The Driver

Set in and around the roughest streets of Manchester, UK, THE DRIVER is at heart a morality tale revealing the consequences of Vince McKee's (David Morrissey's) decision to agree to become the driver of a criminal gang headed by Horse (Colm Meaney).

Not only does Vince become involved in a complicated web of lies and deceit, but his family life is destroyed as a result. His wife Ros (Claudie Blakley), and daughter Katie (Sacha Parkinson) are forced to make life-changing decisions in order to live - something they had never even considered before. Vince's son Tim (Lewis Rainer) has also left home, and apparently will never speak to the rest of the family again - at least for the foreseeable future.

Jamie Payne's production does not take sides, but explores the destructive effect that Vince's decision has on his own psyche, as well as that of his family. The production is full of close-ups of his tortured face as he merely goes through the motions of trying to be a good family man, while implicitly accepting everything that Horse and his fellow gang-members want from him. Having sacrificed his soul to the devil, so to speak, there is really not much point in life for him, despite his attempts to justify himself. On the other hand, what other choice does he have, other than to continue working in a dead-end job as a minicab driver, living a hand-to- mouth existence under the aegis of unsympathetic boss Amjad (Harish Patel)?

The noir atmosphere of the production is significant, conjuring up a world of shadows and perpetual cloud and rain in which moral standards have simply been forgotten. All the characters inhabit a netherworld in which financial gain assumes primary importance. The car-chases assume a thematic importance - not only as a means for people to escape from their pursuers, but as a metaphor for a desperate dog-eat-dog world in which only the fittest survive. Vince is nothing more than a pawn in everyone else's schemes.

THE DRIVER ends on a note of qualified optimism, but does not suggest that Vince's family life will ever be restored to 'normality'. On the contrary, Payne's production suggests that this kind of life can never exist in a noir world. Vince just has to make the best of what he has.

Snappily directed, with some good action sequences intercut with claustrophobic interior sequences, THE DRIVER is a highly watchable miniseries.

Life is tough for troubled muggle, Vince McKee (David Morrissey). No bed of roses at home and finding it tough making a living as a cabbie in Manchester's rain-drenched streets. His fares either puke on his seats then don't pay or they have no cash and steal his day's earnings. This all changes when Mickey (Ian Hart) - just out after a six year stretch inside - suggests Vince does some driving for his gangster boss, Horse (Colm Meaney). Things start to go belly up soon after as he realizes there's no way back from a life in crime.

With so many tough acts to follow - Sherlock, The Fall, Broadchurch, Utopia, etc - The Driver really needs deliver something unexpected to help it stand out; this it roundly fails to do. It manages to be adequate in all domains: The dialogue, the plot, the direction, the camera-work, the performances, the action are all good though there's nothing that jumps off the screen. That said, there are two stand-out performances: Sacha Parkinson as Vince's daughter and Harish Patel as Vince's minicab boss.

David Morrissey's character grows ever more annoying as he dithers between his lives at home and in crime. In a way, he's morally gray: He's unable to invest himself in normal family life and clearly not cut out to be a criminal. His big problem is he's just not that interesting, nor are his reactions to criminality very compelling. His best moment comes when he tries to recontact his estranged son who is living in a commune. We get a brief glimpse of fire amongst barely glowing embers.

With a series called The Driver it's hard not to look for references to Nicolas Winding Refn's superb "Drive", but there are none. Although there is nothing much to remember about The Driver, the action sequences are well-handled and there are some nifty camera moves in Vince's car. The big question that this miniseries leaves you with is why oh why would a competent gangster trust the job of getaway driver to a civilian cab driver who's scared witless?

Although billed as an action-fest, this is actually a far more cerebral piece. With car chases.

David Morrissey seems to have cornered the market in family men having midlife crisis (see also "The 7.39"), but this role allows him to show both his sensitive side and imposing physicality. The acting highlights have to be his scenes with the equally great Ian Hart, who he grew up with on Merseyside but had never acted with until now.

The rest of the cast are equally on top of their game; with Lee Ross and Chris Coghill providing much needed comic relief. And the first two parts, with their unrelenting pace, need it at times to allow the viewers to draw breath.

By the final episode, the various interconnecting plots have hit the rumble strips a little, meaning this is merely great rather than mind- blowing entertainment. But compared to much of what counts as "Original British Drama" on our dumbed-down BBC, it's top-notch.

Taxi Driver Vince feels estranged from his family, keen to better his life, he chooses a path, of crime.

It's taken me quite a few years to get around to watching this, better late than never. It's a good watch, it isn't what I was expecting, but on the whole I enjoyed it.

Brocklehurst has written some fantastic dramas, I wouldn't say this is up there with the best of them, but it's still a very fine watch.

It begins with a very dramatic, high energy scene, and ends in the same fashion, the segments in between on the whole are a mix of very good and solid.

A few times you need to suspend your disbelief, but some aspects feel quite realistic, such as Vince's trials and tribulations at work, and his mental decline.

Three episodes was about the right length, it ensured the pacing was good. It didn't lag at any point.

The best element for me was the acting of David Morrissey, he was terrific as Vince, I also enjoyed Colm Meaney too, he played the part of the villain very well. Light relief came from Lee Ross and Chris Coghill.

7/10.

Good, quick watch. The main character is well played and I liked the story line. Was a great start but kind of fizzled for me by the end. Worth a watch.