IMDb > "Five Days" (2007)

"Five Days" (2007) More at IMDbPro »TV mini-series

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Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   436 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 41% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writer:
Gwyneth Hughes (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Five Days on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 October 2007 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller more
Tagline:
What if everything you loved vanished in broad daylight? more
Plot:
A five-part miniseries that revolves around the disappearance of a young mother in a quiet British suburb and the circumstances that leave her children abandoned far from home. full summary
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 9 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(12 articles)
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User Comments:
A very good character drama that is sadly not quite as good as an investigation more (9 total)

Cast

  (Series Credited cast)
Nila Aalia ... Shanti

Doug Allen ... Gary Machin

Nikki Amuka-Bird ... PC Simone Farnes
Tom Andrews ... Reporter 1
Tyler Anthony ... Rosie Wellings
Tessa Bell-Briggs ... Market Trader (as Tessa Bell Briggs)
Michelle Bonnard ... Defne 'Tops' Topcu

Hugh Bonneville ... DSI Iain Barclay
Charlie Creed-Miles ... DC Stephen 'Jim' Beam
Patrick Cremin ... Oscar One
Nichola Dame Hartwell ... Older Stylist
Timothy Davies ... Magistrate
Philip Davis ... Mic Danes
David Doyle ... Petrol Attendant
Lucinda Dryzek ... Tanya Wellings
Christopher Fairbank ... DS Curling
Vincent Franklin ... Rawdon Hull
Ruth Gemmell ... Dr. Tobolska
Kenneth Hadley ... Derek the Neighbour
Richard Harrington ... Daf Parry
Joyce Henderson ... Security Guard
Joanna Horton ... Danielle Miller
Rory Kinnear ... Kyle Betts
Margot Leicester ... Hazel Betts

Patrick Malahide ... John Poole
Caroline Martin ... Emma Opie
Lee Massey ... Ethan Wellings

Janet McTeer ... DS Amy Foster

James Mellor ... Press Officer
Jenny Ogilvie ... Bravo 2
Patrick O'Kane ... DI Laverty

David Oyelowo ... Matt Wellings
Mark Penfold ... Kyle's Solicitor
Gary Powell ... Jogging Man
Craig Purnell ... Reporter 2

San Shella ... DC Nawaz
Sarah Smart ... Sarah Wheeler
Charlotte Spencer ... Jaime
Lauren Taylor ... Stylist
Christine Tremarco ... Leanne Wellings
Harriet Walter ... ACC Jenny Griffin
Jason Watkins ... Francis Cross
Al Weaver ... Josh Fairley
Penelope Wilton ... Barbara Poole

Edward Woodward ... Victor Marsham
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Additional Details

Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Sound Mix:
Stereo
Certification:
UK:15 | Singapore:M18
Filming Locations:
Hertfordshire, England, UK more
Company:
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
A few scenes, including the ending, are being re-shot for the US release. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: In the scene where Hugh Bonneville checks out the VW transporter van, the production office vehicle and livery, plus the silver Mercedes sound van and sound engineer are clearly visible. more
Movie Connections:
Spin off "Hunter" (2008) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
21 out of 21 people found the following comment useful.
A very good character drama that is sadly not quite as good as an investigation, 24 February 2007
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

It is the middle of the day when Leanne Wellings stops to buy flowers by the roadside on her way to see her grandfather with her children. The children are in the car when Leanne goes missing. The kids abandon the car and search for her and it is many hours before grandfather Victor calls the police. Later that night Leanne's husband Matt and his stepdaughter Tanya raise the alarm properly and a missing persons investigation is launched headed up by DSI Barclay as the family implodes with hope and worry.

Following on from the success of previous BBC/HBO crossover The State Within, this next joint effort was really pushed by the BBC, which maybe helped it get ratings but perhaps didn't help it when you look at the approach it takes across all five hours. The story is engaging but you do need to understand that it is not a cop thriller but rather a character story that is as much based on the mystery as it is on the emotional and personal impact on all those involved. I say this because I know many viewers were disappointed with this approach and I think it may have been because they assumed that the hype meant it would blow everyone away. And of course it didn't but what it did do was effortlessly draw me into the people and have me caring about everyone involved.

Thus this is one of those dramas where it is not all about the resolution as it is about the overall drama. This is a good thing because the characters are all pretty well written throughout the five selected days and they are convincingly developed or broken as we meet them each time. This worked really well for me and the cast respond well to it. Some have seemingly stock characters with things going on outside this story while others are right in the middle of the pain and loss. Oyelowo turns in yet another strong performance as the husband and his emotional range in the character is impressive, but he is far from being the whole show. Wilton and Malahide both work well together as the parents. I didn't totally think Smart made her character work and, as much as I like Amuka-Bird as an actress, I'm not sure it helped anyone to have her walking round constantly with an air of surrogate grief. Bonneville is solid while Bonnard, McTeer and others are strong. The child performances are mostly good although Dryzek is the strongest of the three and stands up very well alongside the adult cast. Woodward is good but not given as much to do as I would have hoped.

The downside of this approach though is that the actual story of the crime and the investigation is not as good as it perhaps should have been. Too often things rely on coincidence to move the case forward and I didn't like the way that many things happened while the characters are all within spitting distance of it – I appreciate the town is supposed to be small but not that small! The conclusion to the disappearances may also bug some viewers because it is in keeping with the way that it unfolded and, in my opinion, not that satisfying or convincing.

Overall then a very good character drama that is sadly not quite as good as an investigation. The cast all rise to the material and are roundly good with the script. I'm glad I watched it because I did enjoy it but it is not as perfect as some of the gushing reviews around would suggest.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for "Five Days" (2007)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Ending! lol_1
5 Episodes is 4 Too Many aj-rice
Don't get the confusion about the HBO ending (SPOIL) SpiceTea
HBO trailer music score??? jdelacruz07
Who knocked off Leanne? michiem
Everyone (me included) seems confused. Was there another point? Alwood
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