Collateral

TV Show Name: Collateral
Year of Release: 2018

Directors: S. J. Clarkson

Stars: Carey Mulligan, Jeany Spark, Nicola Walker, John Simm, Billie Piper, Nathaniel Martello-White, Ben Miles, Ahd, Orla Brady, Richard McCabe, Mark Umbers, John Heffernan, Saskia Reeves, Tony Way, Jonathan Coy, July Namir, Hayley Squires, Rob Jarvis

Genre: Drama, Crime, Mystery

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis:

"Collateral" is a new Netflix show hailing from the talented penmanship of renown writer/playwright David Hare. The show follows the aftermath of the killing of a young pizza delivery man in London by the name of Asif. The case lands with a duo of detectives, consisting of Kip Glaspie, a former athlete, who is now a seasoned detective expecting her first child, and Nathan her partner. As they start their investigation, they suddenly find out that there's ties to this case that involve Immigration policies, Labour Party politicians and drug smuggling. This process forces them out of their comfort zone, and into creating new ties with other agencies in the country.
David Hare who has written such films as "Plenty", and more recently the screenplays for "The Hours" and "The Reader", alongside the fantastic "Turks & Caicos" and "Salting the Battlefield", manages to create a densely articulated scenario, where current political tensions, gender dynamics and familial relationships come into play. It's a mini series so smartly constructed, where the characters are given enough time to exist, and interplay, allowing for the canvas to be drawn, and fully flushed out. As a result, the show feels pertinent, allowing for issues like Brexit, xenophobia, gender dynamics, to come into play, and feel part of the active discourse, and not just stapled to the story for relevance seeking. The cast is uniformly excellent, showcasing in particular the always wonderful Carey Mulligan to create a strong and resourceful character. The director S. J. Clarkson, builds a coherent tone to the entire show, one where the style is gritty enough to be in the vein of "Prime Suspect", while still retaining its own identity. A very good show worth watching.