Red Riding Trilogy
User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11

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  1. Nesbitt10
    Feb 28, 2013
    8
    Set against a backdrop of serial murders during 1974-1983, including the Yorkshire Ripper killings, the books and films follow several recurring fictional characters through a bleak and violent world of multi-layered police corruption and organized crime. "Red Riding: 1974" sets up a fantastic trilogy- but can viewed, as it stands on it's own. Much of what becomes background material for the second and third films works effectively as the main story for this movie. "The "Red Riding Trilogy" is gritty and brutal--an immersive viewing experience. Over the course of 302 minutes, we are sucked into a virtual world of corrupt police and establishment figures of West Yorkshire in England. In 1974, Eddie Dunford (Andrew Garfield), a young reporter from the Yorkshire Post, tries to find information on a series of missing girls. Meanwhile, John Dawson (Sean Bean), a local businessman and developer, bribes members of the West Yorkshire Constabulary (WYC) and local councillors into letting him purchase local land and gain permission for a shopping centre he has planned. This is done by burning down a Roma camp previously existing in the area. One of the murdered girls is found on Dawson's land, having been tortured, raped, and strangled, with swan wings stitched into her back. Young, and naive, Dunford pushes his investigation into dangerous areas after being forewarned to stay away. "Red Riding: 1974" is a bit of a challenge, and is not easily summarized--and it demands constant viewer attention. A two-minute trip to the kitchen could end up costing you dearly. For American audiences, there is an additional problem--the accents are so thick that it can be difficult to decipher dialogue and entire passages may be missed. There are versions of the trilogy with subtitles that help tremendously. Only in the third and final chapter of the trilogy, "Red Riding: 1983"-- all the pieces of the dark puzzle finally find its place--revealing the terrifying truth behind the disappearance of the girls.… Collapse

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Joshua Rothkopf
    60
    This is meat-and-potatoes genre work, certainly superior to a Hollywood product like "Edge of Darkness," but not by much.
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  2. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Nick Pinkerton
    50
    The fact that the films hang together at the brink of incoherence is a credit to the assembled acting talent. Rebecca Hall and Maxine Peake deserve note, oases in this nasty, masculine world.
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  3. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    83
    Red Riding’s depiction of the avarice and corruption possible when regions become kingdoms unto themselves feels simultaneously cynical and true.
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