Collateral (2018)

At a mere four hours, it’s not a huge time commitment, and you’ll feel completely and totally satisfied by the end. It’s a rich, thoughtful story about immigration, as well as a compelling murder mystery and an ensemble character drama all in one.

Collateral doesn't overstay its welcome and doesn't leave much unresolved, which is a relief. Mulligan's character's drive is the drive of the show and despite her pregnancy, Kip never stops to sleep or eat. ... Having Mulligan on the small screen and having her in this sort of role that British television does so well also feels like it's putting something right.

Collateral has as its anchor the familiar benchmarks of a detective drama. In the hands of Mulligan and Nathaniel Martello-White (Kip’s partner Nathan), those bits of under-the-police-tape banter and station debriefings really crackle.

That Collateral--a four-part Netflix drama involving the struggles of migrants seeking asylum, the evils of human trafficking, perfidious intelligence agencies, women’s sexual victimization, drug-dealers and more--succeeds in achieving a certain suspense is no small miracle, given the confusion resulting from its hugely overcrowded script. Overcrowded by causes, that is, as well as characters.

It’s a great cast, and the show has its moments of both wry humor (my new ringtone will be Carey Mulligan asking, as Kip tries to chase down an errant lead, “Where the fuck is Boca Raton?”) and great pathos, and for once you won’t feel like a streaming drama is overstaying is welcome, but Collateral’s reach ultimately exceeds its grasp.

Hare’s arguments, made through the mouthpiece of his characters, are sound--they just don’t make for great entertainment.