This decade alone has seen so many great British crime/detective (mini)series that it has been difficult to keep track, but thanks to IMDB and Wiki, it is possible to look for references and like-minded works. I have to say I had never heard of The Shadow Line before - thus I began to watch it this Month only, with episodes in succession, of course.Well, I can´t say I was very pleased with the first episode as it did not let me think of so many different levels, intertwines and twists I could see later on... I was pleasantly suprised about Rafe Spall´s performance, but Stephen Rea was not visible yet - and when he appeared, then the thrilling pace enhanced and I could admire Mr Rea´s talent again (in my opinion, many "more supporting" actors excel the "more leading" ones a bit). I became very eager to wait what would happen next, how and if the things proceed and what would be the outcome of this complex mess without really good characters... So, the final episode included additional surprises and the ending scenes differ greatly from usual round-ups of crime series. All in all, well done, similar quality as Line of Duty or Luther... Again, I have some doubts regarding plausibility (what about such links in an EU/NATO country police force) but as all this was depicted in a thrilling and fluent manner, then I just let me carry off with the events and witty solutions.

From writer/director Hugo Blick (who also played the young Jack Napier in Batman (1989)) comes The Shadow Line a stylised crime drama.I would emphasise the word stylised as sometimes Blick goes for a look or a scene than standard drama tropes. The lines regarding right and wrong, good or bad are blurred as we encounter twists and turns as people are different from what they claim to be or as we see them first.The drama is about a murder investigated by both sides of the line. The police and criminals, he opposing methods they use to solve it. But the real line is the morality within each character and how far they will go before they cross it and the secrets they all hide.Chiwetel Ejiofor is the cop with a potentially dark past. Christopher Eccleston is the bad guy who wants to go straight and do the right thing.Stephen Rea plays a character who looks like John Le Carre's George Smiley and seems to have walked out of a spy novel, the most sinister villain of them all, Le Carre probably wishes he invented such as character.Anthony Sher is another villain who has gone into hiding and re- invented himself but gets dragged back to his old life.The generally excellent acting adds intrigue, there is always a sense of dread especially when Rea is about and some of the deaths are strange such as a man run over and ends up plastered to the motorway road sign.The rather avant-garde filming style will not suit all tastes, it also may be slow for some as Hugo Blick gives his drama plenty of time to breath and even meander.

After seeing some very negative reviews on this site for this show i have felt compelled to write something of a reply. The acting in this production is absolutely amazing and the writing is superb and please let it be noted that:1: locking/not locking car doors is neither here nor there in this show (or in any other show come to think of it)... it could be argued, in fact that due to the type of characters involved that no-one would go anywhere near their vehicles anyway.2: smoking in a police office? seriously? these cops are involved in massive drug deals... oh yea, and murders!!!! i don't think they're to worried about smoking in an office!the fact that this show maintains and increases the suspense level throughout each episode without the use of any music whatsoever is indeed a credit to the writing and the acting. An excellent show well worth the watching.

Great to watch but after a while the brooding and completely humourless characters begin to jar. Is there no happiness at all in these people's lives? Even the joy of a confirmed pregnancy has to be tempered by a nagging delay as the nurse checks her scanner and looks worryingly at the screen while her patient looks worryingly at Gabriel. It's as though the director has deliberately checked every scene to ensure maximum gravitas from his characters as they go about their admittedly fascinating lives. I just wish it had the kiss of reality that The Sopranos brought to the small screen. Shadow Line bears some comparison with Tinker Tailor in terms if its unremitting gloom but none of its characters feel like their gloom has been earned through years of unremitting grind and conflict. I enjoyed it for what it is but in the end, I found it less than it was hyped up to be.