Red Riding: 1980: Film Review

"Red Riding: 1980" is the second film in the stunning English crime trilogy "Red Riding". This installment centers on Officer Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine) as he, and his expert cop team hunt the serial killer known as The Yorkshire Ripper. Taking place six years after the first film, the media has taken hold of events from the previous film, and had themselves a field day. Media actions have all but caused complete panic surrounding the serial killer.

This second film of the trilogy buries the previous in every single facet. It's more interesting, more exciting, tenser, and even more complex. The corruption story gets deeper and darker than I thought possible. This film is brilliant, riveting, completely unnerving, and comes with the most shocking ending I've seen since "The Departed".

Similar to Eddie Dunford of the previous film, Peter Hunter sets out to find the truth. Unknowingly, the closer he gets to that truth, the closer his enemies watch him from the shadows. With each new revelation, with each new stone overturned the more Peter endangers himself, and many others.

The score to this film is terribly haunting. I really enjoyed it. I was impressed with the score to the previous film, but this one, as with everything else, was taken it to a new high.

Paddy Considine is wonderful in this film. I loved every second he was on screen. He plays a hard-nosed cop when he needs to, but also is a very sensitive guy. We see this most clearly through conversations with his wife. To me, he seems as though he's a completely real person. I feel this was achieved because Considine poured his heart into this role.

It's dark, it's dreary, and at times there appears to be absolutely no hope whatsoever...but it's a hell of a ride. Watch it.