decent cast did not result in a quality movie in my opinion. The premise isn't bad about a group of vigilantes who killed (alleged) criminals, but the longer this 90-minute film runs, the more is loses focus I felt. At the end, I did not really care for anybody anymore, let alone the action and plot. This one does not stand out compared to other Wallace films (and there are quite a few), but then again i have never been a fan of these anyway. I f you like the Rialto films more than I do, then maybe you will even like this one. I give it a thumbs-down though. Not recommended.

The Mad Executioners actually has two seemingly unrelated plot lines. The first involves a powerful, but secret society operating outside official channels that has set up its own court of sorts. They hold trials, render verdicts, and carry out sentencing. Their cases seem to focus on criminals who have slipped through the loopholes of the regular system. But even though these criminals are quite guilty, Scotland Yard tends to frown on hanging people. The second plot line involves a serial killer who dumps headless corpses around London. A desperate detective decides to use his girlfriend as bait. But can he get to her before she becomes the next victim? Based on my limited experiences with these German-made thrillers, I would say The Mad Executioners is about average. When the film focuses on the secret trials and hangings, it's very good and quite interesting. The opening trial scene, for example, is very creepy with the unknown hooded judges and the foggy Thames hanging sight. But when the movie focuses on the serial killer, it doesn't work. The secret lab, for example, seems silly when compared with the serious tone of the rest of the movie. Not that cutting off someone's head isn't serious, but the serial killer's methods are overly elaborate. Until they converge in the end, these two disparate plot lines feel as if they're from different movies.Another big plus for me is the soundtrack. The Mad Executioners has that jazzy, smokey score that I've come to expect and enjoy in these krimis. The music sets just the right tone.While I've yet to find a German Edgar Wallace movie that knocks me off my feet, I think I'll keep looking. So far, I've found these movies enjoyable enough in their own unique way.

A band of hooded men have formed a court and they are exacting justice upon the criminals who have escaped the reach of the law. The sentence they exact is death by hanging. Using the hangman's rope from the Scotland Yard Museum they leave their victims hanging from various locations with a file detailing the case against them pinned to the body. Scotland Yard is stumped and have assigned their best man to break the case. Meanwhile another fiend is on the loose, one who is neatly severing the heads of young women. The bodies are found the heads are not.Made in Germany as part of the Edgar/Bryan Wallace series that ran through out the 1960's this is an atmospheric popcorn movie. This neat little thriller is based on Bryan Edgar Wallace's book The White Carpet. I'm not sure how much of the story is there or how much has been changed but whats on the screen is a really diversion. Say what you will about a plot that has two halves that really don't belong together, the movie manages to keep them both interesting. The film is heavy on mood and atmosphere with the dark night time photography making what ever German city this was filmed in seem like London in the fog. The look of the court of the "Executioner of London" is suitably creepy especially with all of the men decked out in black hooded robes (shots of the court in the trailer are what drew me to the film). The solution is probably not something you're going to work out completely, then again you really won't care since the film moves along at such a good clip it just carries you along.If there is any flaw in the film its that the two halves of the story never really seem to belong together. Its not giving anything away to say that the plot threads to cross but its a bit too neat and makes it feel almost contrived.Highly recommended for those dark and stormy nights or afternoons when you want to slip away into the foggy streets of London.

This is an above average Edgar Wallace thriller.Some creepy opening scenes set the pace. A hooded society passes judgement on criminals"beyond the reach of the law".They are hung and dumped into the Thames river.A hangman's rope from Scotland Yard is repeatedly stolen and used in the executions.Is there a member of Scotland Yard in the society? An inspector tries to find out.A phoney society is set up by criminals and quickly brought to an end.In the meantime a serial killer is beheading young women and absconding with their heads.The serial killer while tying into the society feels like it came out of another movie (a sci-fi flick).The killer is a scientist trying to attach living heads to a robot's body. This drags the film down from a being a superior film. All in all still a minor classic.