Steve Smith

The film jumped around too much. Tension was not maintained. The ending was rushed and anti-climactic.

The storyline of Silva and Longacre features too prominently, and becomes intrusive and, quite frankly, irritating. Is this not, after all, meant to be an absorbing, intriguing and, at times, gripping drama? Series 1 was; series 2 falls woefully short. It appears to be muddled as to what it is aiming to be. The build-up of tension surrounding the main storyline is frequently squandered by scenes, involving the ancillary Silva/Longacre storyline, which are often slushy, tedious and contrived. I don't much care for the term 'woke', but I can see why it forms the basis of many negative reviews. Keep the Silva/Longacre storyline where it belongs - firmly in the background; after all, this is not a soap.

Very good - and, at times, excellent acting; well-paced and very well-cast; very thought-provoking and, in the main, a very good handling of complex, sensitive and important issues. All spoilt by five things: the treatment of these issues, and from different standpoints, was at times too mechanical and contrived, making the thing feel more like a documentary than a piece of drama; too many barely-plausible coincidences in the unfolding of the action; the storyline deteriorated towards the end, with too many abrupt changes and too densely-packed; an intrusive and poorly-chosen soundtrack, and the over-use of slow-motion - often unnecessary and distracting.

The film is simply dreadful. I would've given it 0 out of 5, had that been an option. If you like a film with action but nothing else, this one might appeal to you. Idris Elba's career must be on the slide if this is the calibre of film he's now reduced to. It's boring and amateurish. I should've turned it off after about half an hour, but I hoped it would get better. It didn't; it got progressively worse, then it ended.

At first it's quite good; then, it's good; then, it's intriguing; then, it's very good; then, it starts slipping, and it's not so good; then, it loses its way, and it's not good; then, it's not good at all; then, it's rather silly. As with the overwhelming majority of films of this 'genre'. It flatters to deceive.

The 1970 film is good; the 1968 television series distinctly better. Ann Castle is far better as mother than Dinah Sheridan, and the scenes involving her and Jenny Agutter are acting of the highest order. Likewise, Gillian Bailey as Phyllis is far superior to Sally Thomsett - as well as being some eight years younger and therefore more believable. Why Castle and Bailey were substituted in the 1970 film is a mystery - and a shame. The theme music used in 1968, composed by Edvard Grieg, is hauntingly beautiful, and perfectly suited to the mood and tone of the storyline.