"Red Riding Trilogy" - The Very Best of British Crime Noir

Acclaimed British author David Peace wrote a quartet of crime novels set in the county seat of Yorkshire in northern England. He named them the "Red Riding Quartet" and three of those novels were adapted by Tony Grisoni and translated into three films that were produced for British television and were recently brought over stateside as theatrical releases. IFC Films just released the trilogy as a Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray sets and I have the review right here: RED RIDING Trilogy DVD Review.

Here's an excerpt of my review:
"Not for the faint of heart, the “Red Riding” trilogy is a daunting and complex web of interconnected events that will test the audience's endurance as well as their ability to keep track of the story as it moves from the present to flashbacks and back without much warning. Strict continuity is forsaken as each movie offers a new angle or a glimpse into events that had already occurred. As the layers are slowly peeled away, the puzzle pieces start to come together until it finally reaches a dramatic crescendo in the last film's fantastic finale. In a movie series that incessantly projects such a bleak undertone, it is a fitting culmination--almost like sunshine shining through the clouds--to what has been, up to that point, the absolute failure of good triumphing over evil. Patience is truly rewarded."

And my final conclusion:
"The “Red Riding” trilogy is an easy recommendation but at the same time, you have to be warned about the intense violence and the horrific deadly depictions of young girls and women. These films are certainly not for the faint of heart. The constant gloom and darkness that surround the films is palpable and vividly imagined, creating such an atmosphere of dread and despair, it is hard to come out of each film feeling nothing but drained and heart-broken. Whether or not you like British noir or crime dramas, the “Red Riding” trilogy should be on everybody's must-see list."