Touching Evil (Mini-Series Box Set 1, 2, 3)
Picture: B-
Sound: C+ Extras: D Program: B+
While we may speak the same language, Britain and the
United States are worlds apart when it comes to film and TV. There is just something different in the
presentation, the humor, the drama, the methods and reasoning’s behind things,
but through it all there is a common ground that some people find and therefore
have no problem toggling back and forth between the two. Some people just don’t get it, but Touching Evil is a British crime series
that will most likely translate well if you give it time. Now, the first thing you will have to do it
take away your tendencies to think like an American and expect the show to come
across like NYPD: Blue or CSI.
This is a show that makes you think, makes you feel, and you actually
have to work a bit to figure out the cases.
Unlike American television series that do all the work for
you, this show keeps you on your toes and brings you into its world, but if you
can’t keep up to it’s pace you may as well hit the stop button on your DVD
player and put in The Fast and the
Furious and let your brain cool down for a bit. Those that catch the pace and effectiveness of the mini-series
will yearn for more and more, which makes this DVD box set a critical buy. The reason is because it includes all three
mini-series beginning in 1997 and including 1998 and 1999’s episodes.
Most will agree that the show loses some stamina as it
continues on, but even at it’s lowest adrenalin point, it is still far better
than what you will most likely find on the U.S. tube. Robson Green and Nicola Walker play D.I.’s Dave Creegan and Susan
Taylor and portray the parts with such dedication and discipline. Also, their chemistry is spot on and makes
the show work superbly. The writing
abilities of Paul Abbott and Russell T. Davies rank up there with some of the
best in the crime genre, especially on a TV level. They understand the pace at which to write the material in order
to keep people attached without going into too much back-story or details that
give away a lot.
Fans will be delighted to get this set with all thee parts
together in one box set. The
presentation is also fairly good as well being a few years older and such, but
the full-frame image holds up well.
There is a little bit of softness that occurs, but is not due to the DVD
so much as the production itself. Plus
the show was shot with the intention of being a bit more natural and gritty to
give the viewer a ‘edgier’ look that fuses together well with the subject
matter. The 2.0 Dolby Digital sound is
effective, despite lacking in some of the punch. Then again, this series differs from what American audiences are
seeing and relies more on the psychological aspects of the characters and
stories rather than the violence, gunshots, stabbing, etc that occurs regularly
in other crime shows. Therefore, the
intense focus here is the sharp dialogue and mood of the show, which comes
across well in 2.0.
This is indeed a hefty box contain all three volumes and
will keep anyone’s interest level for some time. It becomes addicting and before you know it you are out of
episodes. However, by that time you may
want to go back and re-watch some of the highlight episodes. In the end you have 8 discs with 960-minutes
of entertainment and intrigue. Fans of
shows like Wire in the Blood
(reviewed on this site) will also find this just as good if not a tad better.
- Nate Goss
