Steeltown Murders is a good detective series that manages to combine an interesting premise with a solid execution. How do you find a killer who's been dead for years? Steeltown Murders addresses that question using the true story of the Saturday Night Strangler. In 1973, this individual murdered at least three teenage girls around his hometown in Wales, but was never caught. Only when the investigation was reopened in 2002 and DNA technology was used, did the now deceased perpetrator come into the picture. In Steeltown Murders we see how the police deal with these murder cases in both 1973 and 2002.
Philip Glenister steals the show
We mainly follow police officers Paul Bethell (Philip Glenister, Life on Mars) and Phil Rees (Steffan Rhodri, Gavin & Stacey), who were both involved in the investigation in 1973 and 2002. The younger versions of Bethell and Rees are played by Scott Arthur (Da Vinci's Demons) and Sion Alun Davies (Hidden (2018)) respectively. Both actor duos are very strong and have pleasant interactions. Despite a not-very-convincing Welsh accent, it is mainly Philip Glenister who steals the show. He has played a stubborn detective before and here he just does the trick again.
These actors also create a very nice contrast between the storylines from 1973 and 2002. In the 1970s, people are still hopeful that the perpetrator will be caught. This hope slowly turns into despair and finally defeat when it doesn't. When the research continues after thirty years, a similar sense of hope arises, but at the same time also a form of cynicism. This is particularly evident in the storyline about the stepfather of one of the victims (Keith Allen, Robin Hood) who has long been seen as a prime suspect.
The murder case from this series makes everything very unusual
Due to the circumstances, this is not a typical detective. You know it's going to be 30 years before they identify the culprit. Also, in the contemporary storyline, it soon becomes clear who the suspected perpetrator is. The process of collecting evidence to provide a definitive answer is particularly prominent here. There are no thrilling manhunts or frantic chases. What the makers have made exciting is waiting for permission to take DNA and the question of whether the main suspect has indeed done it.
Because this fact is so special, the series has some trouble getting started. In the first episode, quite a lot has to be set up and the jumping back and forth between 1973 and 2002 sometimes makes the series difficult to follow. But once the series has got going a bit and you as a viewer are used to the style and pace of the series, it looks good.
Like many detectives these days, Steeltown Murders has something to set itself apart. It can't even be compared to other series about cold cases. Although that creates the necessary challenges on a creative level, it is very nice viewing material.
