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Andrew Garfield plays Yorkshire Post crime correspondent Eddie Dunford in Red Riding 1974.

Mar 17, 2010 By Aaron Passman Photography by Courtesy of IFC Films Web Exclusive

Early in the final film of the Red Riding trilogy, all which takes place in the northern English county of Yorkshire, a high-ranking police chief offers a toast: "To the north, where we do what we want." That's a fitting summation of the series, which examines loyalty, police corruption, journalistic ethics and more during investigations into multiple series of killings in Yorkshire between 1969 and the early '80s. Complete with an expansive story line and a sprawling cast, the Red Riding trilogy is just about as bleak as crime dramas get, with little closure and even less absolution.

Made for British television as three separate films (subtitled 1974, 1980 and 1983), Red Riding was adapted from the literary quartet of same name by novelist David Peace (a fourth film, based on 1977, was reportedly scrapped for financial reasons). The first film, 1974 (directed by Julian Jarrold), sets the tone for the series, introducing us to working class Yorkshire and the people that populate it. But, from the looks of 1974, the vast majority of those people are either a) corrupt, b) dead, or c) somewhere on their way to being one or the other.

As the nearly five-hour series begins, we're introduced to Eddie Dunford (Andrew Garfield), a Yorkshire native recently returned from an ill-fated stint in the south. Taking on the job of crime correspondent for the Yorkshire Post, Dunford is quick to recognize that a recent child abduction and murder bears striking similarities to similar unsolved crimes from years before. But, as his investigation carries on, he finds few things in Yorkshire to be on the up-and-up, particularly the relationship between the police and real estate magnate John Dawson (a very sinister Sean Bean), whose hold may even extend to the Post.

Interestingly, the middle link in the Red Riding chain, 1980 (directed by James Marsh), is the strongest of the bunch. Picking up six years after where the first film left off (and skipping over the events of the 1977 novel), the film focuses on Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine), a Manchester police officer called in to conduct an internal investigation as into why the notorious serial killer the Yorkshire Ripper hasn't been caught yet. Flashbacks fill in the gaps between the films as well as introduce the viewer to new characters, such as Hunter, who's got his own share of demons to contend with on top of his job duties.

Rounding out the series is 1983 (directed byAnand Tucker), which returns us to much of the action contained in the first film. It's a decade later and another young girl has gone missing. Where Yorkshire villages like Fitzwilliam once seemed squeaky-clean suburbs, over time they've been reduced to a step above slum status, a metaphor for the county in general and its constabulary in particular. This time the action focuses on Yorkshire cop Maurice Jobson (David Morrissey); BJ (Robert Sheehan), a young street hustler; Reverend Laws (Peter Mullan), and attorney John Piggott (Mark Addy). As the trilogy progresses to its resolution, we're reunited with characters from across the series, revealing more secrets and backstory throughout.

If it all sounds convoluted...well, it kind of is. But with more than 1,000 pages of source material, it would be a bigger problem if it weren't. The multi-layered storyline, with all its side plots and diversions, gives the proceedings the feeling of a novel well adapted to the screen, even if the mechanics of the whole thing don't always work. Regardless of its flaws, the trilogy is carried off with enough precision that it never gets too bogged down in its own mythology. Follow the protagonist in each film and you'll be fine.

Among Red Riding's greatest assets is its multitudinous cast. Granted, each film has one or two protagonists at the center of the action, but for the most part those characters are largely left out of the other films; as such, the side characters truly form the core of the story, providing the real mechanics of the action as they move in and out of each film.

One of the greatest hurdles facing the series is that each segment was helmed by a different director,[you should establish somewhere which director is attached to which film] which makes the proceedings feel less like one film in three parts (as it should) and more like three separate films. That's compounded by the fact that 1980 is the only film of the three really fit to stand on its own (though it should by no means be viewed that way). One of 1974's biggest problems is that it only feels like half a film, with 1983 serving as the second half, offering the closure and completing the full narrative arc that the first movie lacks.

Though filmed in 16mm, 35mm and HD, respectively, the three independent pictures all make nods to one another through cues, such as shot constructions repeated from film to film (or with slight variances for point-of-view) and similar visual motifs. Fitting for crime films of their era, cigarettes abound, and the first two films overflow with smoke-filled rooms that choke out any natural light seeking its way in. Yet, by the end of the third film, light streams in everywhere--a nice touch, if a bit heavy handed.

The Red Riding trilogy isn't perfect, but anyone interested in serious crime dramas from overseas should seek it out. It never entirely succeeds at what it sets out to do, but at least it's got the room to breathe as it tries. Rumor has it that Ridley Scott is being looked at to direct an American version that pares it all down to one movie. That's a bad idea: while Red Riding is stocked with English actors and thick northern dialects, it's not exactly a foreign film (though at times the accents can be difficult). If this was something completely unfamiliar to American audiences, then a remake might be called for, but it's all perfectly accessible, provided the viewer doesn't mind a heavy accent along with their bleak and grizzly crime dramas. (http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/the-red-riding-trilogy)

Red Riding currently is playing in selected cities and is available on demand via some cable services.

Author rating: 6/10