It's a tangled web of individuals and motivations, and while some may find this all a bit too heavy on coincidence, there's no question that Collateral is a gripping procedural.

Apparently the show will leave you more confused than not, but it's got a really engaging start.

Collateral [is] a superb four-part-thriller... that deftly tackles politics, immigration issues and murky espionage as well as the central crime.

Collateral isn't perfect and has some uneven bits, but it never wastes your time.

This work is sharp, it's engaging, and it's speaking not only to contemporary Britain, but also to a wider Western world that is wrestling with the issues of immigration and asylum.

Ambitious but convoluted British crime drama is violent.

What unfolds, then, is part thriller, part procedural, and part political commentary, all wrapped in a smartly written package and adorned with fully realized characters and strong performances.

Collateral filters issues through a uniquely British lens, creating the uncanny sensation of observing a political system and its failures that's like the American system, but not of it...it's less a whodunnit than a whydunnit.

Carey Mulligan, as DI Kip, excels, as does Billie Piper as the louche posh drawling lovely: one struggles to tear the eyes from any scene in which either appears.

With a worrying wave of right-wing politicians seemingly on the rise across Europe, spouting anti-refugee rhetoric and celebrating the unfathomable success of Donald Trump, stories such as the one Collateral is telling are vital now more than ever before.

By centering this story around all of these totemic societal institutions, Collateral is taking a broad view of all of these key political, legal, and religious pillars, which are subject to the individuals who comprise them.

That Collateral succeeds in achieving a certain suspense is no small miracle, given the confusion resulting from its hugely overcrowded script...its close-to-gripping powers derive from strong performances.

Ambition is good, and so are well-made dramas with things to say like this one, whatever genre label its creators want - or don't want - to give it.

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.

There is more than enough quality here to stick with it.