The story appears simple on the surface, but is revealed, especially after multiple viewings, as more multi-layered and textured than Cassavetes at his best. Ostensibly it concerns a 14-year old Catholic girl, Wynne (Agutter) growing up in this post-modern wasteland, who develops a crush on her much older adoptive brother (Marshall)- a crush which perversely deepens and grows into infatuation once she starts to believe he is the local sex killer. This is in itself an idea that makes you sit up and jolt, but as the narrative develops, it continues not necessarily along a linear path but in several confusing and fascinating directions the family's history, (detailed effectively in chilling flashback during an improvised seance) is a chequered one, and has suffered at least one major relocation and upheaval in the last ten years. At the crux, however, it's the depiction of socialal changes that make I Start Counting so fascinating and elevate its language far beyond the confines of the standard horror film. The major subtext- that teenage girls were maturing more quickly than before, and developing full sexual and romantic appetites (even if in thought rather than deed) but were not possessed of enough discretion to make the right choices- was a step forward for a genre in which its young females had previously been portrayed as bimbo victims (Cover Girl Killer and The Night Caller spring to mind), but not one that all viewers would necessarily agree with. But most striking of all, and possibly the most enduring image which the viewer will take away with them, is of the masterful symbolism with which director Greene invests every shot. Every inch of the Kinch family's world- their house, their walls, their TV, Agutters underwear, bedroom furniture and toys, Sutcliffe's clothes, Marshalls van, the local Catholic church, their town centre, their record shop) - is painted a bright, scintillating white- a white which, by inference, is slowly becoming smudged and corrupted with the dirt of the outside world. White also symbolises, of course, purity and innocence (two qualities Catholic schoolgirls are supposed to hold dear), and it is into this world of innocence that the ever-present red bus (a symbol of violation and penetration), conducted by the lecherous yet similarly juvenile Simon Ward, makes regular journeys. The allegory is further expanded in one scene where Agutter believes she sees the Christ figure in church weeping blood by the time we acknowledge it, its gone, but the seed has already been planted. Rarely in a genre production has the use of colour and background been so important or effective in creating a uniformity of mood. I Start Counting is as near-perfect an end to a decade as one could hope for, and exactly the kind of film people should be making now- which is, of course, exactly why they never will. A genre essential. by D.R.

《倒计时》是一部紧张刺激的悬疑犯罪电视剧。故事围绕着一名神秘的炸弹制造者展开，他在城市的各处设置了定时炸弹，要求政府和警方在规定的时间内解开一连串的密码才能停止炸弹引爆。

故事的主要情节是，一名年轻而有才华的警察阿瑟被调查组任命为负责调查这一系列爆炸案件的领导。阿瑟是一个充满正义感和责任感的警察，在这场接近绝望的生死角逐中，他必须不仅挑战自己的智慧和勇气，还要面对自己内心深处的恐惧和挣扎。

随着调查的深入，阿瑟和他的团队陆续解开了许多线索，不断接近真相。但是，炸弹制造者是一个极其聪明和变态的反派，他的每一步都谨慎而精密，给警方留下了一个又一个难题。而同时，城市的人们也感受到了恐慌和不安，每一次爆炸都让他们的生活陷入了混乱和恐惧之中。

在一次次的考验和磨难中，阿瑟不断成长和改变，他学会了坚韧和勇气，也意识到了身边众人的重要性。他的团队和他的家人都成为了他战斗的动力和支撑。而与此同时，炸弹制造者的真实身份也逐渐浮出水面，一个令人震惊的结局即将揭晓。

在《倒计时》中，观众将跟随着阿瑟的脚步，感受到紧张和刺激，也会思考关于正义、勇气和责任的深层次问题。这部剧不仅仅是一部悬疑犯罪作品，更是一部充满温情和深意的心灵之旅。