Highly Overrated But Still Good

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

"The Grid" (we never really know to what the title refers) is a 6x45 min miniseries action/drama about international terrorism. The bad guys are a rogue terror cell operating out of Yemen, deploying operatives to the UK and the US where they are to attack with sarin nerve gas. The good guys are a joint task force of Brits and US Federal agents who are out to stop the bad guys. The film leapfrogs incessantly from Yemen to London to Washington to Saudi Arabia to Chicago, etc. globe trotting in a surprisingly well orchestrated conglomeration of good vs evil Muslims, interagency wrangling, boyish suicide bombers, covert ops, murder, love, and much more given this US/UK co-op's budgetary constraints. On the upside, "The Grid" gets busy and stays busy sufficient to engross and make some of the obvious histrionics easily overlooked as it provides an acceptable overview of the amorphous nature of terrorist cells and the international agency cooperation required to effectively cope with this 21 century threat. On the downside the film is difficult to follow at times, somewhat disjointed in an effort to be all things to all people, pushes the believability envelope occasionally, and is generally too pat to be real. Overall, "The Grid" is an acceptable miniseries worth a look for those who can commit to a 4.5 hour small screen watch. Those who enjoy this miniseries should also check out "Traffic (2004)". (B-)

1. Either I'm at right angles to the rest of the world(knowing me, that's a possibility;)) or the characterisation of this was actually pretty good. With all due respect to iceman Jack Bauer, good guys who are not all-out professional are easier to relate to IMO.2. As for the jihadis, well at one extreme there was Kaz who I wanted to get blown up by his own bomb in the middle of nowhere. So mate, why do you want to take part in mass murder? You feel you have to prove your manhood? What a sicko.At the other end of the scale was the Egyptian doctor guy.In theory not that bad a person, wants the best for his patients etc etc. Wanted out after the Lagos bomb. Got suckered back to the jihadi cause a bit too easily for my liking though but then again his only target in London were the Arab oilmen who he though were responsible for stonewalling the development of his clinic. Then again he did back up Kaz's efforts in Chicago but he also questioned the younger guy's reasoning. Complicated.3. Brave gamble by Raeza at the end there but I had a hunch he'd lose it.4. So Acton was backing up Muhamed's crew yet he's still around? What's that about?All in all though this was a job well done IMO.

This is a pretty good series, and as a South Asian American (with Muslim heritage) I was intrigued by it. The best acting is done by the Brits and the Raza Michaels character. And to the viewer who said it shows only Muslim terrorists- that is not true. Akil (the young scared Brit) does not practice Islam- his brother Hamid does. Kaz (the American blonde) turns to Islam because he has a bad relationship with his dad. These (youngish) guys have seen the "bad" side of life (jail/racism/poverty, or whatnot). So they look for a solution. Maybe they get into religion. Maybe violence. Or both. There are no easy solutions and all people are not black/white in their ways- and this show opens up about that.

the grid is fabulous -- beautifully written: Raza to Emily "Sex like love is an act of devotion," beautifully acted -- wonderful television. Go TNT! By the way, I believe that Raza Michael's name is Piter Marek. The casting is diverse as are the locations. The Grid could have very easily been a theatrical movie, albeit, it would have had to be shorten. But that is why television is great, especially when it is allowed to be great. TNT but together an intelligent piece of entertainment. The characters are very well drawn out. We are already seeing the many different shades of people that live in this vast world of ours. The Grid lets us see that not everyone of a particular culture or ethnicity is bad. And please Raza Michaels is Piter Marek.