Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 is a British crime thriller film directed by Julian Jarrold. The movie is based on David Peace's novel of the same name, which is set in Yorkshire in the 1970s, a time marked by political corruption, crime, and police brutality. The film was released in 2009 and stars Andrew Garfield as Eddie Dunford, the rookie journalist who sets out to uncover the truth behind a series of child abductions.
The film depicts the gritty reality of life in 1970s Yorkshire, where the police force is deeply corrupt and the local community lives in constant fear. When a young girl named Clare Kemplay goes missing, Eddie and his journalist colleague, Barry (played by Anthony Flanagan), become convinced that her case is linked to two other child abductions that occurred in the area several years earlier. They set out to investigate, despite facing resistance from the police and other powerful forces who are determined to keep the truth hidden.
As Eddie and Barry delve deeper into the case, they discover a web of lies, deception, and cover-ups that stretch all the way to the top of the local establishment. They become embroiled in a dangerous and violent world, where lives are cheap, and anyone who tries to uncover the truth is at risk of being silenced. The film builds to a shocking finale that exposes the dark heart of corruption in 1970s Yorkshire and leaves Eddie questioning whether he can ever truly make a difference in a world that seems so fundamentally broken.