Red Riding Trilogy Movie Review

Three Dark Journeys

Difficult, dense, gritty and ambitious are just the first words that come to mind when pondering "The Red Riding Trilogy," three tough crime tales intended to be consumed as one whole entity. Adapted from British author David Peace's series of novels, three of England's top new(ish) directors each tackle one of the trilogy's chapters and all manage to make an individual stylistic impression while keeping the overall piece cohesive. Taking in all three films in one sitting (as I did) probably isn't the best way to absorb this material, not only because the flurry of details can tend to overwhelm, but also due to the films' pitch black tone. In short, this is grim, humorless stuff.

That's not to say, however, that the viewer isn't in for rewards if he/she can withstand the collective pounding the movies' dish out. All the films boast strong performances and the stories' layers of mystery can be captivating, as can the brutal corruption the film explores -- and some may feel exploits -- in explicit detail. Any character entering Peace's hellish world will not emerge without severe wounds.

Julian Jarrold ("Kinky Boots") helms part one, set in 1974 (a title card announces the year at the beginning of each film) Yorkshire, England, which focuses on newbie journalist Eddie Dunford's (Andrew Garfield) attempt to unravel the connection between the disappearances of three young girls in the area over the past few years. His investigation plunges him headfirst into a nightmare, which involves corrupt police, a man wrongly convicted of a crime, a shady businessman named John Dawson (Sean Bean) and the alluring single mother (Rebecca Hall) of one of the missing girls.

James Marsh ("Man on Wire") takes the directorial reigns for part 2, set in 1980. The Yorkshire Ripper has been on the prowl for six years, and a member of the Manchester Police, Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine), has been tabbed to lead an internal investigation into the Yorkshire Police's handling of the case. Not surprisingly, Hunter is met with stern resistance from the Yorkshire detectives. Further complicating matters for the married Peter is that he shares an illicit romantic past with one of the members of his team, Helen (Maxine Peake), which threatens to be exposed. Much like Eddie in 1974, Peter's path to the truth finds grave danger lurking in every corner.

Wrapping things up is the section set in 1983. Directed by Anand Tucker -- working in far different territory from his recent "Leap Year" -- the final chapter looks back on the events of '74 when another young schoolgirl goes missing. Taking center stage are detective Chief Superintendent Maurice Jobson (David Morrissey), who heads up the investigation into the missing girl, and John Piggot (Mark Addy), a lawyer who is asked to represent the man allegedly wrongly jailed for one of the '74 crimes. Jobson, who also worked on the '74 case, struggles mightily with a newfound conscience that finally begins to take issue with his police department's hideous abuse of power.

It's understandable if at several points in the trilogy viewers feel the movies' primary purpose is to beat them up. The brutality and torture eventually become expected, but it doesn’t lessen the impact. There's nothing titillating about the violence and as the final film winds to a close, it simply gets draining to watch the misery depicted on screen.

The three films are shot on different formats, with Jarrold's grainy 16mm adding a further edge to the opening chapter. "1974" also goes down relatively easily thanks to Andrew Garfield's Eddie Dunford, who is by far the most charismatic, likeable character we meet. Shot in 35mm, the polished "1980" feels similar to an episode of a BBC miniseries, which should be read as a compliment. Unfortunately, the best isn't saved for last as Tucker's "1983," shot on the digital Red camera, is left with the unenviable task of trying to tie up the story and can't quite stop itself from getting buried beneath the loose ends.

Screenwriter Tony Grisoni admirably adapted the books (Peace's series also included a 1977 novel) and does well to make the films gel to the degree that they do (in the big scheme they're still pretty confusing). Other characters such as Reverend Martin Laws (Peter Mullan), veteran police officer Bill Molloy (Warren Clarke) and street hustler BJ (Robert Sheehan) also play vital roles throughout the trilogy.

"The Red Riding Trilogy" is an endurance test to say the least, but the sheer scope of the work is enough to impress. Like the best true crime novels, it effectively paints a portrait of humanity at its worst, which speaks to the films' penchant for being simultaneously captivating and off-putting. Only those with thick skin will be able to digest all five hours of this exceedingly hard-boiled opus.