The Fear Index

Whereas most series these days try and squeeze 10 hours or more from one story - Netflix I'm looking at you...

This show is done in three. Enough time to keep you guessing without spoon feeding you the explanation.

Josh Hartnett was a much better actor than I'd previously thought and his partner was good value for money too.

Not enough time for the rest of the cast but they really did do some snappy editing.

Use a Latin translator for more enjoyment.

I devoured the whole series in an afternoon. That wouldn't make a dent on some series.

But instead of Jason Statham we have Josh Harnett running around like a headless chicken having an episode. It's weird too with cannibalism. Non of the side characters are remotely interesting. The story did not pay off in the end and I regret watching it.

My recommendation: skip this, read the book. If you want to watch a decent Robert Harris adaptation, try "Munich: Edge of War" on Netflix instead.

Ham-fisted direction, limp dialogue, wooden acting, over the top sound track all conspire to ruin what could have been a great thriller.

Having the lead run around pointlessly, full of angst, accompanied by loud thumping music is not a substitute for dramatic tension.

If you wish to see a man got tense and frustrated, look like a moron over all 4 episodes; then try watching this. The man looked confused throughout over univariated thing which make it less than interesting. Kinda too bad, that a story with such a good promise, went into brainless dribble.

Another short self-contained box set series, and The Fear Index is an adaption from a curious modern financial thriller.

From the off, I have previously read the novel by the ever reliable Robert Harris but it was many years ago and I have to admit I found that I'd forgotten much of what had happened. Nevertheless I have a certain bias as I did enjoy the book and noticed some differences but not necessarily enough to derail this.

Despite that, I was kind of disappointed. There's no denying the authenticity of the settings and look of the show but it's TV drama, and the actors chosen for the roles just did not convince me they fitted the parts. With all due respect some of them were clearly in over their heads in this one, in particular the wife and the business partner.

The storyline does move at a great pace but really they struggled to capture the tension, and I don't want to give away anything so have to stop there.

It's a shame. I get the feeling this would have made a better 2 hour film in the hands of a seasoned director with a bigger budget. It worked brilliantly with the Ghost Writer which was another book by the same author with Brosnan & McGregor in the lead roles.

This is disappointing. Not by any means unwatchable, but in my opinion a really missed opportunity.