Red Riding: 1983

This conclusion has the scope and multiple protagonist structure of later Ellroy and, like several of his novels, the strings are, regrettably, not tied up in an entirely satisfying way. The myth of the, admittedly fascinating, corrupt world turns a bit silly and the elusive "Wolf" needed more focus and creepiness. The acting is not to fault and both Morrissey and Addy turn in fine performances as the men whose tough facades, needed to survive, start cracking. Too bad it all sort of fizzles out.

This is so closely tied to the first movie that it makes the second feel almost entirely superfluous. There's some intriguing developments, but a lot of ridiculous bullshit. The introduction of a paranormal element really irked me, for one thing. Some of the plot developments felt way too contrived, and ultimately it's just cynicism taken to absurd extremes. Also, deliberately obfuscating the distinction between the present and flashback is an annoying trick.

An underwhelming conclusion to an underwhelming series. Like the second episode, I thought it started well, but it soon fell into the usual crime drama clichés that you see every week on British television in stuff like Prime Suspect and Waking the Dead. It's not terrible in any way, it's just totally unremarkable, and I'm struggling to understand why it received all the critical acclaim it did.

An ending that isn't difficult to see coming if one allows the deep cynicism of the overall series to lead the way. I suppose the Addy and Morrissey characters should offer a balance, but they fail to resonate. In addition, the final film drives to a conclusion that just becomes more and more far-fetched. Why must everyone speak in vagaries at the most important moments? To make it more suspenseful, of course. Except that it's not.

Very uneven conclusion to the trilogy. Contains even more ridiculousness (including communing with the dead), but makes up for it somewhat with a pretty good ending.

Despite being filled to the brim with confected significance, and despite the effort expended on arty shots and slow motion, this tedious bore utterly fails to deliver.

Crimes e pecados estreava há 15 anos no Reino Unido. Acho que fui apressada em dar três estrelas e meia para os anteriores, são filmes a serem julgados pelo todo, pensando os três juntos dá uma excelente trilogia, mesmo assim ainda acho que talvez ficasse mais satisfeita lendo os livros em busca de detalhes. YTS.

RED RIDING proves that if the plot doesn't stand up to scrutiny then no amount of great atmosphere, superb cinematography , clever casting, intense acting and dialogue can save it . Lots of useless storylines, unanswered questions, characters that come in and out of the story without leaving any kind of mark on the story. Precision and economy of storytelling is completely missing. Why would you extend a what could a presice story to a bloated 5 hour boring slogfest like this ?

The other two look better (they use grainy film stock that just feels more real, gritty and true to the old industrial landscapes than the digital recording), but this climax was really good. The whole series feels morbidly inevitable and almost claustrophobic, and it's because all three directors manage to capture the essence of that time and place.