Yet for some reason it’s never quite happened for her. She’s never had that breakthrough film that other actresses of a similar ilk (Sandra Bullock for example) managed to get. Of course, she’s hardly helping herself on that front as she seems to play the same character in every film she’s in. Perhaps she’s just given up and realised that she’ll always be ‘Rachel from Friends’, so why try and fight it anymore?

Whatever the reason, she’ll no doubt make a decent living churning out the same sort of film year after year and, as she still looks incredible well into her forties, she can probably make this career last a while longer yet.

It’s just a shame in my opinion because I’d like to see her try something different, whether that be out and out action or a dramatic role, but I think I’ll be disappointed.

Gerard Butler on the other hand seems to be able to try his hand to anything, and his dabbling in the romantic comedy genre is a welcome sight for someone who, let’s face it, isn’t pretty-boy styled guy you usually see in these films.

So, the two main stars aside, what of the film? The Bounty Hunter takes the premise of something that every guy who’s ever been divorced would dream about doing. Milo (Butler) is a bounty hunter. His job is to bring people in to custody when they skip out on bail, usually for fairly minor charges such as driving offenses. He’s down on his luck (having divorced his wife) and lives like a bum – no surprise perhaps that he used to be a cop.

Nicole Hurley (Aniston), his ex-wife, is doing much better for herself. She’s a successful reporter and she’s working on a big story that could expose police corruption and a murder that nobody knew had been committed. However, she’s also due in court for assaulting a police officer – a court appointment that she misses.

You can guess the next part. Milo is given the task of bringing his ex-wife into custody, a task that he attacks with the relish of a man wanting to finally get even – legally.

Naturally she doesn’t go quietly, and two play cat and mouse for a while until Milo realises that firstly, he still loves her and secondly, someone is trying to kill her. Anniston plays this role as she’s played every role beforehand, as an older, not so wiser, version of Rachel from Friends. Gerard Butler seems to be enjoying himself (rumours of a real-life romance on set between the two may explain why) and his infectious enthusiasm shines through on film.

All in all, The Bounty Hunter is a pretty by-the-numbers romantic comedy where two former lovers find that they’re still in love, while someone tries to kill them – much like ‘Did You Hear About The Morgans?’, which was released in the same year, and even has a trailer on this Blu-Ray.

There’s nothing really new here, but it is very entertaining. It is shame however that Nicole’s mother Kitty (Christine Baranski) didn’t feature more in the film, as her three (yes just three) scenes were all stand out moments.

The film’s story follows three very different cops who work in and around the notorious BK house projects – 18 buildings with 50,000 residents. It is a drug-ridden hotbed for crime, not to mention the highest crime area in the city. Eddie (Gere) is a veteran cop only seven days from retirement. His superior assigns him a rookie that he is supposed to show around BK. Eddie is an alcoholic at the end of his rope and just wants to get out after 22 years of service. Sal (Hawke) is a desperate cop that takes money from drug busts in order to help pay for a house for his family – a pregnant wife and several kids. Tango (Cheadle) is working undercover and trying to set up a major drug bust. He’s in real danger of losing himself in his cover story and wants his superior (Patton) to get him out. Casanova Phillips (Snipes) has just gotten out of prison after an eight year stint and hooks up with Tango, his loyal buddy from way back, and who, incidentally, has been ordered to bring his friend down. All three men are walking a fine line in a very dangerous environment.

All three cops share a very jaded worldview but this is hardly surprising considering that they see humanity at its worst on a daily basis. Brooklyn’s Finest raises some legitimate concerns that cops have about the job. They are paid lousy wages to risk life and limb. Is it any wonder that some of them are on the take? Some cops have been on the job too long and have seen too much and this results in a cynical view on life.

As a result, Brooklyn’s Finest doesn’t exactly paint the prettiest picture of the problems that plague New York City. In fact, it looks pretty hopeless. The cops do everything they can but it seems like a futile battle. While the film’s story is nothing that we haven’t seen before, it is anchored by very strong performances by Cheadle, Gere, Hawke, and Snipes. Gere and Hawke are especially strong as they essentially play the polar opposite of the cop characters they portrayed in Internal Affairs (1990) and Training Day, respectively. For Snipes, it is a return to form and proof that he is still an excellent actor hungry for good material. Let’s hope that this film leads to more substantial roles in high profile projects like this one for the actor.

Special Features:

“Chaos and Conflict: The Life of a New York Cop” takes a look at the genesis of the film. Ethan Hawke rode around with actual cops while researching for his role. Richard Gere looked at the film as a Shakespearean drama. Director Antoine Fuqua was thrilled to have Wesley Snipes in the film and to have him in scenes together with Don Cheadle. Fuqua says that the film is about the pressures cops are under every day.

“Boyz N the Real Hood” examines shooting the film on location in Brooklyn. Fuqua says that the studio originally wanted him to shoot it in Detroit but he insisted it on shooting in New York City and in the actual projects where it is set. The production used a lot of locals as extras.

“An Eye for Detail: Director Featurette” features the cast and crew praising Fuqua’s ability, his passion and being someone who knows what he wants. The actors also appreciated his willingness to let them improvise and collaborate with him.

“From the MTA to the WGA: Writer Featurette” takes a look at the film’s screenwriter Michael Martin. Before this film, he worked for the transit authority on the subway. Originally, Fuqua did not want to do another cop film after Training Day, but loved Martin’s script. The writer is understandably pretty happy how things turned out as he got to see his script brought to life by all these well-known actors.

Also included are 31 minutes of deleted scenes. We see the full scene of what was only shown partially in the film in a flashback. There is more footage of Tango and Casanova planning for the future. We also see more of Sal’s family life. There is a slightly longer version of the ending where we the after effects of the climactic showdown between the three main characters.

There is a theatrical trailer.

Finally, there is an audio commentary by director Antoine Fuqua. He starts talking about how the Book of Job from the Bible influenced the staging and look of the opening scene with Sal. He describes Eddie as a ghost that “floats through life.” Fuqua does a fine job analyzing his film and explains how his style – camerawork, framing, etc. – informed the themes and provided insight into the characters.

Hells on Wheels (1967) is another story focusing on stock-car racing. Marty and Dell are brothers involved in racing. The former drives ‘em while the latter fixes ‘em. Dell resents living in the shadow of his flashier brother and aspires to be a driver himself. There is lots of snazzy footage of cars racing that is quite dynamic for such a low-budget film. Things pick up when an unscrupulous businessman takes advantage of the bitter sibling rivalry and recruits Dell to fix stock-cars for him.

The Sidehackers (1969) makes good use of freeze frames over the opening credits a la Sam Peckinpah as it chronicles the exciting world of sidehacking – the racing of dirt bikes with side cars. We get cheesy footage of a racer and his girlfriend frolicking in a field in slow motion. There is also plenty of exciting footage of bikes racing around a dirt track with their off-track exploits wedged between them. This mainly involves drinking beer and hanging with their buddies.

Less interesting is the horror film Dangerous Charter (1962) which involves three fishermen trying to make ends meet. During a fishing trip, they come across a mysterious ship floating out in the water. It seems to have been abandoned. What happened? Where did they go? Who cares?

Mixing things up a little is Little Laura and Big John (1973), which depicts the exploits of Florida-based criminal John Ashley and his girlfriend Laura (played by Karen Black) in the 1920s. They were friends as kids and she dreamed of being rich. They grew up and their friendship blossomed into something deeper. After accidentally killing someone and then trying to dispose of the body, John eludes the cops by hiding in the Everglades. For a period film it mystifies with its choices for music, a recurring funk instrumental that comes right out of the blue. It would be a ballsy, radical move if the film wasn’t so clumsily made.

Perhaps the most interesting film in this set is Pink Angels (1971) – here’s a concept we don’t get enough of: gay, cross-dressing biker gangs. The film begins with a surreal prologue and just gets stranger from there as if everyone responsible for it dropped acid while making it. You can see what they were shooting for: a transvestite version of Easy Rider (1969). Like Dennis Hopper’s film, there are plenty of musical interludes but with music by no one you’ve ever heard of before. This is one of those offbeat exploitation films that could only have come out of the 1970s. This has to be the most fey bunch of bikers ever put on film but also a lot of fun to watch. What a strange film!

Special Features:

None.

The first season featured two of the show’s most memorable arcs. Upon being released from prison (to establish his criminal credentials), Vinnie is assigned to infiltrate the Sonny Steelgrave (Sharkey) organization after his son Dave killed Vinnie’s training agent who had previously been investigating the crime family. Vinnie gradually works his way up and manages to gain Sonny’s confidence. Ray Sharkey is quite good as the unpredictable crime boss who constantly keeps Vinnie on his toes. He’s understandably cagey as deals get busted and henchmen are killed.

Vinnie answers to Frank McPike (played with wonderfully sarcastic dry wit by Banks) and he is the one that assigns Vinnie his cases and supplies him with crucial information. Vinnie’s other contact is Lifeguard (Bynes), whom he contacts on a regular basis with updates on the case under the guise of Uncle Mike, in case the phone is being tapped. One of things that is so good about Wiseguy is that it takes the time to show how being so deep undercover takes its toll on Vinnie. He comes so close to death on a regular basis and has to be a hell of an actor because his life depends on it.

The first season’s second story arc, and arguably the best one of the show’s entire run, saw Vinnie go after the multi-billionaire international arms dealer Mel Profitt (Spacey). In the process, Vinnie uncovers a crime syndicate in a whole other league than anything he’s experienced before. His way into this particular organization is through assassin Roger Loccoco (William Russ), who works for Profitt. Through him he meets Mel’s beautiful sister Susan (Joan Severance) who introduces him to Mel.

Not surprisingly, the one to watch is a young Kevin Spacey as the crazy, power-hungry Mel. He’s a larger than life criminal mastermind seemingly coming apart at the seams and yet manages to just keep it together enough to run his vast empire – thanks to Susan and a regular shot of heroin. Spacey does a fantastic job giving depth to this first class nutjob, knowing when to chew up the scenery and when to pull it back.

At the end of season one, burn-out from a grueling undercover assignment, Vinnie threatens to resign. Frank puts him on a six-month extended leave of absence instead. Vinnie decides to return home to Brooklyn in an attempt to clear his head and enjoy some semblance of a regular life. Meanwhile, Frank gets promoted and his superiors put pressure on him to bring Vinnie back to work.

After a short story arc that saw Vinnie deal with a small group of white supremacists trying to take over his neighbourhood, Wiseguy settled into its next memorable storyline. Eli Sternberg (Lewis) and his son David (Silver) are clothing manufacturers struggling to reach a deadline on an order and need a lot of money fast. Eli makes a deal with Enrico Pinzolo (Tucci), a local businessman/loan shark who controls the garment industry via trucking. Unhappy with what his father has done, David asks the OCB for their help and in doing so help them bring down Pinzolo. Comedian Jerry Lewis holds his own and shows off his dramatic chops against solid character actors like Ron Silver and Stanley Tucci. It’s great to see these guys bounce off each other and sink their teeth in this excellent material.

Season three begins with Vinnie’s stepfather and Mafioso boss shot and gravely wounded in a mob hit. When another don his hit, Vinnie teams up with the head of a rival family (Davi) to find out whom from one of the other families ordered these hits. Robert Davi, who’s appeared in a lot of crappy films and T.V. shows, gets a meaty role to demonstrate what an underrated talent he is by eloquently delivering substantial monologues and playing an honourable tough guy.

After Ken Wahl had a dispute with the show’s producers and left the show before the start of the fourth season, his character was written out and replaced with the much less interesting Michael Santana (Bauer), a United States attorney based in Miami. When his case against a powerful leader of a drug cartel falls apart due to a flawed arrest warrant based on information illegally beaten out of an informant, Santana is disbarred. McPike seeks him out in order to help find Vinnie who has run afoul of the same cartel. While Steven Bauer is a fine actor, it was hard to empathize with his character like you could with Vinnie whom viewers had grown attached to over three seasons. The ratings declined and Wiseguy was canceled after this season.

Watching these episodes again reminds one of just how good Wiseguy was back in the day and how it paved the way for crime shows like The Sopranos and The Wire.

Special Features:

Much like the previous first season box set, a lot of the original music has been replaced with much cheaper substitutes. However, this really doesn’t detract from the engrossing storylines or fascinating characters. However, one entire story arc has been excised entirely due to original music rights issues. This was the storyline that saw Vinnie going undercover to bust a corrupt English record mogul played by Tim Curry and featured the likes of Debbie Harry and Glenn Frey in supporting roles. Its omission is sorely missed.

Gomorrah is comprised of several storylines. Ciro (Petrone) and Marco (Macor) are two small-time crooks obsessed with Tony Montana from Scarface (1983) and who foolishly rip off some drug dealers and then graduate to stealing a bunch of guns, which pisses off the neighbourhood mob boss. There are the trials and tribulations of high-fashion tailor Pasquale who puts his life in danger in order to get ahead in the business. Toto (Abruzzese) is a scrawny street kid trying to get in with the local mob guys. Franco (Servillo) is a well-dressed toxic waste management specialist at odds with his young protégé, Roberto.

Garrone does an excellent job juggling these various storylines and characters with the sights and sounds of Naples as the backdrop. The film shows the harsh world of the mafia, like when Toto is initiated into the mob by wearing a crude bulletproof vest and is shot in the chest. Gomorrah shows how it all works, from the street thug to the man who deals in waste management with the bottom line being that life is worth very little. It is survival of the fittest and this is no more true than on the street where local punks are a dime a dozen.

Gomorrah is closer in spirit to Mean Streets (1973) than The Godfather (1972) in that it deals with low level gangsters living and dying on the streets. Garrone’s film shows the motivations of some of these characters. Some get involved with the mob out of desperation, out of stupidity, or greed – sometimes it’s a combination of factors. Little kids are forced to grow up too fast and deal with life and death on a daily basis. Gomorrah captures it all with brutal clarity in the best tradition of Italian Neo-Realism.

Special Features:

The first disc features a trailer for the film.

The second disc contains the rest of the extras, starting off with “Gomorrah: Five Short Stories,” an hour-long documentary on the making of the film. Broken down into each of the five storylines, we are presented with a mix of clips from the film and behind-the-scenes footage showing the filming of a specific scene.

There is an interview with director Matteo Garrone. He was fascinated with how the book differed from typical mafia stories and wanted to do something equally different with the film. He chose five stories out of the many in the book to put in the film and was interested in showing the blend of good and evil and how complicated things are. They actually shot on the streets of Naples in gang-controlled areas and wore passes so that the local mafia knew who they were.

Also included is an interview with actor Toni Servillo who plays Franco in the film. He knew the director since he was a kid and was interested in theatre and film. Naturally, Servillo talks about his character in the film and his impressions of the script.

“Actors” features cast members Servillo, Gianfelice Imparato and Salvatore Cantalupo being interviewed about the film and their characters.

There is also an interview with the book’s author Roberto Saviano. He talks about crime in Naples and his first-hand impressions of it. He also speaks about how a mafia clan works and examines various aspects of it.

Finally, there are six deleted scenes from the various storylines that give slightly more insight into the main characters.

The Sniper (1952) features Edward Miller (Franz), a lonely troubled man – a ticking time bomb ready to explode. He served time in the psycho ward of a prison for hitting a woman. Miller tries desperately to get help but no one will give him the time of day. He has trouble relating to women and takes out his frustration by shooting and killing them with his sniper rifle. Arthur Franz does an excellent job of playing a conflicted serial killer. You can see the inner turmoil all over his face and in some ways he’s kind of a tragic figure – a cinematic prototype for Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976).

In The Big Heat (1953), police detective David Bannion (Ford) investigates the suicide of a fellow officer who was ill. However, an ex-lover of the deceased tells Bannion that it wasn’t suicide. She soon winds up brutally murdered and despite pressure from his superiors, Bannion continues his investigation. He soon finds himself butting heads with a powerful gangster and his vicious henchman played by a young Lee Marvin. Glenn Ford is quite good as a loving family man and dedicated cop. Bannion is willing to pursue a case with single-minded determination despite all the obstacles thrown in his path. He’s also tough and more than capable of taking care of himself in a fight.

Based on a short story by Jack Finney (who wrote the book that Invasion of the Body Snatchers was based on), 5 Against the House (1955) features a quartet of Korean War veterans enjoying themselves on a gambling trip to Reno, Nevada. They goof around and have fun trying to pick up women. One of them, Al (Madison), has a girlfriend named Kay (Novak) who is a sultry nightclub singer and the film’s femme fatale. Another one of the group, Brick (Keith), becomes extremely violent when provoked – a byproduct of his experiences in the war – so you know he’s going to be trouble later on in the film. The quartet returns to college and the humdrum routine of the daily grind. The brainy one of their group devises a plan to rob one of the casinos in Reno for one million dollars. Of course, this being a film noir, it isn’t going to be that easy and the “perfect” plan begins to unravel.

Director Don Siegel wastes no time as The Lineup (1958) starts off with an exciting chase as a taxi cab driver tries to drive away with a stolen suitcase, runs over a cop and is shot and killed. Inside the case is a statuette containing $100,000 worth of heroin. The cops return the case to its owner in the hopes that he’ll lead them to a possible narcotics ring. Siegel does a good job showing us the process of a police investigation: inspecting the crime scene, questioning witnesses, the forensics lab and organizing line-ups of potential suspects. Eli Wallach plays Dancer, a sociopathic hitman who figures into the drug deal. He’s a consummate professional judging from the way he questions the driver of his car for the job at hand. The Lineup’s most memorable sequence is an exciting car chase that takes place on the then-unfinished Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco and anticipates other intense chases in The French Connection (1974) and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985).

The last film in this set is Murder by Contract (1958). Claude (Edwards) moonlights as a hitman who doesn’t make mistakes. He’s pretty sure of himself and smart. He does a few jobs, saving up the money he makes to buy a house. Claude’s latest job takes him Los Angeles where he’s contracted to kill a woman who is set to testify against the mob. It’s the first time he’s had to kill a woman and his cool confidence is visibly shaken. She’s heavily guarded by the cops and Claude has to bide his time and pick his moment. Murder by Contract takes it time to show Claude’s methodical nature and how it is put to the test with this latest assignment.

Special Features:

The Sniper features an audio commentary by author Eddie Muller. He starts off talking about the origins of the film – a husband and wife writing team. He mentions that it was a very controversial film at the time because of its subject matter. Muller provides all kinds of fascinating production details, like how much of the film was shot on location in San Francisco. He explains that The Sniper is a landmark film because it was one of the first to prominently feature a serial killer.

“Martin Scorsese Presents The Sniper” features the legendary filmmaker talking about the documentary feel of the film thanks to the use of authentic locations.

Also included is an original theatrical trailer.

The Big Heat starts off with “Michael Mann on The Big Heat.” He speaks admiringly about the prominent female characters in the film. The director talks about the ethnic aspect of the film as well as the uncompromising nature of Glenn Ford’s character.

“Martin Scorsese on The Big Heat” features the director talking about how Ford’s character becomes what he’s fighting against. Scorsese draws particular attention to the flat look of the film and how director Fritz Lang directs us to the behaviour of the characters.

Also included is the original theatrical trailer.

The only extra for 5 Against the House is the original theatrical trailer.

The Lineup includes an audio commentary by author Eddie Muller and James Ellroy. Muller says that this film started off as a television show cut from the same cloth as Dragnet. He plays the straight man on this track, rattling off facts, while Ellroy is his usual colourful and profane self offering his bizarro opinions on this film. He sings the praises of Don Siegel’s more than capable direction. Fans of Ellroy will love this track as he gets to cut loose have some fun commenting on The Lineup.

“The Influence of Noir with Christopher Nolan” sees this respected director citing noir as an influence on his own work, most notably the psychological states of the characters, the atmosphere and the style in relation to the substance and how they all interact with one another.

Also included is the original theatrical trailer.

Murder by Contract features “Martin Scorsese on Murder by Contract.” He reminisces about when he first saw the film as a teenager and how it would later influence aspects of Taxi Driver. The director speaks admiringly of the “economy of means” – how Irving Lerner depicted the passing of time. Scorsese gives us a brief background to Lerner and talks about how he got to know and even work with him.

Finally, there is the original theatrical trailer.

Richard Castle (Fillion) is a best-selling writer of crime fiction and we first meet him at the launching of his latest novel, basking in the crowd’s adulation while autographing women’s chests. He’s just killed off the popular recurring protagonist in his novels and is late in delivering his new one because he’s lost that creative spark. He’s got three weeks until his publisher, and ex-wife (Mazur), demands the return of his sizable advance.

Castle’s life is about to get a whole lot more interesting thanks to police detective Kate Beckett (Katic). She’s investigating a series of murders that are patterned after ones in his novels and needs his help. He uses his pull with the mayor (“He’s a fan.”) to tag along with Beckett, much to her chagrin. It turns out that he’s an excellent judge of character in addition to shamelessly flirting with her. Naturally, they prove to be a successful team and end up working on several other cases over the course of the first season’s ten episodes.

Castle’s premise is hardly original as the notion of an author solving murders is taken from Murder, She Wrote, while the suave yet smart alecky guy teamed up with the straight-laced woman is right out of Remington Steele and Moonlighting, which gives Castle a kind of retro feel. But let’s face it, the real reason to watch this show is Nathan Fillion who uses his considerable charisma and highly entertaining way of delivering fairly standard dialogue to make this show something of a guilty pleasure. It looks like he’s having a blast putting just the right smarmy spin on his give and take with Stana Katic’s no-nonsense detective.

The show’s creator, Andrew Marlowe, has wisely surrounded Fillion with a supporting cast that allows him to showcase his considerable talents. Stana Katic does a fine job as the dedicated cop and Castle’s foil. She’s more than capable of delivering the snappy dialogue in the scenes where she rebuffs his shameless come-ons. T.V. veteran Susan Sullivan (Dharma & Greg) plays Castle’s brassy, gold-digging mother who is a constant source of frustration and embarrassment. Molly Quinn is also a stand-out as Castle’s smart daughter and voice of reason when he acts out. These two characters not only deflate Castle’s ego, they also humanize him. Sure, they are character types we’ve seen before but Sullivan and Quinn do a good job of making them watchable.

Castle is more of an entertaining show then it should be given the collection of well-worn clichés and stereotypes and this is due in large part to Fillion’s presence. Hopefully, mainstream audiences will realize just how good he is – something that his fans have known for years.

Special Features:

The first disc features an audio commentary on “Flowers for Your Grave” by creator/executive producer Andrew Marlowe, executive producer Rob Bowman, and actors Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, and Jon Huertas. The book launch sequences were actually shot on location in New York City as part of a presentation before the show was picked up. Marlowe talks about the challenge of introducing all the regular characters while also telling a mystery story. Marlowe and Bowman talk about casting Fillion and Katic. Meanwhile, Fillion cracks jokes and is his usual entertaining self.

The second disc includes a commentary on “A Chill Goes Through Her Veins” by Marlowe, Bowman, Fillion, Katic, Huertas and Molly Quinn. They talk about the challenge of filming on an actual construction site. Marlowe and Fillion talk about their approach to the character of Castle. Katic goes into detail about her character’s backstory and how it informs what she does.

Disc three starts off with two commentaries on “A Death in the Family.” The first one features Marlowe, Bowman, Fillion, Katic, Huertas, and Quinn. Everyone banters back and forth while sharing anecdotes about shooting this episode. Katic talks about the dramatic material in this episode and how it changes the relationship between Castle and Beckett.

There is also another commentary for this episode by Huertas and fellow cast member Seamus Dever. These guys crack jokes and praise the episode’s guest stars. They also tell all sorts of filming anecdotes.

“Whodunit: The Genesis of Castle” features Andrew Marlowe talking about the origins of the show – a desire to hearken back to shows like The Rockford Files and Moonlighting. Fillion, Katic and the other regular cast members talk about their characters.

“Castle’s Godfather” is an interview between Marlowe, Bowman and T.V. producer/writer and legend Stephen J. Cannell. Bowman knew Cannell when he was a kid and got his start on T.V. working for him. The two men share entertaining anecdotes about some of the shows they’ve worked on together.

“Write-Along with Nathan Fillion” is a hilarious mock-featurette as the actor spends the day with Cannell. The actor shows up to the man’s house late and is forced to camp out until the next day. Fillion hangs on Cannell’s every word but seems more impressed by the T.V. mogul’s numerous classic cars. This is a fun extra as these two guys play well off each other. Give these guys their own show!

Finally, there is “Misdemeanors: Bloopers and Outtakes” which is an amusing montage of the cast goofing around and blowing their lines with Fillion getting the lion’s share of the laughs.

The film begins with an explosive situation. The FBI raids an apartment of a known drug dealer but in the ensuing chaos, one of the suspects – an African American (Rhames) – escapes. The mayor is facing all kinds of heat about the nature of the case and it’s up to the police to track down the fugitive. Detective Bobby Gold (Mantegna) is a hostage negotiator who uses his powers of persuasion to convince the fugitive’s mother to cooperate. At a briefing, Bobby gets into it with a city official who is a blunt, tough-talking type a la Alec Baldwin’s ballbuster in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). Things get heated and the man calls Bobby a “kike,” which really sticks in his craw because he’s never thought about his religious heritage much.

While en route to apprehend a known associate of the fugitive, Bobby and his partner, Tim Sullivan (Macy) come across a homicide. The owner of a convenience store has been murdered. Intriguingly, the old woman was Jewish and her store was located in a predominantly African American neighbourhood. A couple of local kids claim that she was killed for a fortune she had stashed in her basement. Despite his protestations, Bobby is put on the case and is told that the deceased woman’s son has a lot of pull downtown. He specifically requested that Bobby be put in charge of the investigation. The woman’s family is quite affluent and very devout in their faith. They feel persecuted and that this murder is just another example of the continued discrimination against their race. The more time Bobby spends on this case and gets to know the Klein family, the more in touch he gets with his own heritage.

Mamet regulars Joe Mantegna and William H. Macy are very believable as tough talking cops. They’ve got the lingo and the swagger down cold. They are experts at delivering Mamet’s stylized dialogue. But this is Mantegna’s show and he is excellent as a man who is ignorant of his own tradition. He is forced to confront it head on. The case gets its hooks into him and he discovers that there is much more to it than meets the eye.

Homicide takes an unflinching look at racism, from the casual epitaphs that the cops throw around to the feelings of persecution that the Klein family feels. Not many American films have the courage to address this topic with such frankness but Mamet has never been known to be timid about any topic. The film is also an engrossing mystery and a character study as Bobby gets in touch with his faith and begins to question his own identity. He is faced with a troubling conflict: where do his loyalties lie – with the Jews or with the cops? Mamet doesn’t give us any easy answers but there never are when it comes to complex issues like race and religion.

Special Features:

There is an audio commentary by writer/director David Mamet and actor William H. Macy. The actor mentions that he hung out with homicide detectives and said that they saw the worst aspects of humanity. Mamet points out that many of the actors playing cops worked with him during his early days in Chicago theatre. Macy points out that this was his first major role in a film and talks about how his style of acting changed when he met Mamet. The filmmaker talks about the origins of the project and how it started as a book but after hanging out with his cousin – a New York City cop – it gradually turned into a screenplay. These guys banter back and forth like the old friends that they are on this highly enjoyable track.

“Invent Nothing, Deny Nothing” features five Mamet regulars talking about their experiences with the filmmaker and their work on Homicide. Joe Mantegna says that many Mamet protagonists pursue excellence and that this was his take on Bobby Gold. He also describes Mamet’s dialogue as hyper-real. Steve Goldstein describes Mamet as a generous director and talks about the filmmaker’s take on acting. Ricky Jay says that he feels most comfortable with Mamet’s dialogue and tells a story about how he struggled with a scene in Homicide. J.J. Johnston and Jack Wallace point out that Mamet writes for specific actors and tailors to their personality. They also talk about how they met and first worked for Mamet.

“Gag Reel” is an amusing collection of blown lines and actors goofing around on set.

Finally, there are four T.V. spots.

Upon being released from prison (to establish his criminal credentials), Vinnie is assigned to infiltrate the Sonny Steelgrave (Sharkey) organization after his son Dave killed Vinnie’s training agent who had previously been investigating the crime family. Vinnie gradually works his way up and manages to gain Sonny’s confidence. Ray Sharkey is quite good as the unpredictable crime boss that constantly keeps Vinnie on his toes. He’s understandably cagey as deals get busted and henchmen are killed.

Vinnie answers to Frank McPhee (played with wonderfully sarcastic dry wit by Banks) and he is the one that assigns Vinnie his cases and supplies him with crucial information. Vinnie’s other contact is Lifeguard (Bynes), whom he contacts on a regular basis with updates on the case under the guise of Uncle Mike, in case the phone is being tapped. One of things that is so good about Wiseguy is that it takes the time to show how being so deep undercover takes its toll on Vinnie. He comes so close to death on a regular basis and has to be a hell of an actor – his life depends on it.

The first season’s second story arc, and arguably the best one of the show’s entire run, saw Vinnie go after the multi-billionaire international arms dealer Mel Profitt (Spacey). In the process, Vinnie uncovers a crime syndicate in a whole other league than anything he’s experienced before. His way into this particular organization is through assassin Roger Loccoco (Russ), who works for Profitt. Through him he meets Mel’s beautiful sister Susan (Severance) who introduces him to Mel.

William Russ is excellent as the ultra-confident amoral hitman who has a habit of referring to Vinnie as “Buckwheat.” He’s had all kinds of memorable roles over the years, most notably in The Right Stuff (1983) and the T.V. show Crime Story. Joan Severance, a veteran of direct-to-video erotic thrillers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, is quite alluring as the seductive femme fatale with a twist – hints of an incestuous relationship with brother Mel. Not surprisingly, the one to watch is a young Kevin Spacey as the crazy, power-hungry Mel. He’s a larger than life criminal mastermind seemingly coming apart at the seams and yet manages to just keep it together enough to run his vast empire – thanks to Susan and a regular shot of heroin. Spacey does a fantastic job giving depth to this first class nutjob, knowing when to chew up the scenery and when to pull it back.

This is a thoroughly engrossing story arc with fascinating characters and a rock solid cast reminding one of just how good Wiseguy was back in the day, paving the way for crime shows like The Wire.

Special Features:

None.

We first meet Booker working as a bouncer – sorry, a customer relations expert. He’s tired of trading fists with meatheads every night and is looking for a new job. He manages to get one working for a private investigation division of Teshima, a large Japanese corporation. Remember in the 1980s when everyone was afraid that the Japanese would buy up everything? (see Ron Howard’s Gung Ho) He answers to Alicia Rudd (Strassman), a no-nonsense businesswoman who has no time for his roguish Teen Beat bad boy shtick. He’s also assigned a secretary named Elaine Grazzo (Rich).

Booker is not exactly keen on investigating boring insurance cases and decides to help Elaine who believes that an innocent man went to prison based on a court case that she served on the jury. The show plays on the clash of cultures between the corporate world and the streetwise Booker but many of the stories deal with his misadventures when he’s not working for Teshima. The first two episodes see three cast members from Jump Street appearing in an attempt to draw some of that show’s considerable fan base to Booker. The scripts and stories are typical Stephen J. Cannell fodder, that is to say formulaic, but that is just the nature of episodic T.V., especially during the 1980s.

In episode seven, we meet Lori Petty posing as her twin sister who is a part-time model that skipped out on a hearing to testify against a mobster. Booker is assigned to track her down. Petty displays her trademark spunky charm (which some find annoying) and is more than a match for Grieco in the smart-ass department. They have good chemistry together and play well off each other. The powers that be must’ve thought so as well because Petty returned for nine more episodes.

Richard Grieco plays Booker with a petulant, smart-ass exterior but deep down he believes in championing the underdog and lost causes. He is always ready with a cheesy quip and is constantly thumbing his nose at authority figures. Of course, Booker’s got the cool muscle car and motorcycle despite working as a bouncer in seedy bar when the series begins. Grieco does an okay job carrying a show that is basically built around him but there is a distinctive whiff that he’s just a poor man’s Johnny Depp minus the exceptional acting ability and knack for picking offbeat roles as evident from their wildly divergent career paths.

Fans of Booker will be immediately disappointed that the theme song, “Hot in the City” by Billy Idol, has been replaced by a vague, pale imitation. Obviously, the company that released this set could not afford the rights to the song and this is a significant strike against the release. Booker is not really that good of a show but at least fans have finally gotten most of its episodes on DVD.

Special Features:

None.