Collision

"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.

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 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.

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.

After a slightly slow beginning and maybe an episode to get used to the several lines of converging storytelling, as well as the numerous flashback back stories, this high quality drama starts to become somewhat riveting. The highly proficient cast do superb justice to the fantastic script, and the viewer will see many faces here that went on to successful careers. It's nearly a decade old but that doesn't seem to distract from the quality or watchability. It's terrific, a many layered jigsaw puzzle that delights. The opening credit sequence is bland, but mercifully short. Everything is working well here. Highly recommended.