"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:

Disappearance | Car | Police | Missing | Investigation

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
Stephen Roderick Johnson	...	Gym Attendee (uncredited)
John Warman	...	Police Officer (uncredited)
Chris Wilson	...	Police Officer (uncredited)

Directed by
Otto Bathurst
Simon Curtis

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Gwyneth Hughes		writer

Produced by
Kary Antholis	....	executive producer: HBO
Simon Curtis	....	executive producer
Nick Jones	....	line producer
Paul Rutman	....	producer
Hilary Salmon	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Magnus Fiennes

Cinematography by
Florian Hoffmeister

Film Editing by
Sarah Brewerton
Martin Sharpe

Casting by
Suzanne Crowley		(as Suzanne Crowley)
Gilly Poole

Production Design by
John Stevenson

Art Direction by
Anna Pritchard

Costume Design by
Lorna Marie Mugan

Makeup Department
Tori Robinson	....	makeup supervisor
Marella Shearer	....	makeup designer
Lucy Sibbick	....	trainee
Nicky South	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Beewan Athwal	....	post-production supervisor
Midge Ferguson	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nicki Ballantyne	....	first assistant director
James Blackwell	....	first assistant director
Anna Brabbins	....	second assistant director
Hanna Haffenden	....	third assistant director
Sarah MacFarlane	....	second assistant director (two parts)

Art Department
Ebonie Allard	....	assistant production buyer
Ellena Bleathman	....	graphic artist
Sam Clark-Hall	....	stand-by art director
Mat Dewar	....	stand-by props
Alice Felton	....	props buyer
Peter Fentem	....	property master
Tim Leadley	....	stand-by carpenter
Daniel Milton	....	set dresser
Scott Rogers	....	set dresser
Chris Ulusele	....	stand-by props
Oli van der Vijver	....	props

Sound Department
James Bain	....	boom operator
Antony Bayman	....	adr recordist
Rudi Buckle	....	sound recordist
Craig Burns	....	daily boom operator (2007)
Lee Crichlow	....	supervising sound editor
James Dandridge	....	sound maintenance engineer
Iain Eyre	....	dialogue editor
Peter Gates	....	dialogue editor
Graham Headicar	....	sound effects editor
Stuart Hilliker	....	sound re-recording mixer
Martin Jensen	....	dubbing mixer
Jeff Richardson	....	dialogue editor

Special Effects by
Keith Edwards	....	special effects senior technician

Stunts
Lloyd Bass	....	stunt double
Peter Pedrero	....	stunt driver

Camera and Electrical Department
Ben Appleton	....	clapper loader
Andy Bell	....	best boy
Nick Briggs	....	still photographer
Craig Feather	....	focus puller
Dan Fontaine	....	gaffer
Simon Gilmour	....	clapper loader: dailies
Steven Hall	....	camera operator
Peter Harris	....	electrician
Brad Larner	....	focus puller
James Lewis	....	second assistant camera
Abi Oseni	....	clapper loader: dailies
Ricky Payne	....	electrician
James Philpott	....	grip
Fred Todd	....	electrician

Casting Department
Briony Barnett	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anna-Maria D'Amato	....	costume assistant
Mark Holmes	....	costume assistant
Ruth Kirton	....	costume supervisor
Julia Knight	....	costume supervisor
Harriet Lyons	....	costume assistant
Beth Nicholas	....	costume trainee

Editorial Department
Chris Beeton	....	telecine colorist
Rab Wilson	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Derek McPhail	....	unit driver

Other crew
Peter Anderson	....	title designer
Sam Baker	....	assistant production coordinator
Russell Dewulff Booth	....	production runner
Cathie Davey	....	publicist
Susanna Fyson	....	production coordinator (2007)
Simon Ghorbani	....	floor runner
Lindsay Grant	....	script supervisor
Richard Green	....	production accountant
Melanie Howard	....	production executive
Karen Jones	....	script supervisor
Richard Knight	....	location manager
Caroline Mccarthy	....	assistant location manager
Zoie Miller	....	assistant accountant
Jeremy Swimer	....	assistant script editor
Julia Walsh	....	script editor

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• Home Box Office (HBO)

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2007) (UK) (TV) (original airing)
• Home Box Office (HBO) (2007) (USA) (TV)

Other Companies

• ARRI Lighting Rental  lighting
• Boom  sound post-production
• Coach House Studios  Avid edit suite
• Compuhire  computer and video playback

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.