POIROT: THE MOVIE COLLECTION SET 6 -- DVD review by porfle

Originally posted on 7/31/11

 

When not treading the boards spouting Shakespeare or playing Middle Eastern terrorists as he did in 1996's EXECUTIVE DECISION, David Suchet spends much of his time portraying Agatha Christie's immortal Belgian detective Hercule Poirot on British television.  Since 1989 he has appeared in dozens of such adaptations, and we get to see three of the latest ones in the DVD collection POIROT: THE MOVIE COLLECTION SET 6.

Suchet's portly Poirot is a fussy, fastidious, and very proper little Belgian gentleman with a meticulously waxed moustache and impeccable taste.  He patiently suffers the crudeness of those around him with a pained look or a clipped remark, but as soon as his deductive skills have pinpointed a killer in their midst his manner becomes sharp and accusatory. 

Murder, to this obsessive-compulsive perfectionist, disrupts the proper order of things, which he must set right just as he is compelled to rearrange random objects around him in a more orderly fashion.  Suchet is a delight in the role and it's a treat to watch him inhabit Agatha Christie's classic character with such understated finesse.
 


"Hallowe'en Party" begins at a costume party during which a little girl boasts that she once witnessed a murder.  When she ends up drowned in the apple-bobbing tub, Hercule Poirot is summoned to discern which of the party guests is a killer covering up a past crime.  Delving into the village's recent unsolved murders, he finds there are three to choose from.  This one is spooky fun with some pitch-black humor--a shot of the bee-costumed victim dunked in the tub includes a closeup of her dripping antennae dangling over the side--and a wealth of suspects, motives, and eccentric characters.  Zoë Wanamaker guest-stars as Poirot's friend, pulp mystery writer Ariadne Oliver, in a screenplay by Mark Gatiss ("Sherlock").

In "The Clocks", Jaime Winstone plays Sheila Webb, a temp secretary who arrives at the address to which she's been summoned only to stumble over a dead body and become a murder suspect.  Although this occurs at three o'clock, there are four clocks in the room which all read 4:13 for some unknown reason.  When Poirot is asked to look into the matter by young MI6 agent Lt. Colin Race (Tom Burke), who has taken an interest in Miss Webb, he finds that the murder is linked to the theft of secret government documents that may aid Hitler in his upcoming invasion of England.  But settling that case leaves yet another equally perplexing one still unsolved.



As usual, Poirot's interrogation of various witnesses and suspects uncovers even more questions.  Yet he calmly collects and processes the information until it's time for him to sit down and think it all through.  The more convoluted the plot, the more fun it is to watch Poirot methodically sort it all out, often chiding himself for not seeing the solution sooner.  His odd methods are often rebuffed at first by the local constabulary, who end up humbly seeking his help after their feeble efforts reach a dead end.

Each case reaches its climax with the formal revelation scene, with all suspects present and Poirot theatrically explaining his cogitations of the facts in the case which point him to the guilty party.  This, of course, is one of the hoariest murder-mystery cliches ever, but when done right it can be exquisite fun.  And the more tangled the mystery, the more pleasure we get from Poirot neatly sorting it all out in the end.

"Three Act Tragedy" ends, literally, on a theater stage with Poirot presiding over the indictment of a murderer who has poisoned three people at three different social gatherings, all with the same cast of characters.  Martin Shaw ("George Gently") is Poirot's actor friend Sir Charles Cartwright, who plays a detective onstage and fancies himself one in real life as he joins Poirot in his investigation.  Art Malik and Jane Asher also guest in this intriguing mystery.



There's a deliberately old-fashioned air to these pre-WWII tales that gives them a feeling of authenticity.  A bit dry at times, each of the three feature-length stories is finely-rendered and atmospheric, with rich period detail and the look of faded old color photographs or picture postcards.  Clever directorial touches help keep the exposition-heavy scenes interesting as the plots slowly unfold.
 
The three-disc boxed set from Acorn Media is in 16:9 widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound and English subtitles.  Each disc comes in its own slimline case.  There are no extras.

Viewers unaccustomed to such slow-paced fare may find themselves growing restless during Poirot's painstaking investigations.  But if you're willing to settle in and immerse yourself in these lush, absorbing murder mysteries, you should find POIROT: THE MOVIE COLLECTION SET 6 to be quite rewarding.
 
 

Other "Poirot" DVD reviews from HK and Cult Film News:
POIROT AND MARPLE FAN FAVORITES
POIROT: SET 1 and SET 2
POIROT: THE MOVIE COLLECTION SET 6
POIROT: SERIES 5
POIROT: SERIES 6 
POIROT: SERIES 7 & 8

POIROT: THE MOVIE COLLECTION SET 6 -- DVD review by porfle

CHARLIE STEEL -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 12/12/18

 

If you've been searching for a bland, ultra-low-budget imitation of '70s blaxploitation flicks that comes off like somebody's student film, the 1984 South African thriller CHARLIE STEEL (Indiepix Films) is the pot of bad-film fun at the end of your rainbow.

Charlie (Sol Rachilo), a poor man's poor man's Shaft, is a private dick who's called into action by a rich friend whose daughter Dudu (Sonto Mazibuko) has just been kidnapped by a gang of bad guys led by the Boss (Thapelo Mofokeng) and is being held for ransom in their secluded hideout. 

As a super-cool action hero, Steel leaves much to be desired, but part of his charm is the way this lanky, hangdog dude in a baggy suit and tiny Fedora, who looks like he's been around the block a few too many times, schleps around town looking for leads before stumbling into trouble and getting himself captured two or three times. 

Meanwhile, as the incompetent bad guys endlessly play poker around the kitchen table and take turns guarding Dudu, we find that one of them, Tony (Charles Joloza), has a crush on her and may turn out to be an ally, while another, Jimmy (Davis Diphoko), is a former military compadre of Charlie's whose seething animosity toward him will ruin the private eye's attempt to infiltrate the gang.

This is one of many low-budget films made in South Africa for black audiences during apartheid, when their access to mainstream films was prohibited, and subsequently rediscovered and restored as part of Indiepix Films' "Retro Afrika" series.  As such, it's a fascinating example of really indy filmmaking that tries to make something entertaining with severely limited resources and manages to succeed in spite of itself. 

In this case, the fun is in watching writer-director Bevis Parsons and his cast of earnest but unpolished actors put together a semi-watchable detective thriller that is endearing in its badness, filling it with tough-guy dialogue, limp action scenes, and a simple, repetitive plot that plays like a feature version of a grade Z serial.

After playing private eye for awhile, Charlie gets serious and goes into military attack mode, trading his rumpled suit for black cat-burglar attire and launching a one-man seige on the bad guys' backwoods HQ. 

Naturally he gets captured again, but that merely sets up the mildly exciting finale in which he and the Boss face off against each other one on one.  Along the way super-suave Charlie even finds time to meet a comely lass and give her his address so that they can meet for dinner the next evening. 

Technically, the film is a bit more competent that some of these apartheid-era films I've seen, but that's not saying a whole lot.  Still, for bad film fans, that's exactly what gives movies like CHARLIE STEEL their irresistible charm, something this one is steeped in.  And with expectations thus adjusted, one almost can't help having a good time watching it.


http://www.indiepixfilms.com
https://retroafrika.com/

Tech Specs
Format: Color, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Number of discs: 1
Rated: NR 
Studio: Indiepix Films
3:2, Color, Stereo
DVD Release Date: December 18, 2018
Run Time: 87 minutes
Extras: Trailer

CHARLIE STEEL -- DVD Review by Porfle

MAN IN A SUITCASE: SET 1 -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 1/16/11

 

Fans of 60s British spy shows such as "Secret Agent" and "The Avengers" should get a bang out of "Man in a Suitcase", which graced UK tellies for a single season back in 1967.  (American viewers got to see it on ABC-TV a year later.)  Acorn Media's DVD collection MAN IN A SUITCASE: SET 1 offers the first 15 out of 30 episodes on four discs, and is just plain fun to watch. 

Texas native Richard Bradford (THE UNTOUCHABLES, A TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL) stars as ex-American Intelligence agent McGill (his first name is never revealed, although he's often referred to as "Mac"), who was framed for treason by his own agency in order to protect the identity of a double agent working in Russia.  While fighting to clear his name, McGill survives by taking various odd jobs as a private detective, bounty hunter, or bodyguard, and is often enlisted by his former superiors in Intelligence to perform dirty jobs for them against his will.  As one character describes him in an early episode: "He's a Yank.  Not bent, not straight.  Works for himself."

This interesting premise--you never know what he'll be involved in next--makes it possible for McGill to take part in a wide variety of dangerous and unpredictable adventures.  Bearing a closer resemblance to "Secret Agent" than the more fanciful "The Avengers", this gritty Cold War thriller is marked by snappy, hardboiled dialogue, wry humor, and frequent violence.
 

The latter is most often directed at McGill himself, who often gets bludgeoned, stabbed, beaten up, drugged, and even shot during the course of an episode.  Despite his attempts to look spiffy in cool-cat tailored suits with narrow ties, he usually ends up pretty ragged before the fadeout.  On several occasions, in fact, he spends much of the episode either staggering in a daze or struggling desperately just to stand up.

McGill takes all of this in stride because he has to.  As played by method actor Bradford--whose distinctive look includes prematurely gray hair and an ever-present cigarette jutting from his lips--he's gruff and hardbitten on the outside but sensitive and sympathetic on the inside, often getting into trouble by helping out an old friend or being drawn into an ill-fated romance.  We know he's a good guy and a skilled agent, yet the abuse and betrayal he's endured from both enemy agents and former allies makes him wary and suspicious of everyone.

While McGill keeps a London apartment, most of what he owns is contained in his beat-up suitcase, which he may have to take into action anywhere in the world at a moment's notice.  To this end, the backlot of Pinewood studios serves as various "exotic" settings.  Actual London locations are used to good effect as well.


Though the series takes place in the late 60s, it's refreshingly free of that era's usual "mod" nonsense.  Sets are low-budget but interesting, and heavy on the pastels characteristic of early color television.  On a technical level, the show is quite well done, with much of the 2nd unit direction and editing by five-time "James Bond" director John Glen.  The nifty animated opening titles are accompanied by Ron Grainer's cool theme.

Episode one, "Brainwash", finds McGill being held captive by deposed South Africa governor Colonel Davies and subjected to heavy psychological torture for unknown reasons.  It's a strange episode to start out with as McGill spends much of it confined in a cell in a drugged stupor, but it does demonstrate his resourcefulness and resolve.  He also gets knocked out, beaten up, and shot, barely surviving the ordeal. 

In episode two, "The Sitting Pigeon", McGill must babysit a surly, uncooperative gangster who's scheduled to testify against his own brothers and is marked for death.  Besides being one of the funnier and more suspenseful stories in the series, it boasts a guest appearance by none other than legendary "Monty Python" babe Carol Cleveland, here sporting an auburn beehive along with her miniskirt.  The next episode, "Day of Execution", features a young pre-stardom Donald Sutherland. 

"Variation on a Million Bucks", a two-parter with guest stars Yoko Tani (FIRST SPACESHIP ON VENUS), Norm Rossington (A HARD DAY'S NIGHT), and Aubrey Morris (A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, "Deadwood"), is one of the best in the series.  McGill is given the key to a safety deposit box containing a million dollars by an old friend, a former Russian agent, as he lies dying of a gunshot wound.  Trouble is, the money is in Turkey and McGill must illicitly buy passage on a ship populated by cutthroats who will do anything for the key.  As par for the course, he ends up getting conked out, beaten up, stabbed, and shot--in addition to losing his girlfriend! 

With episode six, "Man from the Dead", we finally get to see the series pilot and find out the details of how McGill was originally set up as a fall guy.  Stuart Damon guest stars.  Next, Judy Geeson is "Sweet Sue", a spoiled rich girl whose father hires McGill to expose a couple of hipster hucksters who are taking her to the cleaners.  "Essay in Evil" is a tale of blackmail and murder directed by Freddie Francis, the highlight of which is a fight between McGill and a brawny Bond-style henchman.
 

"The Girl Who Never Was" concerns a lost Botticelli painting and features Bond regular Bernard Lee.  Barbara Shelley (FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH) appears in "All That Glitters", in which McGill is hired to locate a kidnapped boy.  "Dead Man's Shoes" finds McGill in a small village beset by marauding thugs.  In "Find the Lady", he's hunted by a homicidal jewel thief in Rome and joined by Jeanne Roland (YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE) and Patrick Cargill (HELP!, "The Prisoner"). 

The final three episodes in the set, "The Bridge", "The Man Who Stood Still", and "Burden of Proof", feature such familiar faces as Jane Merrow (HANDS OF THE RIPPER), Rupert Davies (THE OBLONG BOX, DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE), and John Gregson (THE LONGEST DAY).  More astute fans of British television will probably recognize several more.

The 4-disc DVD set from Acorn Media is in full-screen with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound.  No subtitles.  Picture quality is good, with occasional flaws--which, to me, just add to the nostalgic ambiance.  Each disc contains a photo gallery.  The smartly-designed menus are also adorned with some nice pics, along with episode summaries.

There's just something about these vintage British spy shows that I find appealing and fun.  An "Avengers" fanatic as a kid, I never seemed to connect with this particular show during its initial run.  But thanks to MAN IN A SUITCASE SET 1, I'm finally catching up with a really cool series.

Read our review of Set 2

MAN IN A SUITCASE: SET 1 -- DVD Review by Porfle

THE BIG BANG -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 5/19/11

 

A movie that definitely gets better as it goes along, THE BIG BANG (2011) starts out like a shallow film noir imitation and ends up pretty much living up to its title, especially after the science-fiction elements kick in.

Antonio Banderas is private eye Ned Cruz, a world-weary denizen of L.A.'s sleazy underbelly who doesn't especially like his job.  One night a human gorilla named Anton (Robert Maillet) enters Ned's office and hires him to find a stripper named Lexie Persimmon.  Anton's been exchanging torrid love letters with Lexie while serving a life sentence for murder, and now that he inexplicably finds himself a free man, he's determined to hook up with his dream girl.  But what seems like a routine missing person case leads Ned into a tangled web of murder, deceit, and nuclear physics.

The look of THE BIG BANG is an uneasy combination of real settings and SIN CITY-style green screen.  This gives much of the film an artificial veneer that detracts from the grittiness and sometimes resembles a chic modeling shoot lit with various shades of neon.  Director Tony Krantz also uses Dutch angles in roughly every other shot, which, along with the candy-coated visuals, gives it even more of an unreal comic-book look.  Cruz's road trip through the desert to New Mexico, where Lexie Persimmon's trail seems to lead, is an eye-pleasing sequence which features one of those classic Burma Shave advertisements as a nice retro touch.



Once we arrive in New Mexico and meet Sam Elliott's character, former surf bum turned billionaire Simon Kestral, the plot takes a more fanciful turn that's more in line with the film's graphic-novel design.  Here, we find that Kestral is obsessed with finding the "God particle" via an immense super-collider constructed beneath his desert estate, with which he hopes to recreate the Big Bang itself. 

The less "fantastical" interrogation room scenes, which frame the flashbacks with Cruz's standard noir-style voiceover, are some of the best.  You really can't go too wrong putting Banderas in a room with the likes of Thomas Kretschmann, William Fichtner, and Delroy Lindo playing hardnosed cops, and giving them plenty of tough-guy dialogue to chew on as Cruz is mercilessly grilled for information.  Fichtner especially enjoys his role as the violent Poley, who hates Cruz with a passion.  Cruz, meanwhile, bides his time and waits for an opening, keeping his story interesting enough to string the crooked cops along while he figures out what they're really up to.

Banderas is solid as Cruz, not too broad or too subtle, and his modern-day private eye has all the prerequisite wary cynicism and cool of his classic counterparts.  Many of his offhand jokes are groan-worthy, but his constant putdowns of the volatile Poley make up for it.  Elliot is well-cast as Kestral, whose unlimited wealth enables him to make his most far-out acid fantasies a reality.
 


Sienna Guillory plays his gorgeous-but-neglected wife Julie and Jimmi Simpson is his flaky chief physicist Niels Geck, both of whom harbor deep secrets crucial to the case.  Autumn Reeser is appealing as perky waitress Fay Neman, a space-case whose passion for physics adds unexpected zest to her sexual encounter with Cruz.  Snoop Dogg and the venerable Bill Duke turn up along the way as a porn filmmaker and a jazz drummer, respectively.

The secret of Lexie Persimmon is revealed in a slickly-photographed suspense sequence involving Cruz, Julie, Geck, and an out-of-control Anton when the smitten gorilla bursts onto the scene looking for his soulmate.  Finally, Kestral's experiment reaches its zenith just as the business between Cruz and the three cops comes to a head, resulting in a wild CGI-laden finale that I found fairly exhilarating.  Strangely enough, the story would've worked even if the sci-fi elements had been omitted altogether, but it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun. 

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and subtitles in English and Spanish.  Extras include a "making of" featurette, a commentary with Krantz and co-producer Reece Pearson, and some extended scenes.  The original score by Johnny Marr is very good.

If you don't get into the "neon-noir" look and feel of THE BIG BANG you'll probably never take the story seriously enough to care about any of it.  But as a light, often amusing and sometimes exciting action-fantasy with an occasional touch of the old private eye flicks, it definitely has its moments.

THE BIG BANG -- DVD Review by Porfle

SHERLOCK -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 2/23/22

 

For over a century, authors and filmmakers have been unable to resist rethinking, revising, and generally screwing around with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic master detective Sherlock Holmes.  Even the silver screen's gold standard Holmes, Basil Rathbone, found himself transplanted from Victorian-era London into the middle of World War II in order to apply his peerless deductive skills toward fighting the Axis.  Over the years Holmes has met Sigmund Freud and Jack the Ripper, battled invading Martians, and exposed his private life for all to see.

While many of these updates are respectful of the original material, some are mere gimmicks designed to spoof or sensationalize.  But the three-part BBC-TV series SHERLOCK (2010), which places Holmes and the redoubtable Dr. John H. Watson squarely in the 21st century with the rest of us, is no gimmick.  Rather, it's an exhilarating opportunity for the celebrated sleuth and his loyal sidekick to engage a whole new world of mysteries.

Indeed, this Sherlock would fit comfortably into any time period.  He's not a fish out of water--his dynamic, self-contained character resists the need to be "updated" save for the modern detecting tools of which he readily avails himself.  Of course, he still has his violin, not to mention his problems with certain controlled substances.  The shag pipe has been replaced by nicotine patches, and instead of a journal, Watson records their adventures in his blog.
 

Holmes' rivalrous sibling Mycroft is here as well, now a member of the British government's inner circle and played very amusingly by Mark Gatiss.  Needless to say, the shadowy presence of a certain Moriarty hovers over it all.  Each episode is beautifully directed and shot, with inventive scene transitions and a fine musical score by David Arnold and Michael Price.  The scripts are replete with crackling dialogue and bits of business which convey the spirit of Doyle's original characters and stories in loving detail.  With all the familiar pieces falling into place in such a satisfying manner, SHERLOCK is a deep, delightful wallow in Holmesiana.

It took about half a minute for the wonderfully-named Benedict Cumberbatch to win me over as Holmes.  We first find him in the morgue, furiously laying into a corpse with a riding crop to assess the bruises.  Blithely unaware that a smitten attendant named Molly Hooper (Loo Brealey) is coming on to him, he responds to her timid invitation to coffee with a curt "Black, two sugars please, I'll be upstairs" before dashing off to the laboratory.  This leads directly to the fateful meeting between the two odd ducks, Holmes and Watson (Martin Freeman), both seeking a roommate as in the first chapter of the original Holmes novel, "A Study in Scarlet."  (This premiere episode is similarly titled "A Study in Pink.") 

Noticing Watson's crutch, the inquisitive Holmes asks, "Afganistan or Iraq?"  Watson, as in his initial incarnation, has been wounded both physically and mentally in the war and spends his days in therapy, but we get the feeling his unhappy life is about to get a lot more interesting.  "We don't know a single thing about each other," he says dubiously when Holmes takes it for granted that they'll be flatmates.
 

Fans know exactly what's coming next.  Our shared anticipation is rewarded when the droll, almost insanely perceptive Holmes casually reels off much of Watson's life story, based on simple observation, without missing a beat.  It's a marvelous scene, establishing his eccentric character beautifully with a few exquisite strokes.  Before long, both are ensconced in the familiar surroundings of 221B Baker Street, fussed over by their dear old landlady Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs).

"When the police are out of their depth, which is always, they consult me," he boasts when Detective Lastrade (Rupert Graves) of Scotland Yard summons him to the scene of a mysterious suicide.  Holmes invites Watson along as a medical consultant, thus beginning their grand collaboration.  A series of apparent self-poisonings has Scotland Yard baffled, and it's up to Holmes to figure out why unrelated Londoners are killing themselves with identical poison pills for no apparent reason.  This adventure will eventually lead him into a riveting battle of wits with the most unlikely of opponents.  

With a frustrated Lestrade constantly calling upon Holmes for help, the two bear a resemblance to Batman and Commissioner Gordon.  Which is fitting since, after all, Batman was partly based on Holmes in the first place.  (Maybe that's why the otherwise useless Robin was invented, to serve the Watson role of sounding board and appreciative audience to "the world's greatest detective.")

A clever convention that appears frequently is the use of floating text to show us not only what's popping up on various cell phones (Holmes prefers texting to talking) and other sources, but also lets us in on what's running through Holmes' mind as he riffles through various visual clues.  This way, he doesn't have to constantly explain everything to Watson for our benefit, and we get to see his thought processes in real time as he gathers and assesses information at lightning speed.

In the second episode, "The Blind Banker", Holmes sniffs out a racket involving stolen historical artifacts smuggled in from China and sold at auction.  When two of the smugglers are found dead in classic "locked room" scenarios, the killer's trail leads to a scary Chinese criminal cult that eventually gets their hands on our heroes.  While this episode gets slightly bogged down in procedure at times, there's plenty of exotic atmosphere, great character byplay, and a keenly suspenseful finale.

The third and last story of the season, "The Great Game", is an utter joy from start to finish.  It begins with Watson returning to the flat to find Holmes shooting bullets into the wall out of boredom, followed by that famous exchange in which Holmes reveals he doesn't know that the Earth goes round the sun.  Such information, he explains, isn't necessary in his work, and, in contemporary terms, he likens his brain to a hard drive from which all extraneous data must be deleted. 

The plot involves a mad bomber who communicates with Holmes through hostages who are wired with explosives and forced to read their captor's text messages aloud over the phone.  With only hours to solve each of the killer's mysterious puzzles and rescue the hostages one by one, the pace is frantic and the action non-stop, culminating in a final revelatory scene that should have Holmes fans in paroxysms of geek bliss. 

Do we ever get to see the big "M"?  Yes.  I won't go into detail, but the eventual face-to-face encounter between the world's greatest consulting detective and the world's greatest criminal mastermind is a sensational pay-off to all the build-up, and scintillating as hell.  (The words "You complete me" came to mind during their verbal sparring.)  It ends in a cliffhanger which, in a way, reminded me of a certain story called "The Final Problem."

The 2-disc DVD from Warner Home Video and BBC contains all three feature-length episodes (270 minutes total) in a 16:9 aspect ratio and Dolby Digital 5.1 stereo.  Subtitles are in English.  Episodes 1 and 3 contain cast and crew commentaries.  Other bonuses include a making-of featurette, "Unlocking Sherlock", and the original hour-long pilot which was later expanded and reshot to become "A Study in Pink."
 
Do I recommend SHERLOCK?  It's all I can do to keep from coming over to your house and forcing you to watch it with me.  This is intoxicating stuff for Holmes addicts, and I can't wait to see what's next.  In the words of the modern-day Sherlock: "The game is on!"

SHERLOCK -- DVD Review by Porfle

SARA STEIN: FROM BERLIN TO TEL AVIV -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 5/25/19

 

She isn't a super-cool superwoman who's flawless, infallible, and better at everything than all the guys, and it's this real-life human quality that helps make Sara Stein such a relatable and appealing character. 

Make no mistake, though--the intelligent and highly capable homicide detective at the center of this limited TV series and now 2-disc DVD set SARA STEIN: FROM BERLIN TO TEL AVIV (Film Movement, Omnibus Entertainment) is tough, smart, and likable enough to keep us keenly engaged throughout all four of her exciting feature-length investigations.

Katharina Lorenz is ideal in the title role, a fine, expressive actress who's just fit enough (Sara runs and bikes every day for exercise) and pretty enough to look like she didn't just get sent down from central casting. As capable as anyone on the force, she has nothing to prove yet sometimes makes mistakes so that even her admirable character is believably human.

 

We join the first adventure, "Shalom Berlin, Shalom Tel Aviv", with her already an established member of the Berlin homicide squad who happens to come upon the tail end of a violent knife attack in a nightclub parking lot while out on a night jog.

The crime scene is dotted with mysterious little clues which we'll get to watch Sara and her coworkers painstakingly sort out as one revelation leads to yet another and another in what is a typically twisted and unpredictable series of events.

The case involves an Israeli victim and a Palestinian suspect, in the first of several politically-tinged cases in which Sara is forced to contemplate her own Jewish heritage to which she has never paid much attention. Just when we think politics is the all-consuming motive, however, other elements take the plot in quite different and intriguing directions.

I found her eccentric coworkers and their quirks to be quite entertaining--Max (Aljoscha Stadelmann) is a cheerful nebbish without a lot of tact but an effective street style, and mousey Anne (Katharina M. Schubert) is a highly capable presence in the office but horribly agoraphobic when forced to join Sara in the field.

We also meet David, a famous pianist who forms a mutual admiration with Sara, her caring parents, and her troubled boss, Commissioner Schubert (Kirsten Block), a recent widow whose personal life has intersected badly with her professional one.

This last element becomes a constant in later episodes after Sara marries David and makes the move to his native Tel Aviv, joining the police force there.  A clash between the personal and the professional will add much emotional drama to Sara's life, beginning with the murder of her predecessor on the force in "Jewels From the Grave."

Here, we see the difficulty Sara has fitting in with her new cohorts, mostly street-hardened men like the burly Blok (Samuel Finzi) and imposing Commissioner Weissenberg (Ami Weinberg).  Thankfully, however, it isn't for the old cliched reasons of sexual prejudice but instead a fear that the eager new detective will uncover secrets about the victim and themselves which they would rather remain hidden.

After a very shaky start, Sara and Blok begin working together amidst a grudging mutual respect in the third feature, "Masada", when a beloved archeologist is killed in an explosion at the ancient site and the usual political suspects are rounded up even as suspicion begins to include members of his own family. 

This one is a puzzle that keeps the attention engaged along with some extremely painful personal revelations for Sara which, as usual, are played to perfection.

In her final adventure of the series, "Old Friends", Sara investigates the discovery of a severed hand on the beach and is drawn into a maelstrom of crime and deceit which, again, will directly involve her in scintillating fashion. 

Her husband David comes to the fore in this regard when he reveals some stunning secrets about his previous life in the military, with none other than Blok as his commanding officer.  And as always, the callow but earnest young upstart Corporal Hanan Chalabi (Bat-Elle Mashian) comes up with surprisingly clever deductions at the most unexpected times.

Each razor-sharp screenplay is stunningly photographed (especially after the move to Israel) and filmed with great verve and energy by prolific TV director Matthias Tiefenbacher, who achieves a gritty, kinetic style without resorting to constant shaky-cam.  Music, editing, and other production elements are first rate.

The four episodes of SARA STEIN: FROM BERLIN TO TEL AVIV deftly combine riveting, realistic personal drama with the finest elements of the police procedural amidst the volatile politics and religious strife of the Middle East. Stripped of the usual bombast and empty sensation, we're left with purely intelligent, thoughtful, and consistently fascinating forays into the life of a richly interesting character.

  
Order it from Film Movement

Release date: June 4, 2019

Format: NTSC, Subtitled
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Number of discs: 2
Languages: German, Hebrew, Arabic
Subtitles: English
Studio: Omnibus Entertainment
DVD Release Date: June 4, 2019
Run Time: 360 minutes

SARA STEIN: FROM BERLIN TO TEL AVIV -- DVD Review by Porfle

THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 1/30/16

 

The first great "film noir", 1941's THE MALTESE FALCON, set the standard both storywise and in its impeccably exquisite visuals.  First-time director John Huston does a masterful job orchestrating his actors and crew to create a visual experience which is consistently involving and often dazzling. 

The film, shot mostly on interior sets, was brought in on budget and ahead of schedule despite Huston requesting an extra day of rehearsal for the film's climactic sequence, which takes place entirely within a single hotel room with almost all members of the main cast.  The complex character interactions and the way the tangled plot is meticulously resolved during this scene makes for some of the most breathlessly riveting cinema ever filmed.

Huston uses clever direction and camera movements to keep things from getting claustrophobic, and never once lets the pace drag.  His screenplay follows Dashiell Hammett's novel almost to the letter (the two earlier, inferior adaptations, 1931's "Dangerous Female" and the comedic "Satan Met a Lady" in 1936, didn't), and crackles with scintillating dialogue, intriguing plot twists, and relentlessly building suspense. 

Hammett's celebrated anti-hero Sam Spade is the perfect noir detective--brash, resourceful, self-assured, keenly intelligent, streetwise, tough but not infallible, and opportunistic.  He does have a moral code, one not easily compromised, and a motto that is rigidly enforced: "Never play the sap for anyone." 

The first person to try and use him is quintessential femme fatale Brigid O'Shaughnessy (exquisitely  played by Mary Astor), who hires San Francisco private detective Spade and his partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) to locate her missing sister along with a mystery man named Floyd Thursby.  When both Archer and Thursby turn up dead, it appears there's more to Brigid's story than she's letting on. 

Before long Spade discovers that she's after a priceless treasure known as the Maltese Falcon, for which she's in fierce competition against  "the Fat Man" Kaspar Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet) and the wily, effeminate Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre).  Spade must spar with these conniving characters while fending off police detectives Dundy and Polhaus (Barton MacLane, Ward Bond), who suspect him in the murders although the more genial Polhaus tends to side with Sam.  All in all, these actors comprise one of the finest casts ever assembled for a film.  (Look for John Huston's father Walter in a quick cameo as a fatally wounded ship's captain.)

Huston delights in working with these masterful performers as any artist deftly employs his chosen medium.  The dialogue scenes between Bogart and Greenstreet are a verbal delight (Gutman constantly admits his glowing admiration for the crafty Spade), while the utter dishonesty underlying Spade's love affair with Brigid gives it an air of perversion. 

Lorre's Joel Cairo, both dangerously scheming and amusingly fussy, is always fun to watch.  I love the scene in which Spade disarms and manhandles Cairo, whose main concern is expressed with the heated accusation: "Look what you did to my shirt!"

Even young character actor Elisha Cook, Jr. gets to shine in the plum role of Gutman's "gunsel" Wilmer Cook, a callow trench-coated hood hiding his cowardice behind guns and tough talk.  (Dwight Frye played the part in the 1931 version.)  The ever-sharper Spade delights in yanking Wilmer's chain, and in one incredible closeup we see fat, glistening tears suspended in each of the young killer's eyes as he's overcome with burning frustration and impotent rage (another bravura touch by Huston).

But it's Bogart's show, and his performance is a pure delight.  We know Spade's a stand-up guy, yet the moment his partner's murdered he has the signs around the office changed from "Spade and Archer" to "Samuel Spade."  He's even having an affair with Archer's wife, Iva (Gladys George), but loses interest once he meets Miss O'Shaughnessy.  Yet we know he's an okay guy as long as his faithful gal Friday, Effie (Lee Patrick), still secretly loves him. 

In one delightful moment, after storming out of a tense encounter with Gutman and Wilmer in the Fat Man's swanky hotel room, Spade smiles when he realizes that his hand is shaking and his palms sweating.  Spade may be brave, but he still gets scared, a fact which both amuses and excites him.

This vintage detective yarn sizzles with suspense and excitement for viewers who are able to plug themselves into its high-voltage current.  For me, it took several viewings before I finally began to appreciate just what a finely-rendered thing of beauty it truly is.  Others (as some IMDb comments would indicate) seem to take a strange kind of pride in remaining immune to its charms, believing that such classics are revered by many simply because they're "old." 

But if it doesn't hit you right away, just keep watching and remain open to it.  Chances are that sooner or later, THE MALTESE FALCON will weave its magic spell over you.  Like the rare and unique artifact of the title, it's "the stuff dreams are made of.

Read our review of the BEST OF BOGART COLLECTION

THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) -- Movie Review by Porfle

"Dragnet": The Two Times Joe Friday Had To Shoot To Kill (video)

In both decades of "Dragnet", Joe Friday (Jack Webb) only had to shoot to kill twice.

("The Big Thief", 1953)
("The Shooting Board", 1967) 

The first time he was forced to kill an armed suspect, it hit Friday hard.
He was wracked with guilt and regret afterward.

The second time occurred when Friday interrupted a robbery in progress.

This time, Friday's main concern was clearing his name...
...after his story was called into question.

Originally posted on 11/19/18
I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

"Dragnet": The Two Times Joe Friday Had To Shoot To Kill (video)

The Movie That Inspired Jack Webb To Create "Dragnet" ("He Walked By Night", 1948) (video)

"He Walked By Night" is a tough, terse police procedural...

...with a soon-to-be-familiar opening.

We witness a shocking crime.
We meet the realistic, no-nonsense police detectives.

Their investigation is methodical and by the book.
Eventually their "dragnet" closes around the wily suspect.

In the film, a young Jack Webb plays one of the "lab boys."

It would inspire him in creating the radio and TV classic "Dragnet"...
...in which he starred as realistic, no-nonsense Detective Joe Friday.


READ OUR REVIEW OF "HE WALKED BY NIGHT"

Originally posted on 4/29/19
I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

The Movie That Inspired Jack Webb To Create "Dragnet" ("He Walked By Night", 1948) (video)

"Dragnet" At Its Sappiest (video)

 "Dragnet" is one of my favorite cop shows, but when it went sappy, it went all the way.

Video by Porfle Popnecker. I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

"Dragnet" At Its Sappiest (video)

CRIMINAL MINDS: THE FOURTH SEASON -- DVD review by porfle

 

Originally posted on 8/29/09

 

The faces on the DVD cover won't mean much to first-time viewers, but it doesn't take long for us to get to know each member of this FBI profiling team (or "behavior analysis unit" as they're called) very well.

CRIMINAL MINDS: THE FOURTH SEASON hits the ground running with one of the most riveting and lightning-paced hours of television that I've ever seen. "Mayhem" is the conclusion of last season's cliffhanger, and it begins with unit chief Aaron 'Hotch' Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) and a female associate about to get into their vehicle when it explodes. Both survive, but since they've been investigating terrorists who explode one bomb and then set off a second one to kill any police and paramedics who arrive on the scene soon after, no one will move in to render aid to the dying female agent. When Hotch finally does get her to the nearest emergency room, he finds that he may have unwittingly played right into the terrorists' scheme to blow up the hospital.

This episode nicely fulfills the show's potential and demonstrates how exciting and suspenseful it can be, with sharp direction, camerawork, and editing and solid performances. Hotch, deftly played by Gibson, quickly emerges as my favorite character--he's stiff, serious, dry, almost humorless. He doesn't wisecrack. But he's intensely professional, with an innate compassion that drives him to hunt down killers. This devotion to his job has cost him his marriage, and in his most affecting moments Hotch can be seen in his office, wistfully viewing video of his young son on his computer.

"Masterpiece", directed by Paul Michael Glaser ("Starsky and Hutch") is another outstanding episode, this time showcasing Joe Mantegna's "David Rossi" character. Rossi is a veteran profiler who has become a celebrity via his best-selling books and lectures on the subject. Here, he goes one on one in the interrogation room with a narcissistic mastermind, played by Jason Alexander, who has kidnapped a daycare worker and four children and placed them in a death trap that will kill them all in a few hours. Not only does this give both Mantegna and Alexander a chance to show their stuff, but it also demonstrates how good the writing on this show can be, with a surprise turnaround in the final minutes that is stunning.

Although there's a resemblance here to CSI and similar shows, CRIMINAL MINDS concentrates less on forensics and more on the BAU's explorations into the inner workings of the perpetrators minds. Often this forces them to confront their own darkest thoughts and fears. In "The Instincts" and its follow-up "Memoriam", the team's geeky resident genius Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) encounters a child abduction case in his hometown that dredges up suppressed memories of bloody murder from his own childhood that may even involve his own father. Jane Lynch (A MIGHTY WIND, BEST IN SHOW) is great as Reid's schizophrenic mother, who stops taking her meds so that she can achieve a brief window of mental clarity that will help her recall forgotten details of the past.

Each of the other cast members gets the spotlight in various episodes, and they're all up to the task. Shemar Moore's ex-cop Derek Morgan is the show's action guy but there's a lot of substance to his character as well. In "Brothers In Arms", Morgan takes it personally when a serial shooter starts gunning down cops in the performance of their duty. A.J. Cook is Jennifer "J.J." Jareau, the team's liason with the public and other agencies, who gives birth early in the season and gains a different perspective on her job. In the excellent bio-terror thriller "Amplification", a deranged scientist unleashes a deadly new strain of anthrax on the public and J.J. struggles with the urge to break secrecy protocol and warn her husband to flee the city with their child.

Bringing some light into the dark mood of the series is Kirsten Vangsness as Penelope Garcia, happily basking in her computer world as she serves as the nerve center for the team. In episodes such as "House on Fire", the tale of a mass-murdering arsonist, and "To Hell...and Back", the gut-wrenching season finale, Garcia is forced to venture out into the field with the rest of the team and is horrified by what she sees.

When this show gets cranked up to full-blast, it goes like gangbusters. "Catching Out", directed by actor Charles Haid, contains a climactic fight sequence atop a moving freight train. "Normal" guest-stars Mitch Pileggi of "The X-Files" as a harried family man whose mounting frustrations transform him into a highway killer known as "The Road Warrior." This episode features a breathtaking crash stunt early on and ends with a high-speed chase.

In addition to the show's kinetic qualities, much of the drama is psychological in nature and we're frequently subjected to some pretty bizarre images and ideas. Jason Alexander returns to direct "Transformation", in which young men on spring break are being raped and murdered by an assailant whose gender is mysteriously undetermined. "Cold Comfort" deals with necrophilia complete with live embalmings, and features a great guest cast including Cybill Shepherd, Michael Biehn, Lolita Davidovitch, and Vondie Curtis Hall.

I particularly enjoyed seeing none other than Wil Wheaton (ST:TNG's "Ensign Crusher") as a total loon who owns a secluded motel and lures couples to their doom in deviously-designed death traps. This episode begins with one of the show's most awesome stunts--an 18-wheeler jack-knifing into a parked car. "Omnivore", guest-starring C. Thomas Howell, has one of the series' most evil serial killers who, among other atrocities, massacres the passengers of a city bus.

Of course, the series has its occasional clunker--for example, "Demonology", a turgid tale of a priest who performs lethal exorcisms, is tiresome and overwrought. It does, however, feature a welcome guest appearance by Bruce Davison (sporting some great hair) and offers series regular Paget Brewster a chance to shine as agent Emily Prentiss.

The DVD set contains seven discs in four slim-line cases with a cardboard sleeve. The 16 x 9 image and English 5.1 and stereo sound are good. Both the episodes and bonus features are closed-captioned. Extras include eleven brief behind-the-scenes featurettes called "Working the Scene", deleted scenes, profiles of each character, and a gag reel.

CRIMINAL MINDS is an interesting blend of modern and more traditional TV storytelling techniques. It's got all the flash and pizzazz that's expected of today's shows, but much of the melodrama and pathos beneath the veneer are pure old-school. As far as the subject matter goes, however, the show doesn't pull any punches and is often about as shocking and horrific as a show like this can get. With a top-notch cast, fine production values, and intriguing stories, CRIMINAL MINDS: THE FOURTH SEASON is well worth spending some quality time with.
 

CRIMINAL MINDS: THE FOURTH SEASON -- DVD review by porfle

JAKE AND THE FATMAN: SEASON TWO -- DVD review by porfle

 

Originally posted on 4/14/09

 

"Jake and the Fatman" was never one of my favorite series--it came along when I was losing interest in sitting around watching "old people" shows with my mom and dad. But now that I'm older myself, I'm beginning to enjoy hunkering down to watch stuff like this on DVD.

With ten episodes on three discs, JAKE AND THE FATMAN: SEASON TWO begins with a two-parter that explains why veteran district attorney J.L. "Fatman" McCabe and his police detective partner Jake Styles have suddenly moved their operation from Los Angeles to Honolulu, Hawaii. It all has to do with the murder of Jake's former-cop friend, who conveniently wills his awesome beachfront pad to Jake. McCabe zips over to the island (which, incidentally, is his old stomping ground) to help Jake track down the evil hitman who did it, and before you know it Honolulu's District Attorney (James Karen), who's itching to retire, ropes McCabe into taking his place! All that's left is for them to transport the Fatman's young assistant Derek (Alan Campbell) and his beloved bulldog Max across the big water, and before you can say "aloha" the team is complete.

The real story for the move (according to IMDb) is that after "Magnum, P.I." went off the air, CBS still had its Hawaii studio sitting around gathering dust. So they revived "Jake and the Fatman" (which had been cancelled after one season) and relocated the characters to the sandy shores of Honolulu. This proved to be just the shot in the arm that the show needed and it continued for a full five seasons, later returning to L.A. when CBS' lease on the Hawaii studio expired.

The show looks like the usual network drama from its era, with production values that range from good to a bit iffy, but the tropical location is a perfect backdrop for the casual, laidback atmosphere of the series. In fact, once you get used to the leisurely pace and start liking these characters, it's a fun "hang-out" show in which the plots aren't all that important. Even so, the stories are involving enough, and occasionally offer some strong dramatic moments along with the usual hokum. There are times, in fact, when the acting and writing come together in such a way that you may be a bit taken aback by how good a scene is--and this happens often enough to keep the show consistently interesting.

I was especially surprised at how much I liked Joe Penny as Jake. What a good actor he is here--handling the cool action stuff competently (without the usual martial arts or clever quips), while still coming across as a regular guy. A skilled actor, Penny's low-key approach to the role works very well, especially in contrast to his more flamboyant co-star. J.L. "Fatman" McCabe is a classic William Conrad character in the tradition of "Cannon." Conrad's so good I could watch him in anything, and this show gives him a chance to do what he does best, which is to be himself. As his assistant Derek, Alan Campbell adds a little comedy relief due to his love-hate relationship with McCabe but remains a believable character who is helpful in their investigations.

The guest stars range from great to not-so-good, with few of the familiar character actors who so often grace the older classic TV shows. The initial two-parter features old pro James Karen as the outgoing D.A. and Amy Steel of FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 in a cringe-inducingly bad performance. Some of the few recognizable actors in later episodes include Khigh Dhiegh (Wo Fat of "Hawaii Five-O"), Ben Piazza, Alex Cord, Lenore Kasdorf, Ramon Bieri, Frederick Coffin (LONESOME DOVE's Big Swede), and Charlie Brill.

The "I'll Never Smile Again" episode, which is somewhat reminiscent of DEATH WISH, contains two truly remarkable performances, one from David Schramm as a mugging victim who may not be all that innocent, and the other from a young Brigid Conley Walsh (who has since had quite a prolific television career) as his troubled daughter. Both are outstanding and help make this one of the high points of the collection. Another notable episode is "Why Can't You Behave?" (you may have noticed that all the titles are from old blues songs) in which McCabe is forced to choose between protecting his crooked, weaselly son Daniel (Tom Isbell) and upholding the law. The episode also features a nice cameo from bluesman Clarence Clemons.

Michele Scarabelli and Patricia Sill are very good as cops' wives whose husbands are cut down in the line of duty in "They Can't Take That Away From Me." The final episode in the set, "Snowfall", is an exciting yarn about cocaine and counterfeit money which contains a couple of blazing shoot-outs and features a young Michael Madsen.

The DVD set contains no extras. Production values vary, so the image quality isn't always that sharp. Old pros such as Bernard L. Kowalski, Jackie Cooper, and Don Medford are on hand to direct. The musical score is often nicely jazz-tinged, and while I wasn't very impressed the first time I heard Dick DeBenedictis' main theme, it really started to grow on me after a few listens.

I wasn't expecting much from this set, but JAKE AND THE FATMAN: SEASON TWO turned out to be quite a lot of fun to watch. William Conrad at his best, a dynamic Joe Penny, and those gorgeous Hawaiian locations add up to several hours worth of solid entertainment.

 

 

JAKE AND THE FATMAN: SEASON TWO -- DVD review by porfle

PRIME SUSPECT: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION -- DVD review by porfle

Sometimes a TV series comes along which transcends the "cop show" genre, and in fact just about anything else you could classify it as, reaching a level of excellence that makes it more of a life experience than a simple entertainment.  "Prime Suspect" with Helen Mirren is just such a show.  Like a glutton wolfing down a seven-course meal, I went through Acorn Media's PRIME SUSPECT: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION with voracious speed while not wanting it to end.

Mirren's "Jane Tennison" is a fascinating, complex character whom we follow from her early days as a Detective Chief Inspector for London's Metropolitan Police, through her promotion to Detective Superintendent in charge of multiple units, and finally to her final turbulent days on the force.  Brilliant and strong-willed, Tennison is also subject to various foibles and human weaknesses that complicate both her personal and professional lives.  Often she wonders if she's chosen the right path, especially when plagued by loneliness, self-doubt, and regret. 

Series 1, which debuted in 1991 and consists of two feature-length parts, finds Tennison knee-deep in sexist resentment and derision while heading her first major murder investigation.  Scripter Lynda La Plante based much of the character's difficulty in winning over her skeptical male team members on the real-life experiences of technical advisor Jackie Malton, one of the first female DCIs, and the dramatic tension never fails to ring true.  Only after proving herself worthy does Tennison begin to gradually gain the respect of her male colleagues.



This story sets the dark, gritty tone for the series and raises the bar for all the other forensics-based cop shows to follow.  Character conflicts crackle with tension, as when Tennison butts heads with patronizing superiors who hamper her efforts or old-school detectives such as DS Bill Otley (Tom Bell).  The pressure of trying to track down a brutal serial killer devastates her home life with both her live-in fiance' (Tom Wilkinson) and her immediate family.  Time after time Tennison is forced to question her decision to sacrifice everything for her career. 

The camera stays close to the actors' faces and keeps up right in the middle of things at all times.  Without the usual quick editing, throbbing music, or adrenaline-charged action, the sober and languidly-paced story is given plenty of room to stretch out and develop its dramatic potential to the fullest.  Just when you think the plot is headed for the most likely conclusion, the script explores unexpected avenues that are consistently surprising and often shocking. 

Series 2 is another two-parter with racial overtones stemming from the discovery of a body buried in the garden of a house in a neighborhood filled with Jamaican immigrants.  Colin Salmon ("Tanner" of the Brosnan 007 films) guest stars as a black detective placed on Tennison's team after an unfortunate sexual encounter between the two.  Tensions rise when a teenage boy held in custody commits suicide in his cell and Tennison is blamed. 

Series 3 delves into the world of child prostitution with the murder of a "rent boy" and charges of long-term sexual abuse by a trusted social services director (Ciaran Hinds).  Tom Bell returns as Otley, and Jonny Lee Miller guests as one of the young victims.  Series 4 consists of three shorter episodes, and while the first two are more conventional stories that lack the depth of the previous shows, the third, "Scent of Darkness", is one of the series' finest.  Here, a new rash of serial murders similar to those in the first episode raise the question of whether or not Tennison may have imprisoned the wrong man in the original investigation. 

Series 5, "Errors of Judgment", finds Tennison locking horns with a cocky young drug dealer who rules the streets through terror and may have a powerful ally on the police force.  Of particular interest here is her prickly relationship with a new team dubious of her abilities, including a nice turn by David O'Hara (BRAVEHEART) as a seemingly slow-witted detective who turns out to be smarter than he looks.
 


After a six-year production gap (1997-2003), Series 6 finds Mirren playing an older and increasingly disillusioned character under pressure to retire.  The murder of a Bosnian woman thrusts Tennison into one of her most emotionally trying cases yet, as victims of war hiding out in London are stalked by a devilish figure from the past. This later episode is just as effective as earlier ones, but looks slicker and more streamlined.  With a faster pace and more emphasis on thriller elements, some sequences bristle with nerve-wracking suspense.

"The Final Act", which aired in 2006, brings "Prime Suspect" and the career of Jane Tennison to a close with the murder of a 14-year-old girl, the impending death of Jane's father (Frank Finlay), and the aging detective's battle with alcoholism.  Mirren is at peak form here as her character struggles to solve one last murder while her life is falling apart.  Tom Bell makes his final appearance as DS Otley, re-entering Jane's life in a surprising way.  Young actress Laura Greenwood gives an amazingly good performance as the murdered girl's troubled friend. 

The boxed set from Acorn Media contains nine discs in seven keepcases.  Series 1-5 are in 4:3 full screen while 6-7 are in 16:9 widescreen, all with Dolby Digital sound.  Each episode is subtitled except for Series 7, which is closed-captioned.  Series 6 contains a 23-minute featurette, while Series 7 extras include a 50-minute behind-the-scenes documentary, photo gallery, and cast filmographies.  Beside the actors already mentioned, familiar faces such as Ralph Fiennes and Kelly Reilly (EDEN LAKE) can be seen making early guest appearances in various episodes.

The great Helen Mirren is a neverending fount of awesome as Jane Tennison, always riveting to watch whenever she's onscreen.  Her character's arc binds this collection of engrossing police procedurals together.  Tennison is a great cop but hardly perfect, and we're not even sure she'll get through her last case without self-destructing.  A small grace note from an unexpected source comes at the very end, and we're left to wonder whether or not it makes her feel as though her life on the force has been worth the sacrifice.  One thing's for sure--PRIME SUSPECT: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION is some of the most worthwhile viewing that cop show fans could possibly hope for. 


 

PRIME SUSPECT: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION -- DVD review by porfle

VERONICA MARS (2019): THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON -- DVD Review by Porfle

 (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own.)

 

Originally posted on 10/24/19


What could be more cutesy than a series about a daddy-daughter detective agency? And yet VERONICA MARS (2019): THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) manages to make it seem not only fresh and funny, but hard-hitting, intense, and engaging at the same time.

Of course, it's a spin-off of the popular teen-oriented series "Veronica Mars" which played from 2004-2007 on UPN and The CW. It starred Kristen Bell as a plucky young girl whose father Keith (Enrico Colantonik, GALAXY QUEST) was the sheriff of their bustling beachfront town of Neptune, California.

This gave Veronica, an amateur sleuth, the chance to solve mysteries with the help of her recurring crew of high school friends.

Now, Veronica's back in town a little older and wiser--in other words, life hasn't quite worked out as she planned--and she's joined her father in a private detective agency. 

She lives with her old boyfriend from the original show, Logan (Jason Dohring), a hunky military intelligence agent whose desire to get married has commitment-shy Veronica in a tizzy.

Meanwhile, the whole town's in a tizzy over a series of bombings that are laying waste to lucrative beachfront businesses in the middle of Spring Break.  Crooked real estate dealers, local criminal gangs, amateur murder-case sleuths, shady politicians, and a Mexican drug lord looking for revenge after one of his relatives dies in an explosion all clash while Veronica and Keith work furiously to track down the deadly serial bomber.

I never watched the original series, and thus can't make any comparisons between the two. What we have here, however, is a taut, fast-moving, and pleasingly complex detective thriller which, just like real life, wavers endlessly between the lighthearted and the deadly serious.

Much is made of Veronica's return to Neptune and her reunions with various old friends, with whom she isn't above getting falling down (and throwing up) drunk or sharing an illicit substance or two. This heroine isn't perfect, we soon discover, a fact that makes her prickly but passionate relationship with Logan all the more interesting.

There's also an irresistible rapport between Veronica and dear old dad Keith, still using a cane after a terrible auto crash years earlier and now worrying that he's gradually losing his mental faculties. Enrico Colantonik is just as appealing here as he was in GALAXY QUEST, albeit with a much more subtle affability and gentle wisdom.

The supporting cast is very good, especially J.K. Simmons as Clyde, a smooth ex-con acting as advisor and bodyguard for crooked businessman "Big Dick" Casablancas (Ryan Hansen). Patton Oswalt is Penn Epner, a pizza delivery guy and member of the Murderheads, a group of cold murder case groupies.  And Clifton Collins, Jr., is fine as Mexican hitman Alonzo Lozano, to whom murder is a casual but bloody affair.

Kristin Bell easily carries the whole thing with her energetic style, making Veronica believably tough and self-reliant but with an amusingly irreverent outlook on life even at its most grim (a quality that clearly serves as a defense mechanism to keep herself together). 

My initial fears that this would be mainly a lightweight character drama with mystery elements were soon put to rest as the season's overall story arc quickly developed into a superbly engrossing crime thriller that's full of surprises and hard-hitting, often violent action.

I'm not sure how fans of the original show will react to this new version of Veronica, her friends and family, and her not-so-sleepy little hometown, but for me, VERONICA MARS (2019): THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON was pure binge-watching fun.


SPECIAL FEATURES

    Veronica Mars at Comic Con 2019


8 ONE-HOUR EPISODES

    Spring Break Forever
    Chino and the Man
    Keep Calm and Party On
    Heads You Lose
    Losing Streak
    Entering a World of Pain
    Gods of War
    Years, Continents, Bloodshed


DIGITAL
The first season of Veronica Mars will be available to own on Digital on August 19 (in the U.S.). Digital allows consumers to instantly stream and download all episodes to watch anywhere and anytime on their favorite devices. Digital is available from various retailers including Apple TV, Amazon Video, Google Play, Vudu, PlayStation, Xbox and others.

BASICS
Digital Release: August 19, 2019 (in U.S.)
DVD Release: October 22, 2019
DVD Order Due Date: September 17, 2019
DVD Presented in 16x9 widescreen format
Running Time: Feature: Approx. 456 min
Enhanced Content: Approx.30 min

UNITED STATES

DVD
2 DVD-9s
Audio – English (5.1)
Subtitles – English

CANADA

DVD
2 DVD-9s
Audio – English (5.1)
Subtitles – English

VERONICA MARS (2019): THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON -- DVD Review by Porfle

DRAGNET (1954) -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

(Originally posted on 7/1/21)

 

 

Currently re-watching: DRAGNET (1954), the feature-length theatrical version of the classic 1950s TV series in its original incarnation.

It's all the stuff I love about the TV show, but grittier and more hardboiled and violent. (A dark-haired Dub Taylor gets two blasts from a double-barrelled shotgun in the first scene! "They killed him twice," Joe Friday remarks later.) There's a very downbeat, melancholy ending too.

Jack Webb stars as the iconic Sgt. Joe Friday, a dedicated, no-nonsense cop who's still fairly young yet made prematurely sober and even somewhat cynical by his experiences. Ben Alexander is Friday's dependable partner and friend, Frank Smith. 

 

 

In addition to his beautifully measured performance, I love the way Webb's often innovative direction combines some imaginative touches with extreme economy and a briskly efficient shooting style.

As usual, dialogue delivery is very terse. I wonder if the actors are reading their lines from cue cards and/or teleprompters (did they have those then?) as they did on the TV series, or if the longer schedule gave them time to actually memorize their lines. (I suspect the former.)

Ann Robinson (WAR OF THE WORLDS) plays an undercover police woman and Richard Boone is the captain in charge of the case. The movie also features Virginia Gregg, Dennis Weaver, Vic Perrin (the "Outer Limits" control voice), Olan Soule, James Griffith, and Virginia Christine.

Friday is tougher and more doggedly relentless than ever as he and Frank try to wear down an arrogant, seemingly untouchable suspect (Stacy Harris as "Max Troy") and pin the murder on him and his thug cohorts. 

 

 

One scene even erupts in a rare fistfight that's full of action and leaves the two detectives bandaged and bloodied.

Friday gets his usual allotment of sharply-delivered cutdowns, telling one punk "Unless you're growing, sit down!" and countering an insult against his mother with "I'll bet your mother had a loud bark."

DRAGNET the movie is as sharply-folded and tightly-wound as the TV series, yet somehow there's just more of everything and it all has an irresistible noirish quality that blends in a very satisfying way with the show's inherent realism.

And as the laconic Joe Friday, lanky in his rumpled suit and observing it all from beneath the wide brim of his fedora, Jack Webb is better than ever.

 

DRAGNET (1954) -- Movie Review by Porfle