Collision

Collision, from across the pond, was apparently a five-hour miniseries, cut to just over three for DVD. It stars Douglas Henshall, Lucy Griffiths, Kate Ashfield, Philip Davis, Sylvia Syms, Paul McGann, and Matt Ryan.

It's a sort of Bridge of San Luis Rey with vehicles. John Tolin (Henshall) is a police detective who has had some sadness in his life, though we're not sure what when the story begins. He has a wheelchair-bound daughter (Jo Woodcock) about to go to college and no wife.

Tolin agrees to investigate a multi-car collision on the A12 highway which killed three people. He and another investigator (Kate Ashfield) work together in spite of having been involved in a relationship that ended badly.

The investigation leads to more questions than it answers. Tolin delves into the lives of the people involved and finds corporate espionage, an unexplained death, smuggling, and someone living under an alias; one person, driving an antiques van, has disappeared.

After the accident, there is a murder and another death, and a married man seemingly falls for a younger woman he met as a direct result of the accident.

Low-key, compelling drama that will keep you guessing.

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.

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

Ten masterfully interwoven human stories that come together and are teased apart in a multi-car highway accident. If they had only given us closure on all the stories involved, I would have rated it a 10. I won't spoil it by getting more specific because this is really worth watching. Douglas Henshall who later played a similar lead role in Shetland is incredible and alone worth the cost of admission.

This is a smart and intelligent mystery. John Tolin is a police detective (Douglas Henshall) who is asked to investigate a pileup on a minor highway (A12) outside London. Three people are killed and Tolin reviews the evidence to find out what caused the crash. He ends up probing into the lives of ten people caught up in the accident. What starts as a straight forward car accident quickly turns into a story full of twists and turns as the police start to dig. Tolin unravels a number of mysteries which involve murder, smuggling, whistle blowing and a government cover-up. There are another couple of deaths after the accident.

The characters are ordinary people with complicated lives and the acting is excellent. Douglas Henshall who plays a scientist on "Primeval" is playing a policeman with problems. He's tough, tenacious, damaged and flawed. Also examining the crash is Ann Stallwood (Kate Ashfield) who seems to be a former lover. She was also the love interest in Shaun of the Dead.

The cast is full of experienced and recognizable British character actors who have appeared in numerous films and shows like Chariots of Fire (Nicholas Farrell), Vera Drake (Philip Davis), Valkyrie (David Bamber), Robin Hood (Lucy Griffiths) and Hornblower (Paul McGann). I have been living abroad and fondly remembered Jan Francis from Secret Army and Just Good Friends. She was very attractive in the 1970s but is now playing pensioners, which made me feel old.

Collision grabs your attention and is very enjoyable. However there were a few loose ends which I felt were not satisfactorily tied up. Overall, I would recommend the series.