Red Riding Trilogy (2009) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Drama | Mystery

Three films, one overwhelming experience. David Peace's acclaimed novels become what The New Yorker calls "a mammoth, sensationally violent and beautiful five-hour movie." Utilizing recurring characters and events, The Red Riding Trilogy recounts three series of gruesome crimes over a turbulent decade in Northern England.

Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 -- A rookie journalist looks to solve the increasingly vexing case of a serial killer on the loose. -- IMDb

Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1980 -- Police corruption interferes with the search for a killer in Yorkshire, England. Based on David Peace's novel "Nineteen Eighty". -- IMDb

Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1983 -- The seemingly untouchable, corrupt West Yorkshire police, and the true evil mastermind behind the child abductions and murders of the last 14 years, can't resist doing it again. Against them, a fat useless lawyer, and one remorseful copper. -- IMDb

User Comment: druid333-2 from United States, 30 March 2010 o The year is 1974. Great Britain has pretty much (all but) cast off the whole mellow, groovy hippie glow of the late 1960's (and is pretty much unaware of the punk movement that is to envelope "merrie old England" within the next couple of years), unemployment is rampant & most folk are listening to the likes of Mott The Hoople, T-Rex, David Bowie, etc. A pedophile murderer, that is being called the Yorkshire Slasher has been terrorizing the citizens of Yorkshire for the past five years, and it's up to newbie journalist, Eddie Dunford to get the facts on the who,what,when,where & especially the why on why young schoolgirls are being murdered. What he gets in the interim of uncovering information is far more than what he expected: police corruption, political graft (with deep ties to organized crime),and other nastiness. 'Red Riding 1974' (or as it is better known in the United Kingdom as 'Red Riding: In The Year Of Our Lord 1974')is the first part of a three part series, which itself is a powder keg of a "who dunnit" that will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing what happens next (suggestion: hit the mens or ladies room before the film starts & avoid that jumbo soft drink, so that you won't have to miss out on anything, because you had to make a dash for the 'loo'). Julian Jarrold, who directed the superb 'Brideshead Revisited' & 'Becomming Jane', directs a very well paced thriller from a screenplay by Tony Grisoni, adapted from the celebrated novel by David Peace. Rob Hardy's,oh so fine cinematography goes for both gloss & grit, while Andrew Hulme's razor tight editing keeps the pace (and pulse)going. Andrew Gardfield plays journalist Eddie Dunford (who looks like he just stepped down from his other gig singing for Roxy Music),a young man who descends down a dark labyrinth where there is no escape. The rest of the cast is rounded out by the likes of David Morrissey, Warren Clarke, Jennifer Hennessy, Rachael Jane Allen, and others. I await the other two chapters with anticipation. Not rated by the MPAA, this film contains pervasive strong language, strong sexual content, nudity, violence, some of which is quite brutal & bloody, some rather lurid photographs that depict the Yorkshire ripper's dirty work on display, and much smoking & drinking of alcohol. Leave the little ones home for this one.

Summary: Phase One: The Dye Is Cast.

User Comment: ben_cg from United Kingdom, 18 March 2009 o The second film in the Red-Riding trilogy is another haunting almost hallucinatory tale of revenge and justice. Paddy Considine is excellent as the slightly cerebral and introspective officer assigned to review the failing investigation into the Yorkshire ripper, and the whole cast give performances of a very high class. The shocking corruption of the Yorkshire police revealed in the first film now intertwines into the real life history of the ripper's crimes and the bumbling investigation which was still fixated on the (hoax) tapes and letters in a fascinating but terrifying way.

It feels like a lot of material is woven into the film which expects you to pay attention and work stuff out. Having said this I found the film easy to watch, it didn't drag at all but like many great films it requires you to think a little. I really will need to see it a second time to try and piece together all of the threads, this is dense and exciting storytelling - perhaps not for everybody but hopefully this will find the audience it deserves.

Some say that the corrupt police story is too fantastic, but we know for a fact that some people were fitted up (via beatings and falsifying/withholding evidence by the police) for major crimes during this period (Birmingham Six, Guildford Four etc.) and that some police such as the Vice squad in London were running a very lucrative protection racket in Soho with senior officers (DCS) directly involved. Without giving away the plot the story here only goes slightly further and seems 'believable enough' to me.

Although essentially produced as 'TV Movies' the first two films (and I expect the 3rd to be the same) have been of a higher standard than about 95% of film releases, I strongly urge anyone who likes intelligent crime noir to see these films if you get the chance.

Summary: Challenging but brilliant material.

User Comment: in-the-fade from the Mad Hatter's tea party., 19 March 2010 o Here we have the final chapter of the this turbulently dark and maturely free-flowing three part mini-series, picking up three years after the second chapter, the story for 1983 might be a little convoluted (with the plot digging further into past events --- where some passages are set-up flashbacks leading us to even more surprises) it still was a fulfilling, harrowing and exciting way to close it off. It might not reach the heights of the first two chapters, as it came down a notch but for me it didn't disappoint and remained just as acceptably engaging as the previous entries.

1983 sets the story that another young girl has vanished from the same area, where nine years earlier (set-up in the first chapter; 1974) a young girl's mutilated dead body was found with angel wings. Detective Maurice Jobson was originally on the case with an autistic man Michael Mishkin being accused of the murder/s, but now of this new development the family of the accused seeks the help from dreary lawyer John Piggott to get an appeal. At first hesitant, but Piggott learns some astonishing facts from Michael about police brutality and corruption at the core. There he goes on trying to take on the Yorkshire police on his own. While Detective Jobson seems to be having a change of heart and starts digging in to the case wanting to do the correct thing, which some of his fellow officers begin questioning.

1983 pretty much follows on from 1974, as while 1980 seemed there more so there to connect/hold together some issues that worked its way in. The sprawling plot brings together all the pieces (child abuse, serial murders and police corruption) to put them as one; as every little detail, lead and revelation about this deeply crafted and intelligent crime story comes to a conclusion. Recurring characters seem to find themselves being wrapped up too and it actually centers more on the endlessly brutal actions of the police behind closed doors. The story was never about the bigger picture of police corruption and violence, but just a small note of it with how this case (and also Yorkshire ripper) was manipulated for self-gain and power… the series focused on that aspect.

Here the narrative for the last chapter is about someone trying to make a difference, no matter how much they're out of their league or badly tainted. This can be seen from the viewpoint of two central characters; lawyer John Piggott and Detective Maurice Jobson. Both have regrets and troubled minds, but see this crusade to not turn a blind eye and at least add a touch of hope amongst such bleak, unflinching and fearful circumstances. David Morrisey had lesser roles in the early films, but this one its all about his character's transformation in what is a superbly reflective performance as Jobson. Mark Addy is also outstanding as lawyer Piggott. The support is up to game with brilliant show-ins by Warren Clarke, Jim Carter, Daniel Mays and Peter Mullan.

Director Anand Tucker just like the other additions captures the times through place and time, embarking with a visually crisp look but never forgetting the glassy and hardened edge that made this series an uneasy and challenging viewing. What always left a mark with me throughout the series, were the music scores and this chapter was no exception. Gloomy, but soulful and emotionally tailored.

An unforgettable and stimulating TV crime drama.

Summary: Red Riding: 1983.

[CSW] -3- Not being British I found some of the dialogue hard to follow and couldn't immediately identify who was who when a new episode started primarily because of flashbacks and the fact that I wasn't familiar with the actors. Still every part of this trilogy held my interest from beginning to end. It was a very engaging crime drama with enough twists, turns, and wronged people. It was very good story telling and I bet the acclaimed novels are even better. If you want a crime movie that you can become fully immersed in this will be just your cup of tea.
[V3.5-A3.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

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