Walking 'The Shadow Line'

Finally caught up with this show. The biggest surprise for me was that one man was mostly responsible for its creation and execution - Hugo Blick.

The fact that he wrote, produced and directed the entire series in that slightly off-beat, surreal style has made me wonder why he has not gone on to write and direct more tv series or even movies.

The Shadow Line was possibly the best BBC drama series since State of Play and Edge of Darkness - both conspiracy thrillers themselves.

It was a visionary work with a dense, complex plot that could have been straight out of Chandler, full of twists and complicated, painful human emotions. The shady characters that peppered this world were all caught in moral vacuums, either personally or politically. Their journeys into the abyss were captured by the bleak visuals and slightly abstract dialogue. There was something of the Dashiell Hammett inspired about the way characters would rhythmically and colourfully interact.

Add in the layers of electrifying turns from the entire cast, particularly Stephen Rea (in what is quite possibly his best role), and you have yourself a classic series.

I don't know if Hugo Blick won awards for The Shadow Line but he should have!

I think I need to watch it again to pick up on all the little threads.