I was listening to the England-New Zealand test match on the radio when the former New Zealand cricketer Jeremy Coney mentioned Bob Blair and the Tangiwai train crash. Looking it up on Wikipedia, I discovered that an NZ TV movie had been made of the story. Thanks to the internet I was able to order a copy from a New Zealand retailer. I had no great expectations of a TV movie from the land of sheep, although the efforts of Peter Jackson have obviously raised the profile of NZ film making. I was very pleasantly surprised. The movie is well made, well acted and with more than adequate special effects. Indeed it is surprising that this was not given a theatrical release, at least in it's own country. My only criticism would be the caption at the beginning, telling you what is going to happen, which is unnecessary and detracts from the dramatic impact. While it obviously takes some liberties with the facts it is nevertheless an involving and satisfying movie that deserves a wider audience.
