RED RIDING TRILOGY

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!


“To the North, where we do what we want.”  These words are spoken numerous times throughout the three films that comprise the mesmerizing Red Riding trilogy.  At the end of the first film, set in 1974, they’re spoken to the film’s young journalist protagonist right before he’s thrown off the back of a moving truck.  At the beginning of the third film (1980), they’re the basis for a toast, as a small tight knit group of West Yorkshire cops gather behind the scenes at the chief’s daughter’s wedding.  In the middle installment, they serve as a constant reminder to the film’s protagonist that anyone sticking their nose into the business of the West Yorkshire Police will not be dealt with lightly. 


Based on a series of novels by David Peace, Red Riding has been turned into a trilogy of films written by Tony Grisoni and directed by a very distinguished group of international filmmakers.  The films deal with a long string of serial murders, some involving children, and some based on the killings of the real life “Yorkshire Ripper” who murdered more than a dozen women between 1974 and 1983.  Employing a terrific cast of British actors including Peter Mullan, Paddy Considine and Rebecca Hall, Red Riding spreads a labryinthine net of seedy characters, corrupt cops and would be whistleblowers.  Each film was designed to stand alone, but also to function as part of a trilogy.  As an example of a modern noir, Red Riding is an impressive achievement, even if the whole isn’t always greater than the sum of it’s parts.


The first film (1974) opens with Eddie Dunford, (Andrew Garfield)a young journalist who has been assigned to investigate the murder of a young girl.  The killing appears to be similar to the deaths of several other children in the area over the past few years and Dunford attacks the case with zeal.  Soon he becomes involved with the victim’s mother (Rebecca Hall), but as the two of them grow closer, it becomes clear that the case goes much deeper than just a simple murder.  Beaten badly by the police, Dunford uncovers a link between the cops and powerful local businessman John Dawson (a chilling Sean Bean).  Dawson urges Dunford to stop investigating the case, and tries to pay him off by offering up a file full of incriminating photos of local government officials.  Dunford refuses, but his determination leads him down an increasingly dangerous path.


Of the three Red Riding movies, 1974 works best as a stand alone feature.  Andrew Garfield has charisma to burn as Dunford, and while Hall appears at first to be a typical femme fatale, we soon come to realize that she’s also been a victim in more ways than one.  Directed by Julian Jarrold, the film is perfectly paced and builds to an explosive climax.  Jarrold’s decision to shoot on 16mm also gives the movie a gritty feel that’s well suited to the time period.


The second film, 1980, deals most directly with the Yorkshire Ripper.  After a series of young women are murdered, public outrage is at a peak in West Yorkshire as the crimes continue to go unsolved.  To help soothe the public outcry, the police agree to have Cpt. Peter Hunter, an outsider from Manchester, come in with a task force to investigate the crimes.  Hunter is assigned a West Yorkshire liaison, Bob Craven (Sean Harris), who seems hellbent on doing everything in his power to stonewall the team.  Hunter is also haunted by a sense of unfinished business; he had been assigned to the Ripper case several years before, but had to leave when his wife suffered a miscarriage. His investigation is not made any easier by his attempts to brush off a past affair with one of his fellow officers..  Considine’s got a wonderful hangdog quality about him; a face you can trust.  His dogged determination is a nice counterpoint to Garfield’s youthful enthusiasm in 1974.  But when they dare to challenge the West Yorkshire police, both men’s efforts meet the same tragic results.


The 1980 installment, while still worthwhile, is the weakest of the three.  This may be due to the fact that two books are combined into one here.  (The studio’s budget only allowed for three films, so Peace’s 1977 book drew the short straw).  All three films rely on flashbacks to piece disparate elements of the narrative together, but their effect in the second movie seems muddled.  The actors all do fine work, but James Marsh’s direction lacks the fire that fuels the other two films.  The movie has some great moments, but overall it drags, in spite of being the shortest of the three.


Things come full circle in 1983, the concluding chapter.  Another young girl has gone missing, and for the first time we begin to see some cracks in the thin blue line of the West Yorkshire police.  Lt. Maurice Jobson (David Morrissey) begins the film with another attempt to keep the secrets of the force, but as he comes face to face with the damage police tactics have caused, he slowly turns away from the force and begins a personal quest for redemption.  He’s aided by attorney Mark Piggot (Mark Addy from “The Full Monty”), who gets dragged into the investigation when he’s asked to defend a mentally challenged young man who’s serving time for the murders due to a forced confession.  After many red herrings, dirty deals and violent encounters, the Red Riding trilogy delivers the closest thing it can muster to a happy ending: a young child who escapes her captors, and a protagonist who’s bruised and battered, but still standing.


Red Riding 1983 was directed by Anand Tucker, and he provides the film with a stylish flair and consistently striking imagery.  While Tucker doesn’t quite hit the heights that Jerrold achieves in 1974, he brings the series to a satisfying conclusion.   


Red Riding at times tries to cram too much in.  Grisoni tries hard to flesh out all his characters, but some of them fail to register, even when they’re carrying important pieces of the puzzle.  The storyline where a young male hustler known as BJ periodically pops up to give information feels underfed, and although Peter Mullan’s acting is excellent, as usual, he spends much of the films lurking in the shadows, which suggests a little too strongly that his priest character may not be what he seems.. 


Much more startling is how the films reveal how pure evil can lurk side by side with the banal.  For all of their good cop/bad cop routines, forced confessions and abuse of suspects, we eventually learn that the West Yorkshire police are in it for the money.  Their alliance with John Dawson revolves around his dreams of bringing a deluxe entertainment center to the area.  In 1974 Dawson rhapsodizes about a shopping center/bowling alley/movie theatre and hotel “all under the same roof”.  In the North, the West Yorkshire police “may do what they want’, but what they really want to do is retire.


Ridley Scott is currently working with Schindler’s List scribe Steven Zaillian to develop an American remake of Red Riding for Columbia Pictures, with an eye on a 2012 release.  IFC Films is giving U.S. audiences a chance to see the original.  The Red Riding Trilogy opens at the NuArt in West L.A. on February 12th, and will also be available via IFC On Demand. 

First Comment:

1. it can muster to a happy ending: a young child who escapes her captors, and a protagonist who’s bruised and battered, but still standing.

   Posted by flat pack manchester on 02/22 at 12:07 AM