Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980 (2009)

Movie Info

This could be a clue!!!

The Yorkshire Ripper murders are causing a panic in Northern England.  Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine) has been tasked to build a team and re-investigate the murders that have occurred in the hopes of finding the real killer.  With Helen Marshall (Maxine Peake) whom Peter shares a past with and John Nolan (Tony Pitts), Peter finds himself working with Bob Craven (Sean Harris) who he previously had an encounter with while investigating the Karachi Club Massacre.  As the investigation into the Ripper deepens, the murder of Clare Strachan (Kelly Freemantle) could pose a problem…and the case of the Ripper might not be as cut and dry as Peter believed.

Directed by James Marsh, Red Riding:  The Year of Our Lord 1980 is a mystery suspense police thriller.  The second entry in the Red Riding Trilogy following Red Riding:  The Year of Our Lord 1974, the movie is an adaptation of Red Riding:  1980 published in 2001 (Red Riding:  1977 was not adapted as a separate film).  It aired on BBC Channel 4 on March 12, 2009.

Wait the weaselly looking, bad attitude, shifty-eyed cop is a weaselly, bad cop? Shock and awe

Living in London in the 1990s for a spell, the quality of BBC productions became evident.  Unlike the early adventures of Doctor Who which made it to America, many of the “made for TV” movies where both more adult and more entailed than the TV movies made for America.  The Red Riding Trilogy is another example of the BBC getting it right.

The big trick of the Red Riding Trilogy is creating three stand-alone movies that intertwine.  More so than the previous entry, Red Riding:  The Year of Our Lord 1980 borrows from “history” by tying in the Yorkshire Ripper murders and making it a part of the overarching story.  While the character investigate the Ripper, more and more elements begin relating back to the first film and the sad fate of Andrew Garfield’s reporter.  The two movies are tied together, but the first film and the second film are able to stand alone if need be (they are just enriched by watching them as a trilogy).

The cast like the first entry is strong.  Paddy Considine’s character like Garfield is a tragic and almost Shakespearian character.  He is tempted by sin and trying to do the right thing, but due to his faults, he’s dragged into to something bigger that destroys him…it isn’t fair and it isn’t pretty, but as seen with the previous entry, little is.  There is carryover in the cast with actors, but most of the characters previously introduced remain fringe characters.

What did BJ see?

The movie has a slight visual change from the first entry.  Red Riding:  The Year of Our Lord 1974 felt a lot grittier and resembled films from the 1970s.  This movie feels a bit more procedural and more investigative based.  The movie doesn’t have that 1970s feel (but it also really doesn’t capture the 1980s as much as I’d hope).

As a stand-alone, Red Riding:  The Year of Our Lord 1980 is a solid police thriller, but overall, it isn’t the most compelling…but as part of a whole, the Red Riding Trilogy is an interesting and worthwhile time investment.  It is interesting to see how all the pieces come together and how the writers and directors try to tell their own stories while telling a bigger story in the process.  Red Riding:  The Year of Our Lord 1980 was followed by Red Riding:  The Year of Our Lord 1983.

Related Links:

Red Riding:  The Year of Our Lord 1974 (2009)

Red Riding:  The Year of Our Lord 1983 (2009)