Despite all the hype surrounding this trilogy, I was disappointed by the first film in the series. It feels forcefully gritty, which works fine against the grim backdrop of backwater England in the 7oies, but alas, behind the surface lurks a very simple one-trick pony. The actual crime story is not the actual main focus of the film, but rather the corruption and methods of the police force and the despair created in society as a result of the crimes. Thus, due to the crime arc being utterly sidetracked in the film, I found myself losing interest in it altogether after a while. Unfortunately, the gimmick of showing the brutality and evilness of the Yorkshire police force quickly wears off and once the sides and loyalties have been established, the film is stuck in a bland repetition of elements which have already been introduced. I kept waiting for the movie to break free of its stylization and start rolling but I never really took off and left my slightly bored and underwhelmed in the end.