The Playing Card Killer Review: The Spanish title for the crime docuseries is Baraja: La firma del asesino. Directed by Amanda Sans Pantling, the series is based on the brutal serial killings in Madrid in 2003. The documentary is produced by Cuarzo Producciones (Banijay Iberia), and Marga Luis is the Executive Producer. The documentary has 3 episodes of approximately 45 minutes and has English subtitles.
The Playing Card Killer Review Contains Spoilers
(Trigger Warning: Blood, Violence)
Twenty years ago, everyone in Spain’s Madrid was shaken by back-to-back killings of innocent people. The serial killer would ruthlessly murder an individual or two and leave a Spanish playing card next to their body. The cops, media and people were concerned about a peculiar serial killer who would leave no trace behind.
The docuseries has several individuals – journalists, lawyers, victims/victims’ family members and officers sharing their information, traumatic experience and the fear the case caused in 2003.
The Playing Card Killer caused a lot of tension as the investigative officers had no clue who was killing these people. They weren’t able to figure out any motive either. They could only confirm that a man used an illegal gun to commit crimes and left behind a playing card. A sketch was made with the help of some survivors, but that did no good.
The atmosphere was already stressful, and the media did no good. Under the disguise of reporting, the media channels dramatised the coverage, asking questions like, is it even safe to step out alone during odd hours?
However, some of the media madness did help to track down other murders that helped the officers to theorise that the same killer also committed them. Again, there was no proof. One of the victims, whose son was also killed at a bar she was working at, also helped the cops with details about how the killer looked. The result of the sketch was different from the previous ones. So were the cops dealing with two ruthless killers?
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The year 2003 was also the year of elections. So even the politicians played dirty with an arrest of a man that made no sense. But the victims and the victims’ families were not given any value or justice. However, one fine day, a man named Alfredo Galán Sotillo walked to the cops and confessed to the crimes and identified himself as the Playing Card killer.
For the investigating officers, it was a big relief. But everything that happened after Alfredo’s confession led to more chaos, suspicions and questions. The serial killer documentary shows that the outcome/result of the case wasn’t like most of them. It was sheer luck that saved everyone. But did it provide any consolation to the victims? It didn’t. Once you watch the documentary, you will realise how oddly scary the entire case is.
The Playing Card Killer Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, in 3 episodes, the documentary, made by the maker of Where is Martha on Netflix, keeps you engrossed. There’s a lot to take in – the victims’ account, the viewpoint of journalists, lawyers, and cops. It doesn’t exaggerate anything for viewing purposes. For some, it’s a lifetime trauma, and for the investigating officers, it was a case of sheer luck as the culprit himself came to them. It leaves you with a scary thought – What if Alfredo Galán had never walked and confessed? What mayhem would he have caused, with cops having zero knowledge about him, until he showed up himself?
If you relish binge-watching serial killer documentaries, you should definitely watch the series.
The crime documentary series is now streaming on Netflix.
Have you watched the documentary? Do let us know your thoughts on it in the comments section below.