I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

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

Let me state this fact first.If the total running time was under 135 minutes the rating would have been much higher.This film was made for BBC & it was about 5 hours long.I do not know how long it was when it was first shown on the PBS stations last November,The DVD runs slightly over 3 hours (190 minutes). It still is too long.This is a multi-part tale of an investigation of a traffic accident (Multi car & casualties). The production is quite good as well.The acting for a large cast from British Television, mostly unknowns to American audiences, Is quite good.A few of the individual story lines are interesting,BUT in general we have a good film & not an outstanding one. The suspense was lacking,I liked what there was, I just was not in awe. Repeating what I said at beginning if this was under 135 minutes, rating could have been much higher.Ratings: *** (out of 4) 84 points (out of 100) IMDb 7 (out of 10)

This is not a detective mystery to any great extent, but a police procedural of the type written in the hundreds by John Creasey under a variety of pseudonyms. The end is never in doubt, and indeed, is replayed over and over during the course of dozens of confusing flashbacks. Only halfway through the five hours does it dawn on the detective, assigned in a totally contrived way to the handling of a highway pileup, that something may be out of the ordinary. And indeed everyone involved is hiding something, in good red herring fashion, but the only question is whether that had anything at all to do with causing the accident. Unless you are a transportation safety board employee this is probably not for you, and the money spent on it might have been more fruitfully spent on having the producers' heads examined.