Red Riding: 1974

In England’s working class West Yorkshire region, public corruption is so systemic, it makes New Jersey look like a paragon of civic virtue. Such is the picture that emerges in David Peace’s Red Riding quartet, a series of four closely linked Yorkshire-based crime novels. What were four books became three films produced for British television, all adapted by screenwriter Tony Grisoni and largely sharing the same cast, but helmed by different directors. For one-week only, all three films screen theatrically back-to-back (with two intermissions) in a special Red Riding Roadshow presentation exclusively at New York’s IFC Center, which includes free popcorn and a collector’s program all for a mere $25.

As Julian Jarrold’s Red Riding 1974 (trailer here) opens, viewers should not put too much faith in rookie reporter Eddie Dunford. With two more films to go in the cycle, it is doubtful he will be able to purge Yorkshire’s corruption right from the get-go. Having made a hash of his previous big city journalism gig, he hardly seems the man for the job anyway. Still, along with his obsessive colleague Barry Gannon, Dunford might be one of the few reporters willing to challenge the compromised Yorkshire police force.

Sensing a scoop, Dunford identifies similarities in several abductions of young Yorkshire girls suggesting the work of a serial predator. In pursuing the story, Dunford somehow gets involved with Paula Garland, the still grieving mother of the long missing Jeanette. Meanwhile, Gannon has muck-raked a thick file on the shady dealings of local real estate mogul John Dawson, a committed Labour man, because unlike Conservatives, they stay bought. When the not-so-paranoid-after-all Gannon turns up dead, Dunford realizes both Dawson and his allies in the Yorkshire force might be implicated in both their investigations.

Of the three films comprising Red Riding, 1974 is probably the weakest link because its central protagonist is so problematic. Granted, his inexperience and rashness are well established, but every choice he makes are glaringly obvious mistakes, which often strains the film’s credibility as a result. Indeed, such immaturity hardly makes for a likable character, though too be fair, Dunford has his moments.

Jarrold’s feverish style is not necessarily the best approach for this gritty material, but he does convey a sense of the dreariness of 1970’s Yorkshire, a landscape dominated by ominous looking nuclear reactors. 1974’s strongest asset might be a rich supporting cast that personifies the seedy character of the series. Eddie Marsan is spot-on perfect as Jack Whitehead, Dunford’s alcoholic rival on the Yorkshire crime beat, while Warren Clarke exudes appropriate malevolence as DCS Bill Molloy, Red Riding’s Darth Vader.

1974 is a fair beginning to a great trilogy that really catches fire with James Marsh’s 1980. While the second film largely stands on its own as well, viewers of the concluding 1983 will probably be lost if they have not first seen 1974. Taken altogether, the intricate and chewy Red Riding trilogy is a really satisfying cinematic experience. The Roadshow starts at the IFC Center this Friday (2/5), with individual screenings beginning the week following (2/12).

Red Riding: 1980

Within the Red Riding trilogy, James Marsh’s 1980 (trailer here) could be considered the Empire Strikes Back. Not only is it the darkest film of the series, it also happens to be the best installment and would still be considered a superior motion picture had it been released independently of the Red Riding project.

The Yorkshire Police always get their man, usually by beating out a confession. Sadly though, when real investigatory work is required, it seems they are a bit out of their league. After six years of unabated murders, the so-called Yorkshire Ripper is still at large, taunting the police with apparent impunity. Out of patience, the Home Office dispatches Manchester Assistant Chief Constable Peter Hunter to investigate the investigation.

Hunter knows he is walking into a lion’s den. He briefly ran an internal inquiry into the bloody events that concluded Red Riding: 1974, until personal problems forced his premature departure. He knows there will not be a lot of love waiting for him in Yorkshire. Facing open hostility from the Yorkshire force, Hunter only trusts John Nolan and Helen Marshall, the two detectives he brought from Manchester. Unfortunately, the honest cop might be undone by his own secrets.

In Red Riding’s standout performance, Paddy Considine is an achingly earnest but highly flawed everyman, endowing Hunter with a quality of classical tragedy. Likewise, Marsh, best known for helming the remarkable documentary Man on Wire, proves without question to be the director best attuned to the noir material. His gritty, unsentimental approach is reminiscent of the jaundiced films of the 1970’s, clearly connecting public corruption and private vice, without overselling the point (as the other two films sometimes do). He also shows a deft touch with the thriller elements, never really telegraphing the film’s big haymaker of a final twist.

1980 might be a grimly pessimistic view of humanity, but it is richly satisfying as cinema. Tautly constructed with some riveting screen performances, it is a great crime drama. It is also stands alone just about as well as the 1974, so if you only see one film in the trilogy, it should be Marsh’s 1980. It opens in New York as part of IFC’s special Roadshow presentation of all three films for one week this Friday (2/5), and will screen separately the following week.

Red Riding: 1983

If the thoroughly corrupt Yorkshire police have one virtue it is their lack of pretense. As Anand Tucker’s concluding Red Riding: 1983 opens, DCS Bill Molloy offers a toast that pretty much says it all: “To the North, where we do what we want.” Indeed, corruption appears so pervasive throughout the Yorkshire depicted in the Red Riding film trilogy, only outsiders have been willing to challenge it. Such initially seems to be the case again in Tucker’s 1983 (trailer here), which opens tomorrow as part of IFC’s special Red Riding Roadshow presentation.

As a solicitor, John Piggott does not inspire confidence, looking more King of Queens than Perry Mason. However, since his mother’s death brought him back to Yorkshire, he may well be the only uncompromised legal counsel in the region. Reluctantly, he accepts an appeal that will open many old wounds.

While Piggott serves as the unlikely hero of 1983, DCS Maurice Jobson emerges as the protagonist of the entire Red Riding cycle. Though only a supporting player in the first two films, his character has been a party to some terrible deeds. Though he rebuffs Piggott’s initial inquiries, Jobson’s gnawing conscience puts him increasingly at odds with the rest of the force.

In a pronounced departure from Marsh’s 1980, Anand’s style at time borders on the operatic, yet it often suits the film’s theme of redemption—real redemption, not the cheap Hollywood variety. Indeed, 1983 has moments that are quite arresting, though there are also stylistic excesses, including the addition of some pretentious interior monologue voice-overs. The revelation of one particular villain also is such a movie cliché it will hardly come as any surprise to viewers.

Still, 1983 is a very strong film distinguished by two quite intense performances from Mark Addy and David Morrissey as Piggot and Jobson, respectively. Addy makes quite a sympathetic protagonist, but maintains credibility as an educated solicitor rather than coming across as a sitcom loser, regardless of the unprepossessing figure he cuts. In the critical role of the film cycle, Morrissey deftly projects Jobson’s inner turmoil, convincingly setting the stage for Red Riding’s big emotional payoff.

Red Riding might not do much to promote Yorkshire tourism, but it is well worth the nearly five hour cinematic trip. Though a very good film, viewers who have not seen the prior two films should be cautioned they may not fully appreciate the significance of many scenes in 1983. Regardless, it is a well made, finely acted conclusion to a notably ambitious film cycle. The Red Riding Roadshow opens this Friday (2/5) in New York at the IFC Center, for one week only. Individual Red Riding screenings will commence the week following.