Though I have not seen much of Jim Field Smith and George Kay, I was somehow convinced that if Jim is directing again it will definitely be watchable especially after knowing his work in She’s Out of My League. And of course, George Kay has previously written Lupin but teaming up with Idris Elba from the TV series Luther got me even more interested. It’s not very frequent that you can see the much toned down version of a hijack scenario. In fact, in most movies, there’s a lot of turmoil and action on this theme.

Hijack tries to take a much more mature approach to portray a scenario for our current times. It becomes more interesting if it’s not related to terrorism but to organized crime. But, watching Idris Elba’s performance reminded me of the movie Bridge of Spies where Tom Hanks possesses the skill for negotiations to deal with an enemy state. Frankly, I’m not directly comparing Idris with Tom here but we sure get the glimpses of negotiations where he can get people to do things for him and in a more realistic and convincing way.  And, these are all the positive sides of this show. So, now, let’s ponder over those areas which it misses to deliver.

The first and foremost downside of this miniseries is that the entire hijack is carried over by a bunch of amateurs who really don’t know what to do when. So, the drama around it always appears to be something manageable and feeble, especially when you know that the show’s protagonist is onboard. My point is that the moment you get this feeling, you lose the chills and thrills in a show but Jim’s direction still keeps you engaging. The problem I see is in the screenplay and story by George Kay. As the drama unfolds in the subsequent episodes,  you’d also anticipate that there’s a dumbed down version of the script that might follow. And, that’s really the weakest aspect. 

You see, we can all think of the British as so sophisticated and intelligent but to expect them to deliver something according to the build up is a bit far-fetched. At least, my experience in watching British dramas says that. The series does the same and misses to expose who would run that organized crime group. Is it some trader in London, a minister or politician, or a bunch of nincompoops? Jim and George surely gives us a moment of satisfaction by showing a bald guy leaking the hijack information to the media in a bar but we are never shown if he works for someone else or he is the one calling shots. Well, I don’t really expect to see that in a British series in their first season but I would definitely want to see it in the upcoming season. With that, you either get disappointed or keep your brains to the lowest level to expect only this much. And of course, that four minute thrill at the end with Idris and the first hijacker is nothing short of making a mockery of the entire show.

My suggestion is that if you like all the hue and cry but don’t expect to see or get any answers in the end. This could be the right show for you. For others, I would recommend watching something else.