Collision

I'm not going to describe what's going on in the film because others have but I must say this is a keeper.

I bought the DVD and have seen it 5 times now.

Of course it's easy to watch Douglas Henshall... any time especially his voice.. whew...

Story line is believable and the writing is top notch. Incredible film.

I have a friend who has trouble hearing things, so I turned on the closed captions . . makes it easier to understand words not familiar to us folks over across the pond from the UK.

Top marks, y'all. It's really a great show. Thank you

"Collision" is a very engaging, human type of thriller. There's a certain air of improbability to the script, however. It's not so much that there's such a wide cross-section of people represented here (that goes without saying in a country so diverse as England), it's the fact that everyone has such a complicated network of secrets and lies which are directly or indirectly exposed by the crash. The acting is mostly very, very good. Douglas Henshall makes an especially engaging leading man. He acts his character on a more personal level, feels more familiar than most police characters. He's really what makes this miniseries work.

The script is really quite brilliant, in its own way. The final conclusion makes you see the big picture with a sort of completeness that makes all the preceding events come into clearer focus. Not something you could watch twice, but it's certainly worth seeing.

This was a thoroughly gripping and unusual series, with good writing; an intriguing multi-strand storyline; well-drawn characters played by a talented cast of well-known British actors; and a few minor (and mostly unexpected) twists.

Some of the individual story threads stretch credibility a little thin, if you analyse too much while watching. Additionally, the presence of so many "dodgy" people with secrets all being on the same section of road at the same time, and then to all be involved in the same collision is certainly a stretch. But if you can accept or ignore the unlikeliness of the situation, the drama that unfolds from it makes for some pretty good television.

There is also a bizarre romance shoe-horned into the series, in the form of two people loosely connected with the collision: one with a dislocated shoulder, the other a helpful bystander. Their storyline runs parallel to the main "investigation" and though initiated by the original incident, is not in any other way a part of the main arc. It is rather sweet and pleasant to watch the two strangers fall in love, and they are beautifully played by both actors. But their story fits somewhat uncomfortably into the rest of the series, as it is essentially not relevant to the plot.

Each individual storyline is explored as part of the main investigative arc, and there are some surprises along the way, but everything is designed to lead in the direction of an ultimate conclusion: what caused the crash. And that is where both the writing and the directing become somewhat clumsy and unsubtle.

If you want to be surprised by the "big reveal" of the culprit that caused the collision, you'll have to switch your brain off right from the start, and keep it switched off throughout. Because for reasons of, I assume, an artistic nature, the writer and director choose to foreshadow the ultimate reveal throughout the entire season, repeatedly and unsubtly, making it almost impossible not to know what happened long before the investigation is concluded. And that's a real shame, because it could have been a fabulous twist if it had arrived without all the signposting.

But despite that, it was gripping and enjoyable enough for me to watch it twice, and I will doubtless be watching it again.

Excellent TV mini-series that doesn't suffer from the "Netflix effect" - making things long just because you can.

Each of the 5 (yes, only 5) episodes it tight & moves the plot along nicely, without a lot of the fluff or filler you often see in series 8 or 10 episodes long.

The acting is superb, and the casting for each part was impeccable. All the actors look as well as act the part. And it all looked & felt real - none of the "oh come on, no one would do that" I often yell at the TV.

Does show how random parts of life can be.

Highly recommended.

An excellent premise with a range of interesting interwoven subplots. Well acted. A couple of gaffes though: (1) the secretary is abducted by her boss and his cronies (who murder her) and driven away in front of the Police inspector (Douglas Henshall) who simply stands there with a bewildered look in his face.... Never heard of radio or mobile phones? In real life the police would've stopped that car within minutes.... (2) the duplicitous whistle-blower begs the police inspector to help him as his life is in danger. The inspector (poor old Henshall again) refuses. A serious disciplinary offence. For a police officer to ignore a cry for help from someone known to be in mortal danger would cost him not just his job, but probably his liberty as well....