Release Date – 2/5/2010 (limited)
PLEASE READ MY REVIEW OF RED RIDING 1974 AND 1980 FIRST!
Maurice Jobson seems to have been a reluctant partner in all of the police corruption in West Yorkshire. All of the lying has gotten to him so he begins a path of redemption in order to clear all the wrongdoings he was a part of. Meanwhile, a lawyer is starting to uncover some secrets of past investigations and convictions that the police are ignoring, or possibly trying to cover up. This is the big conclusion of the Red Riding trilogy and the best of the series. Elements from each movie are referenced and even shown in flashbacks to give us a full summation of the story. I was hooked from beginning to end and loved this movie as a final part.
David Morrissey returns as Jobson. He had been a secondary character throughout the series but emerges as our star in this film. His story deals a lot with redemption. We have learned about police corruption and everyone’s piece in the puzzle but a few lingering secrets have not been revealed. Jobson may have been a part of some evil but even he does not know every little aspect. Morrissey does a great job as another troubled cop on the force. Unlike the other 2 movies, this one had 2 lead characters. Mark Addy plays John Piggott, a lawyer who is hired to start an appeal for a convicted killer. He doesn’t know what he is getting into and starts to unravel a major police cover up. He’s also on a path of redemption as his father was a disgraced member of this corrupt police force. He also did a great job. We get a lot of other characters returning to wrap things up too. And yes, everything is definitely wrapped up where you will be satisfied in the end. The final scene was superbly done. The only part of the story I didn’t like was a love story between Jobson and a psychic. Not sure if that was even needed at all. It didn’t really go anywhere and probably could have been cut totally.
The theme of a child kidnapper returns from the first film but it ties into the serial killer of the second film. This really is the perfect end to the series. Flashbacks provide answers to a lot of questions, and the current story finishes it all. Perfect execution. The only problem is this movie couldn’t really stand on its own. The first movie definitely could, the second could until the final scene, and now this one relies on its previous parts to be done at all. It was directed by Anand Tucker, which is odd since his other claims to fame are mostly romantic dramas and comedies. It was shot with a digital camera which gives it a different look than the previous 2 films which were done on film. I really liked how they chose different directors and different film styles for all three movies. It really makes each one its own while still connecting them storywise. If you can handle dealing with some hard to understand British accents and a very detailed plot about police corruption, kidnappings, and murder then the Red Riding trilogy will definitely be enjoyable for you. This final part is the best but only because the other 2 films are great setup pieces.
IMDB – 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes – N/A
Movie Wiseguys – 8.5/10
