Red Riding: 1974 Reviews

“This is the north, where we do what we want.”

Ramble rousing cry? Or braggart threat? As the Red Riding Trilogy unfolds it becomes both of these things, sometimes at once. And sometimes it’s spoken like a mantra without much thought put behind the words or any deeper meanings these words may contain. But that is getting ahead of myself, as each individual film adds up to a bleak portrait of a place more so than a coherent dissertation on the Red Riding killer or any singular unsolved mystery.

The story begins in 1974 and follows a young reporter (Andrew Garfield) who uncovers a series of disparate missing and presumed dead girls are actually related. But the dangers and mysteries extended further out and go deeper into the society that has allowed them to happen than he could possibly imagine. These earliest murders occupy a weird space – part of an underground network of powerful men indulging in depraved acts, partly the byproduct of a city’s uncertain movements toward modernity – and their shaky, violent vibrations will be felt throughout the rest of the films.

1974 (and the rest of the trilogy) has problems with decipherability of language (those Yorkshire accents are sometimes unintelligible) and clarity of narrative. But it doesn’t matter, each film is plotted by the same writer and given to a different director is high on style, incredibly well acted and always engaging even in moments when it becomes incredibly hard to remember or even figure out what is going on. Garfield is one of the best younger working actors currently and his performance here is a testament to that fact. Sean Bean and Rebecca Hall are solid in their major supporting roles. Bean is particularly effective exposing tiny bits of rot and grim beneath his character’s well-to-do exterior, and Hall continues to display her quivering vulnerability and she’s the lone bright light in this pit of eternal darkness.

1974 begins to explore the social malaise that took hold in the seventies, but it’s really just prep work for the deep dive we’re about to experience in the second half. Shot in 16mm, the film has a pleasantly gritty, atmospheric look, but does occasionally dip into overly stylized and embellished theatrics which call too much attention to themselves. But still, as far as establishing stories go, 1974 has more than enough merits to stand on its own. A word of warning, if this film is too dark or densely plotted or not fast moving enough for you, just jump ship now as the trilogy only gets more obtuse and labyrinthine as you go along.

There was something really appealing about this trilogy and I was really eager to check it out. Eventually, even though I enjoyed this first installment, it was still a little bit disappointing in my opinion. The point is that the story was not really strong. I don’t know, maybe it has to do with the fact that it was rather short and, as a result, the whole thing was either too confusing (I often struggled to remember who was who and who was doing what) or too simplistic (during the whole thing, there is only one guy who could be the killer). I also had a hard time with the journalistic investigation, especially when the reporter ends up sleeping with one of the mother’s victims. Still, there was definitely something spellbinding about the whole thing. Indeed, I loved how they created north England in the 70’s and there was a great gloomy mood. Furthermore, Andrew Garfield must be one of the best actors of his generation and he was really good in this. The rest of the cast was also really strong (David Morrissey, Robert Sheehan, Eddie Marsan, Peter Mullan, Rebecca Hall, Sean Bean). Furthermore, even though the whole thing was rather predictable, I thought that the ending was actually rather surprising. Indeed, out of nowhere, it ended up in complete mayhem and it was even more surprising when you think that there are 2 more installments to come. Only therefore, I can’t wait to see what will happen next. To conclude, even though it was not as good as I was hoping for, it still remain a solid thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.