Red Riding Trilogy [DVD]

"The Red Riding Trilogy" is a quite superb series of films based on David Peace's "Red Riding" books. The three films , 1974,1980 and 1983 ,are all excellent stand alone films , but the complex way in which they are all interlinked is carried off with some aplomb. The films tell harrowing stories about police corruption and child abuse in which decent people are few and far between and who either get marginalised or murdered. The acting in all three films is stunning as is is the stylish cinematography and atmospheric music. The characterisation is immense and there are some of the most dastardly villains in these films that have ever appeared on TV cop series (most of them being policemen). The stories in the films are gripping and intricate,gritty and credible. The police emerge from "The Red Riding Trilogy" in an appalling way (a few good apples in a sea of bad ones) as the sleazy underbelly of West Yorkshire is exposed in a dramatic way. CSI or The Bill this isn't ; instead the viewer is treated to a mesmerising , intelligent and haunting series of films that are vastly superior to most cop shows and films you are ever likely to see.

I understand the comments below about this not being true to the literature of David Peace, but then its hard to judge a film against the book as it will always be lacking in certain departments. Kathryn Fletts comments on the 'literary adaption' were highly misguided but then i think she's a bit of a nutbar in an otherwise quality paper, so i don't really listen to what she has to say.

I'm a fan of literature first and foremost, way before TV/films BUT if i took the view that no good TV/films could come from literary adaptions then this genre, and TV in general, would have no future whatsoever. The fact is, its flourishing.

If Red Riding is to be knocked with the age old criticisms of film versions of books then it will always be a non starter. Therefore it has to be judged on its own merits and look at the strengths that it can bring to the table. And judged on its own merits, this is by far the best bit of TV that i have seen in the recent past. If this doesn't sit at the top of the TV pile, then what the hell does? F**k its relation to the books, this is what TV is all about.

It takes the strengths that TV has to offer, in creating mood, intensity and tension from the aesthetics of whats on your screen and uses them to tip top effect. The look and feel of the shows are a credit to the directors and the production staff as i was visually enthralled by them as well as being truly hooked by the pace, action, plots. All the stories are bleak and depressing but i couldn't keep my eyes of them.

TV at the moment is firmly focussed on the gritty series from the states such as the Wire, etc. This trilogy stands up to them no doubt. And in re-creating the mood and detail of the late 70's/early 80's northern mindset, this is closer to home and thus, for me, more instantly compelling.

Loved. It.

To take David Peace's masterful quartet of novels (1974, 1977, 1980, 1983) and 'convert' them into a 5-hour trio of films is a monumental challenge in anyone's books, given the scale and complexity of the undertaking. The resulting films, written by Tony Grissoni and (separately) directed by Julian Jarrold, James Marsh and Anand Tucker, is an impressive achievement, maintaining a consistently high quality throughout. Needless to say, given the style and originality of Peace's novels, this cinematic dramatisation does not quite live up to the literary equivalent, but this is just about as good an adaptation as I would consider possible. Even after having seen the films I would certainly still recommend reading Peace's novels.

The films capture the late 70s/early 80s political and cultural atmosphere brilliantly, including the requisite elements of racism, sexism, corruption, flared trousers and the odd Vauxhall Viva. The principal 'story' of Peace's novels (and hence this dramatisation) focuses on a series of murder investigations by the West Yorkshire police force, at the time of the Yorkshire Ripper investigation, and raises questions around the competence of the police investigations, and associated corruption between the police and powerful local businessmen and politicians. Whilst, as with the novels, the narrative is complex, and the resolutions not always clear, the power of this dramatisation stems from the cinematography and the compelling nature of the acting performances.

Red Riding pretty much contains a who's who of current great British acting talent. For me, particular mention goes to the great Paddy Considine as Peter Hunter, the (relatively restrained) senior police officer brought in (for the second part of the trilogy) to review the earlier police investigation, and, remarkably, to Sean Bean, who is a revelation as the corrupt businessman John Dawson. But I think the outstanding performance of the entire trilogy is that of Sean Harris as PC Bob Craven - this is a bravura turn as essentially an evil, brooding maniac - as good as any I've seen for years. Other notable performances are put in by Rebecca Hall, Daniel Mays (superb in the role of the retarded, wrongly accused Michael Myshkin), Warren Clarke, Andrew Garfield, Jim Carter, Peter Mullan, Eddie Marsan, David Morrissey, John Henshaw, Maxine Peake and Shaun Dooley. Quite frankly, this is probably the best cast ever assembled for a TV dramatisation.

For me, probably the best British TV dramatisation of the last 10 years.