'Manhunt' review — Robert Icke's bold Royal Court debut about the life of Raoul Moat

Read our review of Manhunt, written and directed by Robert Icke, now in performances at the Royal Court through 3 May.

Writer-director Robert Icke’s latest project might seem a strange one. After reinventing the classics in 2024 with Player Kings and a modern-day Oedipus — which secured a Best Revival win at the Olivier Awards only a few days ago — he heads to the Royal Court for the first time with a new play inspired by a grim, true crime story: the 2010 manhunt for fugitive Raoul Moat.

It is a bizarre (who could forget the arrival of footballer Paul Gascoigne at the crime scene?) and upsetting piece of history — and one that is a challenge to pitch sensitively. How do you present Moat, who took the life of one man, permanently blinded another (leading to their eventual suicide), and almost killed his ex-girlfriend? An ITV drama has already grappled with this challenge on screen, and now is the turn of the ever fearless Icke, who treads that line between artistic licence and truth.

Manhunt delves into the factors that could have helped to shape Moat’s actions, from an unstable childhood and absent father, to police profiling and steroid use — there’s even a strange monologue about the pressures of being a man in society, reminiscent of America Ferrera’s speech about women in Barbie. The play also looks at his toxic, unhealthy relationship with women, which is powerfully captured when Moat (played by Samuel Edward-Cook) aggressively grabs girlfriend Samantha’s (Sally Messham) face, the music stalling as, a moment later, he melts into a loving embrace. Moat’s violence is twinned with affection, and while this play may not hold the answer for his decisions, it does show the danger posed by a man unable to control his building rage.

Edward-Cook is impressive as the bald-headed, bicep-flexing Moat, using every part of his imposing figure to channel aggression and physical power. He opens the play pacing the stage like a trapped animal, Ash J Woodward’s video design confining him further as it projects real-time, CCTV-style aerial footage of Edward-Cook on a screen. The video design also effectively shows how toxic online spaces can be for isolated men, as Facebook and Twitter posts filled with self-loathing are emblazoned across the stage. Their inclusion sends out a clear message in an era of Andrew Tate.

Manhunt keeps the story firmly centred on the perpetrator of these crimes, rather than its victims, but it does include an extended visceral scene in which the blinded PC David Rathband’s voice fills a pitch black theatre, the lights extinguished so the audience also temporarily lose their sight. The sensory deprivation is unsettling and effective.

There’s no doubt Manhunt stretches the bounds of artistic licence, with one of the play’s most engaging moments being an imagined conversation between Moat and Gascoigne (who, in reality, was denied access at the scene). But in some ways the show’s fascinating, real history also seems to limit it, with the recreation of events often feeling expositional.

Unlike James Graham’s Punch at the Young Vic, we don’t root for this damaged character — any feelings of sympathy for his past are overwhelmed by the knowledge of what he goes on to do. But Manhunt, like Netflix’s Adolescence, asks interesting questions about male violence, where it stems from, and how it can be controlled. Icke’s Royal Court debut is certainly thought-provoking.

Book Manhunt tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Samuel Edward-Cook in Manhunt at the Royal Court. (Photo courtesy of production)