Chiwetel EjioforThe Shadow Line [DVD]

This 7 part BBC series provided us with nearly seven hours of viewing a gripping, violent and thoughtful production with some very strong performances from Chiwetel Ejiofor ('12 Years a Slave'), a foreboding and ruthless Stephen Rea, Chris Eccleston and Sir Antony Sher who arrives late but almost steals the show.This nearly slipped me by as it came up as a recommendation when searching for a crime series on Amazon---- my thanks to the reviewers on the site whose critiques were invaluable to me in my decision to buy or not.Such is Amazon---- the reviews from as far back as 2011 are still here and are a simple guide for readers to peruse and help contribute to making their choice on a product, as many do on a daily basis.Not much more that I can add to the many complementary reviews except that the dvd has English subtitles, there are some bursts of brutal violence and there are no scenes of explicit sex or nudity.At under a fiver (as I write) this is a no-brainer if you like exemplary acting, a twisty-turney plot and characters that jump out of the screen---- watch out for sons of luminaries James Fox and Timothy Spall!

If this is anywhere near having any basis in fact then it is a very scary thought indeed.But we all know that political assassinations do take place and those with the wherewithal to wield that kind of power will and do use it to keep that power. The question that I think that this asks is how can it be stopped? If indeed we do want it to stop as it goes against the consensus party political line.Great acting, tense plot and super editing. Definitely the best work from Hugo Blick by a country mile. Black Earth Rising was a disappointment and the Honourable Woman I found too obvious.

This is an excellent 7 hour BBC mini-series about police corruption, drug trafficking and human frailty. Pitch dark, and no important character is without fault or sins.The performances are terrific. Chiwetel Ejiofor does very solid work as a detective returning to the job after having a bullet lodged in his brain when his partner is killed in a shooting. His memory has been damaged, so he can't remember that night, or if he and his partner were doing cop work, or were playing ball with the other side. It's a complex character, a man tortured by literally not knowing himself, not knowing his own secrets. Christopher Eccleston also does great work with an unusual and complicated role. If Ejiofor is a good guy, who may have been a bad one, then Eccelston is a bad guy with the soul of a good one. He just wants to get out with one last big score to help his sick wife, without hurting anyone. Stephen Rea is a lot of fun, if a bit one note as an ice cold super-baddie, and Rafe Spall creates a terrific, very different kind of scary bad guy -- one who is so odd, almost goofy, and quirky that it's hard to know when he's kidding, or when he'll suddenly go off in a big way. All the smaller roles are filled with top notch actors, making this a thriller that relies far more on complex behavior than shoot-outs for narrative drive and tension.There are a few frustrating plot cheats along the way, but less than most stories in this genre (the fact that it's generally so damn good, makes the few wonky moments stand out more.). Director-writer-producer Hugo Blick has a great eye for color and noirish framing, and a feel for messy morality that serves him very well here -- and even better in his more recent mini- series "The Honorable Woman." If you liked that, there's a good chance you'll like this, and vice-versa.

I came to this straight after watching my spiral 3 dvd and to be honest found the first episode a bit flat.. .. but by the end of 2 I was hooked,the way the story unfolds,the way we are suddenly taken in a different direction and at the end of the journey it all made sense,mind you have to think about it.. The few minuses for me was 1) the sound quality of the interior scenes every clacking footstep , every scrape of a chair ,echoey voices .. sort of thing you associate with a cash strapped "B" movie 2)the minimalist music score that sounded like it was destined for one of those cheapo "50 tune" door alarms that all sound the same 3) The guy who played Gabriel's immediate boss ,totally lacking in any onscreen prescence and therefore believability (if that is a word !) However ! the rest of the cast were at the very least excellent with a special mention to Mr Gatehouse brilliantly written and realised..There were also some very smart visuals,little cameo's really,the final motorbike ride for example.. To anyone that thinks Scot and Bailey is the ultimate in crime drama I wouldn't bother,anyone for quality clever crime drama this is a must see....it will be a very shady journey but well worth getting onboard

BBC has been renowned for its gripping dramas that deal with uncomfortable subjects like corruption, greed, betrayal, and all at high places (not just in the lives of cliched crooks and shady tycoons). This series, which had me glued till the end, is an illustrious addition to that oeuvre. The acting is 5-star, so is the taut handling and the very-very dark & forbidding look at the personal demons that can haunt people: good or bad, dark or fair. However, after the conclusion of the series, I felt that in its attempt to be "realistic" (a loaded word, I am afraid) the finale kept too many people like me feeling cheated, as we found that the two characters whom we had been rooting for all along, would not come up triumphant. Besides, in the finale, the so-called-twists were entirely predictable. From the gun-to-the-mouth to the deviating laser, there was nothing that we had not seen. Jonah Gabriel and Joseph Bede were the two characters that had made many of us see it till the end, and I think that the way they were dealt with was unfair. But life is UNFAIR, isn't it? So, dropping of one star for this feeling of being under-handed, apart from it this is as good as it gets. Recommended.