Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980

The second part of the RED RIDING trilogy takes up the storyline three years later. The eventual capture of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, serves to muddy the waters of investigation but a new detective aims to get to the bottom of the conspiracy.

It's like the first film, but not. This is more of a police procedural, which may well be because of the detective lead (Considine gives a solid performance here). Once again, police corruption is the order of the day as we finally learn just how deep it goes.

It suffers a little from being the middle film in a trilogy - thus only a few loose ends are tied up here - but makes up for that with an ultra-frightening performance from Sean Harris (ISOLATION) as one of the most disturbed coppers you'll ever see on screen.

A team of investigators attempt to stop a serial killer known as the Yorkshire Ripper from claiming his next victim, but uncover something far more terrifying.

I really appreciate this story being set in the time of the Yorkshire Ripper. That gives me something familiar, but not something overdone. And although the focus seems to be on a team of detectives trying to track the Ripper, this is more or less just a jumping off point, because it never seems like the story is heading towards a resolution at a quick pace.

(In real life, West Yorkshire Police were criticised for the time they took in apprehending the real killer, despite interviewing him nine times during the murder hunt. Owing to the sensational nature of the case, they were having to handle an exceptional volume of information, some of it misleading, including a hoax recorded message and letters purporting to be from the "Ripper". So the pace is not inaccurate.) This is a good film, but somehow never seems to reach the level of part one. This may be my bias, though, as I prefer journalists over detectives... but even the feel is off. It seems like James marsh was going in and out of documentary mode, while the previous film just wanted to tell a good story.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Detective Peter Hunter (Paddy Constantine) is assigned to head a Covert investigation into the West Yorkshire Police's handling on the Yorkshire Ripper case, authorized by the Home Secretary. He handpicks two of the best associates he knows, including one he was once romantically linked with, and the investigation starts. A prostitute, seemingly another Ripper victim, puts a dramatic turn on things when Hunter learns of her history with the head of the police force years ago and this leads to a dramatic twist involving corruption, betrayal and murder.

The Yorkshire Police's handling of the Ripper enquiry was notoriously criticized at the time it was going on, and provides an interesting, if questionable, backdrop for this superior second part of the Red Riding trilogy. The only part of the series to deviate from the original story into something completely different, it's a dour and humourless affair but at least there is a clear and intelligent story to follow here, that doesn't get too lost in deep, dark monologues and moody atmosphere.

In the lead role, Constantine fits the material with a straight laced and serious demeaneur that is matched by the rest of the supporting cast. Hopefully, the relatives of the Ripper's victims didn't find it too disrespectful but this is quite possibly the most well made and gripping part of the story. ***

"Red Riding: 1980" follows more or less the same formula as the first installment: an illicit sexual relationship complicates an investigation--and provides a disturbing commentary on, a series of grisly crimes against women. "Red Riding: 1980" introduces a new main character: Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine), a "clean" Manchester cop being brought in to investigate the local police force's handling of the high-profile "Yorkshire Ripper" case. To date, 13 women have been killed by what is presumed to be one person, but there have been no arrests and little progress. (Events in this movie are loosely based on an infamous real-life case.) Peter's hand- picked team includes two past associates: the businesslike John Nolan (Tony Pitts) and Helen Marshall (Maxine Peake), with whom he previously had an affair. Hunter gets little help but plunges ahead, discovering that one of the 13 victims may have a different killer.

Hunter begins to the investigation, thinking it has something to do with his previous visit to Yorkshire in 1974, when he rubbed the local authorities the wrong way while investigating a shooting. As Detective Hunter delves deeper into the case, it becomes increasingly obvious that incompetence isn't likely to blame for the lack of progress made by Yorkshire police.

The acting in "Red Riding: 1980" is improved from it's predecessor. Paddy Considine is an established, respected actor and it shows in his performance. The members of the supporting cast, with the exception of Maxine Peake, are solid. Warren Clarke is very good at being an utterly despicable villain despite limited screen time. This second film, directed by "Man on Wire" James Marsh, was shot in 35mm widescreen. The more polished look however, does nothing to diminish the ominous atmosphere- -or the sense of oppression accompanying the setting. In all three films,

Though the films--each by a different director--share some of the same characters, there's no epic build from one episode to the next. Rather, after each part concludes, the next more or less begins from a standing start. "Red Riding: 1980" is the movie in which the trilogy comes into its own. Gone is the uneven pacing associated with the first film. The film itself is sturdier than it's predecessor especially as its pace tightens with Marsh displaying a palpable mastery of tension. This production starts at a high level and proceeds on a clear and strong trajectory. It tells its own story while at the same time expanding the canvas of the overall tale. The ending completes the individual arc--but leaves the viewer yearning for more. It's hard to imagine anyone watching this film not seeking the time and opportunity to see the final volume of the trilogy.

I'm assuming you have watched "Red Riding 1974" before you watch this movie or read this review. I'm saying this, because I will talk about the first part of the trilogy as if you've seen it. So while Garfields character is "gone", we get a new main character played by Paddy Considine. And while many might know him playing comedies, he definitely is up to the task at hand here.

This one feels quite a bit different tonally then the first one. While the characters remain appalling (new ones and the known ones from part one), it still has a dark appeal to those who get involved in it. But through all that, I still felt that it wasn't as good as the first one. I thought the first one was more to the point, whereas this one tries to connect and tell a new story. Still very good and if you have seen the first one, you surely have to see this one too. And as another reviewer said, if you like movies like Zodiac (Finchers one), than you will love this one.