I felt cheated by the ending and the sense it was pulled out of thin air for no apparent reason.
Perhaps I´ve harped on the shortcomings of "Five Days" a bit too long. It is a rare multi-part miniseries presented on American television (albeit HBO, not a network) which is ambitious in its intent. The marquee name in the cast credits is Hugh Bonneville ("Iris" and "Notting Hill"), though it is David Oyelowo (Matt, "The Last King of Scotland") who steals the screen. From the very beginning, despite the insinuation he was involved in Leanne´s disappearance, we never buy the allegation. Partly because there is no evidence to support it, but also because of the performance. He´s strong, yet vulnerable, keeping his inner emotions to himself except for one or two outbursts. That´s not to say the rest of the cast doesn´t hold up their end of the acting; they do, with three exceptions.
The child actors. They are notorious for being difficult on set and even harder to get solid performances out of. Here, Lee Massey (Ethan), Tyler Anthony (his sister Rosie) and Lucinda Dryzek (their half-sister Tanya) make their scenes almost painful to watch. Perhaps it is a combination of the script and their reading of the lines but anything they say sounds like they´re reading instead of acting. Dryzek is especially painful in her hysterics over both absent father Daf and Leanne. Her reactions to wanting to go back to France with Daf are understandable and natural, though by the fifth time she fights with Matt, one wishes she would just exit stage left as soon as possible.
I´m speaking in generalities regarding the "Five Days" cast and plot to preserve some of the plot twists and machinations for an actual viewing. One thing the series has to its credit is each episode seems to fly by. Running between 56 minutes and 63 minutes, there is relatively little time to get absolutely bored by the action, even when it has nothing at all to do with the main plot. Occasionally you shudder at what is happening since it seems so out of character (the aforementioned retirement party, for example); in the same breath, though, it can be defended (in this case blaming it on alcohol).
VIDEO:
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation is as crisp as anyone can reasonably expect, even from a recent production. There was a deliberate choice in the lighting of the entire mini-series, it seems, to allow as much natural (or natural-looking) light as possible into every scene. And it works not only in a story sense but also in a technical one. Yes, a scene or two appear entirely too dark to figure out what´s really going on, but by and large, it looks as though directors Otto Bathurst and Simon Curtis filmed using only the light available to them. Details are rendered well with no real complaints to speak of. (The sky in one early scene seems to flicker for a total of five seconds.) There is no pixelation or grain as far as I could tell.
AUDIO:
I am thankful a set of English subtitles are included on this disc. Not because the English 5.1 track needs work but, rather, due to the twofold nature of native English speakers and the entire series being so quiet. (A Spanish 2.0 track and subtitles are also included.) Again, as with the video, there are no technical problems with the audio portion of the set-no distortion or audio drop outs-and really no problems at all. A quiet movie doesn´t necessarily necessitate an enhanced 5.1 option.
EXTRAS:
On each episode page is a spoiler-ish summary of the episode, along with the option for scene selections. Otherwise, the only other extras is housed on the second discs and is entitled "Behind the Mystery with Writer Gwyneth Hughes." Running for 13:22, she puts forward her method for writing as well as the central idea of uncertainty for the characters and the audience. Everything else mentioned in the featurette branches off from that one concept.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
If it wasn´t for the strict adherence to her writing style, writer Hughes might have been able to pull "Five Days" off. Without knowing where the story is going or who the ultimate culprit is, she cheats the audience out of a worthwhile (and rewarding) experience. The production is flawless and most of the cast is to be commended. I felt cheated by the ending and the sense it was pulled out of thin air for no apparent reason. A real missed opportunity.
The child actors. They are notorious for being difficult on set and even harder to get solid performances out of. Here, Lee Massey (Ethan), Tyler Anthony (his sister Rosie) and Lucinda Dryzek (their half-sister Tanya) make their scenes almost painful to watch. Perhaps it is a combination of the script and their reading of the lines but anything they say sounds like they´re reading instead of acting. Dryzek is especially painful in her hysterics over both absent father Daf and Leanne. Her reactions to wanting to go back to France with Daf are understandable and natural, though by the fifth time she fights with Matt, one wishes she would just exit stage left as soon as possible.
I´m speaking in generalities regarding the "Five Days" cast and plot to preserve some of the plot twists and machinations for an actual viewing. One thing the series has to its credit is each episode seems to fly by. Running between 56 minutes and 63 minutes, there is relatively little time to get absolutely bored by the action, even when it has nothing at all to do with the main plot. Occasionally you shudder at what is happening since it seems so out of character (the aforementioned retirement party, for example); in the same breath, though, it can be defended (in this case blaming it on alcohol).
VIDEO:
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation is as crisp as anyone can reasonably expect, even from a recent production. There was a deliberate choice in the lighting of the entire mini-series, it seems, to allow as much natural (or natural-looking) light as possible into every scene. And it works not only in a story sense but also in a technical one. Yes, a scene or two appear entirely too dark to figure out what´s really going on, but by and large, it looks as though directors Otto Bathurst and Simon Curtis filmed using only the light available to them. Details are rendered well with no real complaints to speak of. (The sky in one early scene seems to flicker for a total of five seconds.) There is no pixelation or grain as far as I could tell.
AUDIO:
I am thankful a set of English subtitles are included on this disc. Not because the English 5.1 track needs work but, rather, due to the twofold nature of native English speakers and the entire series being so quiet. (A Spanish 2.0 track and subtitles are also included.) Again, as with the video, there are no technical problems with the audio portion of the set-no distortion or audio drop outs-and really no problems at all. A quiet movie doesn´t necessarily necessitate an enhanced 5.1 option.
EXTRAS:
On each episode page is a spoiler-ish summary of the episode, along with the option for scene selections. Otherwise, the only other extras is housed on the second discs and is entitled "Behind the Mystery with Writer Gwyneth Hughes." Running for 13:22, she puts forward her method for writing as well as the central idea of uncertainty for the characters and the audience. Everything else mentioned in the featurette branches off from that one concept.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
If it wasn´t for the strict adherence to her writing style, writer Hughes might have been able to pull "Five Days" off. Without knowing where the story is going or who the ultimate culprit is, she cheats the audience out of a worthwhile (and rewarding) experience. The production is flawless and most of the cast is to be commended. I felt cheated by the ending and the sense it was pulled out of thin air for no apparent reason. A real missed opportunity.
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