MovieChat Forums > Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 (2009) Discussion > Part of the greatest trilogy ever? (Don'...

Part of the greatest trilogy ever? (Don't tell Coppola)

posted 15 years ago by khan0890
13 replies | jump to latest

the guardian critic david thomson is apparently saying this is better than THE GODFATHER....

http://nyccine.blogspot.com/2009/09/red-riding-better-than-godfather.h tml

[–] Stargazer5 15 years ago

Depends on how much you love your film noir but bloody hell, i wouldnt go that far. I dont think the hyperbolic reaction is going to help with people's expetections either. As brilliant as the series was, aim lower.

[–] my_dad_hussles_mooses 15 years ago

First part was really good. Second and third were just so badly adapted as to make them nearly unwatchable imo.

As I Hustle In The City, For A Paper Stack, Lord Knows I Got The Devil On My Back

[–] Ghostshadow187 15 years ago

Godfather Parts 1 & 2>Red Riding Trilogy>Godfather 3.

I know it's trite to not like Godfather 3, but it is just that bad. But alas as much as I enjoyed it, the Red Riding trilogy can't match Godfather part 1 or (especially) 2. The comparison to Memories Of Murder is fairly apt (though I also prefer that movie to Red Riding).

Republicans dont watch stand up, theyre busy watching cartoons, trying to see who's gay.

[–] TheZoolooMaster 14 years ago

The comparison between this and The Godfather is risible and pointless, but I do agree that one can draw a number of parallels with Memories of Murder and this. The former is, of course, based on real events, whereas the corruption here is pure fiction, but they both deal with unsolvable murders in poverty stricken areas. It's interesting to see how the cops in both films resort to mentally challenged locals to frame a culprit.

[–] tommyuk 14 years ago

Oh yeah sure it is It's prob better than Star Wars OT also

[–] jmkeating 14 years ago

But the supposedly Yorkshire accents are rubbish, especially for the area in which it takes place. Yes, I am a Yorkshireman and I know the places involved.

[–] Hal-83 14 years ago

Gotta love hyperbole. Makes for great publicity for both the film and the writer; like when Pauline Kael cannily asked if a relatively unknown Morgan Freeman in Street Smart was "the greatest American actor", or when Roger Ebert somewhat less plausibly described Charlize Theron's shouty, Oscar winning role in Monster as "one of the greatest performances in the history of cinema".

Glitter on the mattress, glitter on the highway...

[–] Alphonse_van_Worden 14 years ago

To call this the greatest trilogy ever amounts to insanity. It's not better than the average episode of Inspector Morse or The Midsomer Murders. It's just peppered with some darkness and corruption and that's what morons mistake for greatness.

[–] Filmsweep-by-Persona 14 years ago

Why does the best trilogy ever have to be one of the two listed? Can only films of criminality qualify? Personally I think Kieslowski's Three Colors or Bergmans Silence trilogy are some of the best films ever made.

[–] remembervhs 12 years ago

Really excellent films, especially part I. Kind of pointless to compare to other great films (in my opinion). I loved The Godfather, I loved Red Riding, they're both great, the end.

[–] Prismark10 12 years ago

I think the Guardian guy was being over exuberant!!!

Its that man again!!

[–] aphextwin07 11 years ago

'74 was excellent but each title in the series thereafter was a decline in quality. the 3rd one didn't even seem like a complete film.

[–] ovoevo 10 years ago

Am I supposed to cry or something?

The guy has an opinion. It's an interesting argument in which he raises a couple of good points.

David Thomson is a long-time student of film and has written numerous books (including the New Biographical Dictionary of Film) that are generally well regarded. Unlike 99.9% of IMDB's point-click-tap-and-submit crowd - he's EARNED the right to be labelled an expert on film.

People are better off taking Thomson and his ilk seriously and forgetting IMDB, which is largely populated by people who'd struggle to break their phone TXT limit writing a review and mostly obsess over shiny yellow stars.

And yes - I think Red Riding is an outstanding piece of work (if albeit shy of the books).