Genre Thriller Written by Gerald Seymour Country of origin United Kingdom | Created by Gerald Seymour Directed by James Hawes | |
Starring Ross Kemp
Saskia Reeves
Mark Bazeley
Katy Cavanagh
Ralph Ineson
Danny Mac
Kayvan Novak | ||
A Line in the Sand was a British television mini-series first broadcast on 7 and 8 June 2004 on ITV1. The programme was originally scheduled for broadcast in September 2001, but shelved until June 2004 because a major part of the story involved Middle-Eastern terrorists. This was deemed to be too sensitive after the terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001. The thriller is based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Seymour, and stars Ross Kemp as the protagonist, Frank Parry.
Contents
The series was originally broadcast in two episodes, but for some international broadcasts, was shown as one feature-length film. The DVD of the series was released on 15 January 2007. The series features a very early role for Danny Mac, who appeared in his only acting role before his casting as Dodger Savage in Hollyoaks.
Plot
In a remote village on the Suffolk coast, Frank Parry (Ross Kemp) waits for his past to catch up with him. A former spy for MI6, Perry was based in Iran watching their chemical and biological weapons programme, but he decides to go straight, giving up the names of his high-level Middle-Eastern contacts in exchange for immunity from the government. The information he brought back led to the deaths of many Iranian scientists and seriously undermined the progress of the weapons programme. When his old business partners catch wind of the situation, they want revenge. Now Iran has dispatched its most deadly assassin to complete the task. Code-named 'The Anvil', he will find Perry, unless Perry's protector's can reach him first.
Critical reception
Robert Pardi of TV Guide said of the series; "Engrossing in a middlebrow sort of way, this straightforward thriller, originally broadcast on British television in 2001, confirms one's worst suspicions about the heartlessness of all governments. Screenwriter Gerald Seymour gets a little too wrapped up in the mechanics of the espionage plot to lend the hero's plight much suspense, but the timely subject matter does add extra heft to a film that’s caught somewhere between provocative political melodrama and standard action bash."
Many also noted at the time of broadcast that Kemp's character in the series was very similar to that of his Ultimate Force character Henry "Henno" Garvie, and it was in fact Kemp's performance in A Line in the Sand which earned him the part of Henno, and ultimately saw the writers of Ultimate Force re-write his character exclusively to suit him.