Red Riding: 1983 (2009)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Lady D

  
  [My predicted rating: 4] Some of the best Gritty Drama Actors of the British Screen unite for the 3rd installment to the Red Riding Concluding part. The high standard of acting, sometimes outweighs the actual story (which admittedly, at times were confusing) but stay with it, it… More
  [My predicted rating: 4] Some of the best Gritty Drama Actors of the British Screen unite for the 3rd installment to the Red Riding Concluding part. The high standard of acting, sometimes outweighs the actual story (which admittedly, at times were confusing) but stay with it, it builds up to a non disappointing ending, bringing to an end this impressive trilogy.

• Michael S

  
  An extraordinary final chapter to the unforgettable "RED RIDING TRILOGY." "1983" ties up most of the loose ends from the first two entries, which alone might make this the most gratifying installment. I still prefer "1980," but this film contains some of… More
  An extraordinary final chapter to the unforgettable "RED RIDING TRILOGY." "1983" ties up most of the loose ends from the first two entries, which alone might make this the most gratifying installment. I still prefer "1980," but this film contains some of the best, most intense, most achingly beautiful scenes of the trilogy, as well as the most shocking of revelations. The performances are superb (the key new addition being Mark Addy) and the writing is top notch; it's a joy to watch all the different plot strands come together, even the most minor of details. It's the most visually striking of the trilogy and ends in a superbly poetic, emotional way. I think this is the best possible conclusion to a remarkable saga. Providing the necessary answers while still remaining as challenging as previous installements, Anand Tucker's "1983" is not just a stellar work of cinema; it has cemented "RED RIDING" in it's entirety as a classic, monumental achievement.

• Bruce B

  
  The last of the Trilogy but did they catch the wolf, I had to raise my eyebrows when it was all over. In the third of three in this series children are still disappearing. Who's to blame, did they put the right person in jail in the last film? Is it the man of God, is it the high… More
  The last of the Trilogy but did they catch the wolf, I had to raise my eyebrows when it was all over. In the third of three in this series children are still disappearing. Who's to blame, did they put the right person in jail in the last film? Is it the man of God, is it the high roller, is it the Chief Inspector of Police. Its full of suspense twist and turns, and I expect to see another film in this series. All based on true events. 5 Stars

• El Hombre I

  
  On the whole, Red Riding is highly convoluted, and not always easy to follow. It was easy for me to recognize characters by their faces, but there are a lot of names to remember, and I was not always 100% on track with the movie. But patience and persistence does pay off, and things… More
  On the whole, Red Riding is highly convoluted, and not always easy to follow. It was easy for me to recognize characters by their faces, but there are a lot of names to remember, and I was not always 100% on track with the movie. But patience and persistence does pay off, and things do come together and make sense <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&amp;current=RedRiding1983Break.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/RedRiding1983Break.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: David Morrissey, Lisa Howard, Chris Walker, Shaun Dooley, Jim Carter, Warren Clarke, Sean Bean, Sean Harris, Steven Robertson, Michelle Dockery, Mark Addy Director :Anand Tucker Summary: When the current case of a missing 10-year-old becomes linked to the abduction and… More
  Cast: David Morrissey, Lisa Howard, Chris Walker, Shaun Dooley, Jim Carter, Warren Clarke, Sean Bean, Sean Harris, Steven Robertson, Michelle Dockery, Mark Addy Director :Anand Tucker Summary: When the current case of a missing 10-year-old becomes linked to the abduction and murder of Clare Kemplay in 1974, investigators torture the man who found Clare's body in an effort to learn more in this final installment of the Red Riding trilogy. Meanwhile, solicitor John Piggott's (Mark Addy) conversations with the man found guilty of the old abduction points to a wrongful conviction and a search for the real murderer. My Thoughts: "I was very anxious to see the ending to the trilogy. I must say although I am satisfied with the film in it's entirety, the ending left something to be desired. Although I liked the ending, it was just not fully satisfying and left some things unanswered. This film felt more that it was carried on from the first film made, but it still had the feel of the mystery from the second film. I liked Mark Addy in this. I enjoyed his and Andrew Garfield parts more. There character's just demanded more attention. The acts that were made with the children in this film completely disgusted me. The story as a whole is dark, haunting, grim, and disturbing. It is definitely a trilogy that should be seen. But do watch all three closely together or you may get lost in the story."

• Stella D

  
  a conscience-ridden copper and a second-rate lawyer are finally moved to see justice served in the finale. up until the somewhat overwrought ending, this was my favorite installment, mainly in the sense of providing closure to some long-standing mysteries. thumbs up on the entire… More
  a conscience-ridden copper and a second-rate lawyer are finally moved to see justice served in the finale. up until the somewhat overwrought ending, this was my favorite installment, mainly in the sense of providing closure to some long-standing mysteries. thumbs up on the entire series but be prepared for some nasty surprises. 'evil triumphs when good men do nothing'

• Aaron N

  
  Peter Hunter: You don't like the police much, do you? Martin Laws: No love lost, no. Peter Hunter: So when someone kicks down your front door, kills the dog and rapes the wife, who you gonna call? Martin Laws: Well it certainly wouldn't be the West Yorkshire Police -… More
  Peter Hunter: You don't like the police much, do you? Martin Laws: No love lost, no. Peter Hunter: So when someone kicks down your front door, kills the dog and rapes the wife, who you gonna call? Martin Laws: Well it certainly wouldn't be the West Yorkshire Police - they'd already *be* in there, wouldn't they! A trilogy of films set against a backdrop of serial murders, including the Yorkshire Ripper case. While they are each standalone films, handled by different directors, they share the same setting and feature some of the same characters and themes throughout. I could review each of these films separately, but this film project was ambitious enough to warrant my viewing of them in quick succession of each other, and in doing so I feel that it would be best to sum up my thoughts in one review. The films are set in 1973, 1980, and 1983. The first film features Andrew Garfield (future Spider-Man) as a journalist looking into the unsolved murders of several young girls. During his investigation he makes encounters with the mother of one of the victims (Rebecca Hall) and a corrupt businessman (Sean Bean). In 1980, Paddy Considine stars as a police officer brought in to investigate the Ripper murders. In this film, the focus moves towards corruption from within the police department. The final film focuses on the redemption of some of the characters and wraps up many of the running plot lines. It also features Mark Addy as a public solicitor looking into the past abductions. This final film relies the most on the previous films, utilizing many flashbacks, but still functions as a solid standalone feature. John Dawson: Fucking A. I'm no angel. The three films were directed by Anand Tucker, James Marsh and Julian Jarrold. Each of them have distinct visual styles for their films, which is fitting with the time frame that these films are set, as the quality becomes better and better. 1973 is filmed with 16mm film, giving it the grittiest feel of the three, while 1983 was filmed with the Red Camera, making it the cleanest. This approach again adds to keeping these films separate as features, while feeling appropriate to their tone. This trilogy as been frequently compared to David Fincher's Zodiac, which is apt. Both these films and that one are sprawling crime sagas that maintain a dark tone throughout and feature many characters and plot lines. While Zodiac is the better feature, this trilogy sure does manage to ring very true in the same ways, by featuring a solid set of stories, focused more on what the events cost these characters in their own lives and the procedural elements surrounding their stories. Certainly aiding these films are its performances. Garfield does a solid job, even if much of his job requires having his ass kicked for probing to deep. Bean is at his sleazy best. Rebecca Hall does quite well in one of the smaller roles, as does Peter Mullan (an actor I admire). David Morrissey does a fine job, being the one actor to have a fairly important role in all three features. In terms of ranking these films, I am actually having a fairly indifferent feeling towards which one is the best, but if I had to choose, I would say the second feature, 1980, is the best conceived. 1974 certainly relishes the most in it's style and 1983 is about concluding the series, but 80 seems to be the one I would come back to most easily. The dark tone of these features can certainly hold one back from getting the most out of them. It takes a bit of time to really embrace what is going on, and the thick Yorkshire accents certainly didn't an American like me get deeper involved at a quicker point. This is certainly a series I have high praise for. It was an ambitious project that certainly paid off. A unique film series that benefited from the approach to its scope. BJ: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. All good children go to heaven.

• familiar s

  
  After the intriguing second instalment, there was no way I could have avoided this for long. While I wasn't too excited & didn't have my hopes high, I'd at least reasonable expectations from it. Even an average fare would've sufficed. Better than that… More
  After the intriguing second instalment, there was no way I could have avoided this for long. While I wasn't too excited & didn't have my hopes high, I'd at least reasonable expectations from it. Even an average fare would've sufficed. Better than that experience was very much welcome. But alas, I was taken in for a ride. In terms of satisfaction, it's a bit better than the first part, but a bit too worse than the second. It was way too difficult to keep track of whether the proceedings are happening in the present or the past/flashback. Even if you overlook that confusion, it was hardly interesting. Right from the beginning, it never once lost its grip on me till it gets to the climactic revelation of who-dun-it, because in the first place, it never had a grip on me!!! Yikes, the execution was that disastrous. Yet, it was relatively bearable than the first part. While I haven't read the books on which the trilogy was based, I feel that the adaptation would have been more successful as a TV series with more than 3 episodes. I don't know if the books were any good, but this trilogy fails miserably on the whole.

• Luke B

  
  The final chapter to the trilogy is more of a sequel to the first film than it is the second. 8 years after the first film another young girl goes missing. People start to question the guilt of the man charged with the original crimes and this rattles the corrupt police. Our hero this… More
  The final chapter to the trilogy is more of a sequel to the first film than it is the second. 8 years after the first film another young girl goes missing. People start to question the guilt of the man charged with the original crimes and this rattles the corrupt police. Our hero this time is an idealistic/out of his depth lawyer. Another stereotype, but once again it is pulled off with incredible heart and talent by Mark Addy. It leaves less of a sour taste in the mouth than the previous two films, but there are still some unanswered questions. Also the character of BJ nearly ruined the entire film, but luckily he kept his mouth shut throughout most of the climax.

• Walter M

  
  It is 1983. Another young girl, Hazel Atkins, has gone missing, bringing back bad memories of similar cases. Detective Chief Superintendent Maurice Jobson(David Morrissey) is so desperate for leads that he consults with a medium(Saskia Reeves). Meanwhile, John Piggot(Mark Addy),… More
  It is 1983. Another young girl, Hazel Atkins, has gone missing, bringing back bad memories of similar cases. Detective Chief Superintendent Maurice Jobson(David Morrissey) is so desperate for leads that he consults with a medium(Saskia Reeves). Meanwhile, John Piggot(Mark Addy), a lawyer, is asked to file an appeal for Michael Myshkin(Daniel Mays) by his mother(Beatrice Kelley). "1974" started out with a cloudy sky, a sign of a coming storm. And the "Red Riding Trilogy" comes full circle, ending with a shot of a bright sky, a sign of hope for two characters, both unlikely in their search for redemption, as shadows are brought out into the harsh light of day. In the end, can we ever hope to escape our pasts? "1983" is a partially satisfying conclusion to the trilogy that starts off by introducing the main players in the conspiracy and what their aims are, in a desperate search for easy answers. While many questions are answered, some are handled clumsily on the way to a big moment. And the subplot about the medium is particularly odd but maybe this just means we need someone and something to believe in. What definitely stands out about this installment is the performance of the lead actors, both going against type. Mark Addy does well with a rare serious role. And while I think of David Morrissey as mostly being an explosive actor, here he is superb playing an introspective character hiding behind a mustache and glasses who is being eaten alive by guilt, wondering where it all went wrong.

• Alec B

  
  Its one of the most satisfying finale's to a trilogy I've ever seen. Whats great about each film is that none of them is really about the hunt for a serial killer, the whole trilogy is about the unending quest for justice. I think in so many films we are given delusional… More
  Its one of the most satisfying finale's to a trilogy I've ever seen. Whats great about each film is that none of them is really about the hunt for a serial killer, the whole trilogy is about the unending quest for justice. I think in so many films we are given delusional morale's to stories about how virtue is its own reward, without showing how much people will fucking hate you for trying to do the right thing. While this movie has a 'happy ending' of sorts, it still leaves much unresolved, and I really liked that. "Evil triumphs when good men do nothing . . ."

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