The Hunt for Raoul Moat show is a true crime tale from the United Kingdom. Its story broke my heart with its tragic story. I am not exactly comfortable with the screen adaptation of this kind of heart-breaking tale.
Why?
Well, because it is a real-life crime incident that happened not so long ago, in 2010. The surviving family members of the intended and unintended victims of such horrific violent crime still live with its devastating consequences. I honestly wonder, how its innocent victims cope with such a scandalous tragedy that took something precious from their lives.
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The Hunt For Raoul Moat (UK/2023) Mini-Series:- details
| Genre | Crime, Drama |
| Original language | English (UK) |
| Released in | April 2023 |
| Season & Episodes | Season One (1) & Episodes (3) – 2023 |
| Cast | Lee Ingleby, Vineeta Rishi, Sonya Cassidy, Sally Messham, Matt Stokoe, etc. |
The Hunt For Raoul Moat (UK/2023) Mini-Series:- synopsis
Follows the police operation in 2010 to apprehend fugitive Raoul Moat (Matt Stokoe). He went to Northumbria (United Kingdom) after killing one person and wounding two others.
The Hunt For Raoul Moat (UK/2023) Mini-Series:- {Spoilers Free} review
Now, let’s leave that debate about its screen adaptation aside and instead focus on this mini-series about The Hunt For Raoul Moat, the despicable criminal and the innocent victims of his dastardly crimes.
Before I proceed with its reviews, let us keep in mind that Raoul Moat was an infamous criminal, whose criminal acts are still not forgotten by many people. The wounds given by him to the victims and their families are yet to be healed completely.
This mini-series tries to balance the story of Raoul Moat and his blameless victims in its three episodes.
So, it focuses most of its attention on police operations following the senseless acts of violence carried out by the hot-headed Raoul Moat. After killing one person and severely injuring other two people, Raoul Moat challenges the police force with his open defiance and public threats made using hand-written letters, modern social media, traditional newspapers and electronic media platforms. When the police close in on him, he escapes to Northumbria. Then the Police Force launched one of the largest manhunts in the United Kingdom (UK) to capture Raoul Moat. About 10 per cent of the armed police from England and Wales (UK) joined in the said manhunt for Raoul Moat. So, what happened to Raoul Moat?
In case, you wish to know about him then go ahead and read the spoiler shared below.
Focus:- {Spoilers Alert} Raoul Moat’s crimes and his fate in real-life
Focus on Raoul Moat’s criminal acts in this mini-series
A former body-builder Raoul Thomas Moat (Matt Stokoe) was not only a heavily built man with an intimidating physique (about 6ft 3in tall and 108 kg) but he also suffered from threatening anger issues. In the opening scene of this show, 37-year-old Raoul was shown inside the Durham Prison serving an 18-week sentence between February and July 2010. He was jailed for assaulting a 9-year-old relative of his.
Prior to his jail term, he was working as a panel beater, tree surgeon and bouncer. Also, he was excessively possessive about his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart (Sally Messham), with whom, he had a young daughter. He did not mend his way, even after a short jail term. Apparently, the short prison sentence failed to reform him. After Raoul Moat served his short prison sentence for domestic violence, he was released on 1st July 2010. So, the jail authorities flagged his threatening behaviour towards his ex-girlfriend Samantha and warned the local police.
But, the timely warnings about the violent proclivity of Raoul Moat got lost in the bureaucratic setup.
Just days after leaving the Durham Prison, Raoul Moat shot and injured Samantha Stobbart (22-year-old mother of a young child) and shot dead her boyfriend Chris Brown (mistaking him for a serving police officer) in Gateshead on 3rd July 2010. Later, in a cold-blooded manner, Raoul shot a traffic officer PC David Rathband who was finishing his shift in a marked patrol car in Newcastle on 4th July 2010. Consequently, Rathband lost his sight in both eyes and then he died by suicide in February 2012 after struggling to come to terms with his injuries.
After these violent acts, Raoul Moat started taunting the police, warning them that the police were not “taking him seriously enough” and then he went on about what he was going to do to them.
Police responded quickly with heavy manpower support to search for him. 160 armed officers were deployed to find Raoul Moat. In the search, at least 10 armoured anti-terrorist vehicles were shipped over from Northern Ireland while snipers, dogs, helicopters and even an RAF fighter jet were deployed too. A couple of days into the manhunt, police secretly recruited TV survival expert Ray Mears to help track Raoul Moat’s movements in Northumbria.
Focus on Raoul Moat’s fate in this mini-series
On 9th July 2010, Raoul was seen in Rothbury, Northumberland. So, the police team surrounded him and he could not escape. The 6-hour-long stand-off between the Police and Raoul ended when he used his gun to kill himself in the head. Following Raoul’s death, Police arrested several of his associates on suspicion of assisting him. Two of Raoul Moat’s friends – Karl Ness and his friend Qhuram Awan received life sentences for conspiracy to murder and attempted murder in the said criminal case.
The Hunt For Raoul Moat (UK/2023) Mini-Series:- poster
The Hunt For Raoul Moat (UK/2023) Mini-Series:- ratings
| FM’s rating | 3.75/5 |
| IMDb rating as of the date | 6.90/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes ratings as of the date | 50% Tomatometer |
| Carol Midgley / Rotten Tomatoes | A thoughtful, sensible telling of the monstrous 2010 rampage of this misogynistic, pudding-faced bully. |
The Hunt For Raoul Moat (UK/2023) Mini-Series:- trailer
The Hunt For Raoul Moat (UK/2023) Mini-Series:- conclusion
The shocking crime committed by trigger-happy Raoul Moat and the tension-filled chase by the police kept me engaged for a couple of hours. It is worth noting that the Raoul Moat incident happened in Britain, and its wounds are still fresh. The victims and their surviving family members are still trying to move on with their lives.
Honestly, I could not shake off my feelings for the real-life victims of this senseless crime, at least a couple of days even after I finished watching the show.
It is still haunting me, as it is based on a real-life criminal incident.
If you like the British mini-series based on real-life crimes and the police procedural drama, then do check out the Steeltown Murders mini-series, too. Lastly, if you wish to learn more about The Hunt for Raoul Moat, then you can perhaps check out The Hunt For Raoul Moat: The Case That Shocked The Nation – video on YouTube.
Featured & Other Images: The Hunt For Raoul Moat | IMDb.