"Five Days" (2007) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Directors:

Otto Bathurst
Simon Curtis

Writer:

Gwyneth Hughes (writer)

Release Date:

2 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

What if everything you loved vanished in broad daylight?

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.

Plot Keywords:

Investigation | Police | Retirement Party | Gym | Grandparents

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 9 nominations

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

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:15 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

A few scenes, including the ending, are being re-shot for the US release.

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.

Movie Connections:

Spin off "Hunter" (2008)

Ordinary days

'Five Days' is billed as something special, a crime drama that consists of a series of episodes, each set on one particular day of a police enquiry. But in fact, this element of the story turns out to be rather less significant than might at first be thought, as the fact that the action in each episode is confined to 24 hours is hardly noticeable, and very little distinguishes the program from countless other crime stories. In fact one almost can't help drawing comparisons to the last 'Prime Suspect', as one of the sub-plots focuses on a single, cynical female cop approaching retirement: and it's not just the absence of Helen Mirren that makes the comparisons unfavourable. There's a lot of earnest over-emoting, manipulative music and a set of characters seemingly contrived so that each one is in some sense sympathetic, in another suspicious. And it's possible to guess the guilty party well before the end, not because of the internal dynamic of the story, but rather because of the construction of the drama as a whole: certain things must be true, to justify the way that the series focuses on certain characters at certain times. In spite of these failings, the series grew on me: by the end, I was quite gripped. But it's a sad sign that the BBC, which once made the likes of 'The Singing Detective', boasted of this of "possibly the best drama of the year": for there's little true originality on offer here, and the claim reveals a lack of ambition that is dreadfully disappointing. 'Five Days' is in fact not rubbish; but it is formulaic, and one would hope that the very best the BBC had to offer would be something a little more innovative and fresh.