Collision (2009) User Reviews

The accident was something else.

[SteveSkafte · 7/10 · 7 May 2010]

"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.

Intelligent Drama

[eastbergholt2002 · 9/10 · 16 November 2009]

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.

Enjoyable mini series loaded with twists and turns

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 2 October 2017]

Anthony Horowitz certainly has a creative mind, and when on form he gives us some brilliant productions. His writing was certainly put to good use with Collision. Spread over five parts it tells the story of a motorway pileup, the effects on the lives of the drivers, and the immediate people around them. Collision manages to tick several boxes, there's the mystery of the crash itself, the love story, and the darker elements of human trafficking and murder. The strongest element I'd say are the characters, which are well rounded and believable, each mini story is captivating, in particular Richard's love affair with Coffee shop worker Jane, McGann and Griffiths were among the standouts of the production. It all ties together so neatly, it could have easily lost focus, but it manages to stay cohesive throughout, I especially loved the what if final scenes, a nice and thoughtful touch. Overall it's a very enjoyable series to watch. 8/10

Highly complicated yet satisfying British drama

[robertemerald · 8/10 · 10 November 2018]

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.

Nice idea, shame it was a one-off

[gordymck · 9/10 · 31 May 2016]

Interesting spin on the usual police investigation story, that starts with the incident and then unravels the story over the 5 episodes as the main characters piece together what happened. Douglas Henshall is excellent as usual, in his trademark moody Scottish leadership role (see 'Shetland' for more Henshall) and the background story move along reasonably well. This had so much potential, with the calibre of the acting and the plot, it could have easily have been renewed for more than one outing, if only the producers had the foresight to take the format forward. The basic premise of the show, that of a road traffic accident and the subsequent investigation of all the many variables that led up to the crash, offers the possibility of many different season arcs as the characters investigate different scenarios over a number of episodes. If this had been an American show, I'm sure it would have been renewed.

Nice twist at the end, which adds a whole new dimension to the whole story :)

Great drama but leaves too much unresolved

[tobydammit-2 · 7/10 · 9 September 2021]

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.

good cast, interesting drama

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 12 February 2014]

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. He 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.

Generally good, but....

[ianvanarkadie · 7/10 · 21 August 2020]

An excellent premise with a range of interesting interwoven subplots. Well acted. A couple of gaffes though: (1) the secretary is abducted by her boss and his cronies (who murder her) and driven away in front of the Police inspector (Douglas Henshall) who simply stands there with a bewildered look in his face.... Never heard of radio or mobile phones? In real life the police would've stopped that car within minutes.... (2) the duplicitous whistle-blower begs the police inspector to help him as his life is in danger. The inspector (poor old Henshall again) refuses. A serious disciplinary offence. For a police officer to ignore a cry for help from someone known to be in mortal danger would cost him not just his job, but probably his liberty as well....

This is a Fantastic Story with Fantastic Acting

[colepteran · 10/10 · 16 March 2015]

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

Liked it, sat through all 5 hours in one evening

[boltar469 · 19 August 2011]

My wife and I, who are fond of Brit TV generally and mysteries in particular, were grabbed enough by this to watch all 5 episodes via Netflix in the course of an evening, with a time out for a Midsomer around the middle. Doug Henshall plays the sort of low key, beset by life character he excels at, and each of the supporting cast are pretty much perfect.

An interesting picture of a bunch of people united by a senseless accident and the hapless cop who struggles to make sense of it all and inject a little justice where it's needed. Well worth the 5-hour time investment.

Collision

[jboothmillard · 6/10 · 20 November 2009]

I saw an advert for this one-off five-part mini-series drama, and had an idea that it would be something that would all come together in the end, and I was sort of right after watching it all. Basically a group of strangers, introduced in the first episode, who have never met are brought together by a devastating car crash/road accident. Through the episodes you see the stories of the people involved, what happened before and during, and how it changes the lives of people who knew them. I got confused with some of the events before the crash, especially as some of the flashback material was meta-fictional, but the themes of embezzlement, murder and smuggling gave it some interest. Of course the ending did explain how the crash happened in the first place, it is a simple swatting/killing of a wasp that would change the future, as a rewound and then alternative flashback shows. Starring Primeval's Douglas Henshall as D.I. John Tolin, Shaun of the Dead's Kate Ashfield as Ann Stallwood, Christopher Fulford as D.C.I. Stephen Maitland, Jo Woodcock as Jade Tolin, Coronation Street's Craig Kelly as Jeffrey Rampton, Dean Lennox Kelly as Danny Rampton, Zoe Telford as Sandra Rampton, Carrie & Barry's Claire Rushbrook as Karen Donnelly, Philip 'Phil' Davis as Brian Edwards, Jan Francis as Christine Edwards, Ice Cold in Alex's Sylvia Syms as Joyce Thompson, Doctor Who actor Paul McGann as Richard Reeves, Lucy Griffiths as Jane Tarrant, Sugar Rush's Lenora Crichlow as Alice Jackson, David Bamber as Sidney Norris, Nicholas Farrell as Guy Pearson, The Lenny Henry Show's Jocelyn Jee Esien as Cindie Smith and The Fast Show's Colin McFarlane as Bill Jackson. It had cheesy dialogue, not very impressive acting in parts, but at the same time, I am sort of glad I tried and watched it all the way through. Good!

Gripping, well-made, and unusual. Shame about the signposts ruining the ending!

[kitellis-98121 · 8/10 · 23 July 2018]

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.

Reminiscent of 1978 series Accident

[tenco · 7/10 · 24 February 2022]

Fairly compelling drama with neat concept. Only thing is that the concept is disconcertingly close tothat of a 1978 series, the similarly titled Accident. Same repeated replay from different angles of a horrific motorway pileup, same structure of flashbacks interpersed with present investigation and unfoldng dramas of those affected, samemix of quotidian and high finance characters, even a similar guilty party fleeing into the woods from the scene of the crash. I liked both, the earlier one a bit more soap opera-like (a major incidental virtue being credits and title music from the folks who provided the same for Terry Nation's 1975 Survivors), this one more thriller-oriented. Not at the peak of deviser Anthony Horowitz's powers but good enough, especially if you haven't traveled this tangled wreck-filled stretch of road before.

I could have been sleeping instead.

[katiehdasilva · 1/10 · 1 August 2020]

I got excited seeing the main character was the DI Perez from Shetland (awesome series btw) but what a pointless long winded waste of time. Bleh. A huge build up for a serious anticlimactic ending!!

A GEM DISCOVERED

[pnpete9 · 10/10 · 6 September 2020]

What an absolute gem of a find. A brilliant cast and a very clever story with a sting in its tail. Absolute quality drama that truly should get another airing during the Covid drought. Hard to locate unless you pick a prime site but still worth shelling out for. Doug Henshall as always gives his classic brilliant understated shine.

Did I/they miss something?

[albertk1 · 8/10 · 23 November 2009]

Although I enjoyed the show, I did not understand where Tolin got the digital version of the incriminating information on the chemical company. Did anyone else catch that? Also, in retrospect, I gather from the final "what might have been" sequence, that Jane had taken an unsuccessful swat at the wasp at the beginning of the series. But that was not memorable and it would have helped if that had been included among the many flashbacks. Some other issues were unresolved: (1) Did Brian get arrested for murdering his mother-in-law? The police still wanted to see him and there were some suspicious findings regarding how he handled the car. (2) Was the head of the chemical company arrested for involvement in his employees murder or genocide in East Africa? Again there was some evidence.

It seemed not only heartless, but bad policing for Tolin to have ignored the plea of the phony James Taylor. Acting on his plea could have led the police to the murderers of Karen Donnelly.

Ok

[Headturner1 · 6/10 · 9 August 2020]

I've pretty much watched every UK crime /drama there is so I'm doing reviews on all to remember which I've seen. I like Douglass Hershall that said this was just ok. It's funny how a lot of UK actors play say cops in everything ( Nikola Walker a prime example of that). I wondered if this was going to be like Crash ( US). I don't even remember that movie tho. But all and all it was a decent watch. The story was kind of convoluted and boring. I felt zero chemistry between him and Ann and they really didn't explain what happened to his wife and daughter to care much when said guy came calling for forgiveness. I watched the escape artist and the widower last night and liked this the best of the lot. That is all. Lol.

Great realism, great acting, nice tight script w/no filler

[SgtSchultz00 · 8/10 · 15 July 2022]

Excellent TV mini-series that doesn't suffer from the "Netflix effect" - making things long just because you can.

Each of the 5 (yes, only 5) episodes it tight & moves the plot along nicely, without a lot of the fluff or filler you often see in series 8 or 10 episodes long.

The acting is superb, and the casting for each part was impeccable. All the actors look as well as act the part. And it all looked & felt real - none of the "oh come on, no one would do that" I often yell at the TV.

Does show how random parts of life can be.

Highly recommended.

One long British film.

[jaybob · 7/10 · 13 January 2010]

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)

Drop 1 Stone in the Pond and watch all the Ripples ...

[garvey-jack · 9/10 · 10 May 2023]

Watched Collision a couple years ago and enjoyed almost as much this 2nd time around. Some shows have Suspense/ Mystery. Some have Character development. But as usual, Anthony Horowitz does a wonderful job of weaving both together.

Maybe I'm just a sucker for this type of basic plot. When driving I will occasionally flash on all the hopes and dreams going by in the other cars. And especially on busy freeways, I imagine we are are all a bunch of blood cells pumping through the same body.

How many different Dramas going by in each car, I often wonder. With a great group of actors, you get to see just how many are are contained in one Pile-Up. Happy Travels.

An elegant, intelligent, ultimately feel-good production

[roger-huss · 8/10 · 8 November 2014]

Collision is wound up with some satisfyingly unexpected plot resolutions (the pedophile hints are a red herring, the illicit images being pirated editions of Startrek, and the piano teacher's angry gestures, the immediate cause of the pile-up, are caused by a wasp ; the mother-in-law is killed by her son-in-law immediately AFTER the crash ; the Paul McGann figure is revealed as a serial offender but the waitress nevertheless gets to travel in his absence; the race theme, flagged up at the start, is surprisingly undeveloped, as if to say 'we're avoiding clichés here'. In the final episode the rhythmic reprises of the collision are replaced at the end by an undoing of the crash in rewind mode underlining the contingent aspect of the whole ghastly event as the frame couple, policeman and woman, move on with their relationship, implicitly okay-ed by the policeman's disabled daughter. It could have been called Accident, but Collision is a better title because more non-committal. Ultimately an elegant, feel-good, production, with excellent casting.

too long for the content

[braquecubism · 3/10 · 8 November 2019]

For some reason I like Douglas, find him an attractive actor, altho there is something strange about his eyes. Yes, If I am going to watch someone, I have to like them, and especially their voice. this should have been 2 hours- not 5X45 so that's 2 hours too much to cover the story. There is a time line which is repeated, and new viewpoints are added. I get the artistic format, but think there's too much. It is an accident, which results in a pile up, altho there is one suspicious death. Douglas has lost his wife and his daughter is crippled, from a drunk drive. So this is supposed to be his motivation for investigating this 4 car collision. On finding why there was a crash, it's really anti-climactic. But I prefer it to finding out it was some sinister plot. This gives a method to bring together 5 stories, including Douglas' personal. Was it brilliant, not really. It does seem a little like an assignment in a creative writing class. On another note, Lucy (Jane) has an awful nose- in some light she looks deformed, a bad nose job?. I've seen that broken bridge in others. She is young and otherwise pretty I don't like that she is on screen, and I have to watch. she is not some school teacher or nurse in passing.

Brilliant

[lucasarts-88947 · 9/10 · 22 February 2022]

Missed this first time around and only watched in 2022. But very well written and loved how all the different story's came together. Just a shame there wasn't more series. A brilliant idea from Anthony Horowitz.

Wasp as the source of the collision

[elpadc · 8/10 · 20 August 2020]

I liked the series but didn´t understand how Ann discovered that a wasp was the cause of the collision. Anybody guess how?

Superb acting, with interesting storyline.

[bendipa1 · 9/10 · 11 December 2023]

The excellent Douglas Henshaw heads the cast as SIO detective John Tolin, investigating the scene of a dramatic pile-up, involving several vehicles on a major British highway.

There are a few suspicious and dark elements about one or two of the crash victims, that convinces John Tolin that further investigation into their lives is necessary, as details about them start to unravel. There's even a murder committed at the crash scene, unknowingly to the police, who never manage to stumble on to it, and even we don't learn about that particular aspect until the last episode.

Althogh this was televised about 14 years ago, it hasn't dated one bit, although some viewers might find this series a bit of a slow burner. But the natural pacing, convincing acting and the mystery surrounding one or two of the victims will leave you curious to find out more. There's also a little twist at the end as to what ultimately caused the collision in the first place.

Highly recommended.