01 February 2010

The Year of Our Lord 1974



I can't even remember what I'd heard about the Red Riding Trilogy specifically that made me think it was a big deal, but somehow it developed the reputation of an unfound gem, a trio of hot British crime films that hadn't surfaced in the states yet, so when my roommate Martha got a copy I was keen to watch. I'm sorry to report that I was severely underwhelmed.

At first I was open-minded, admiring how English cinema seems to embrace a genre's archetypes instead of spending half a movie trying to reinvent the wheel; then I started to think, You know, this reminds me of the worst parts of the BBC series Life on Mars, the hackneyed, too-obvious plot and the simplistic characters; and by the end... well, to be honest I was complaining out loud and throwing my hands up in surrender. And with that cast, it's a real shame. I may try 1980 someday. We'll see.

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