PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Set six years after the first movie and directed by James Marsh, Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980 (2009) is part two of the Red Riding Trilogy (you can read our review of the first and third films here and here) and features many of the same actors as the first. The Yorkshire area is plagued by a real life serial rapist/murderer Peter Sutcliffe, also known as the Yorkshire Ripper, and an outside task force has been sent in to deal with the problem. It’s led by Peter Hunter, (a brilliant Paddy Considine: The Girl With All the Gifts 2016), and his associates, Helen Marshall (Maxine Peake) and John Nolan (Tony Pitts).
Their investigation soon shows that one of the 13 victims may not have been killed by the Ripper, a theory that doesn’t make them popular with the local police force. Hunter soon meets with a mysterious young man who claims that the 13th victim wasn’t a random victim.
We learn in a flashback that Hunter also investigated the events that took place at the Karachi Club at the end of Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974. He made a lot of enemies within the police force when he made suggestions that there was internal corruption. When he is face to face with the same policemen once again, he finds himself compelled to discover the truth behind that terrible night.
Much like the first film in the trilogy, the cinematography is dark, rainy, and gritty. The costumes and hair have all been updated with the time period, lending an authenticity to the film. Though it is filled with great acting, the true strength of the film lies in the brilliance of Paddy Considine’s performance. He perfectly captures Hunter’s morality and steely nerve in the face of his own ever growing paranoia.
Unlike the first film in the trilogy, Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980 is more of a slow burn. Although it starts slowly, it accelerates towards the climax with an explosive ending. This is a strong second film to an outstanding trilogy.
