Man in a Suitcase: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Man in a Suitcase: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 21, 2020

Created by Richard Harris and Dennis Spooner, "Man in a Suitcase" (1967-1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Network Releasing. The only bonus feature on the release is a short collection of ad breaks. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Mac

Not a lot of people remember Richard Bradford now, but back in the 1960s he was one of the coolest tough guys to step before the camera. Oddly, it took a single TV show to cement his image. The show was Man in a Suitcase.

Bradford is Mac, a former CIA agent living in London who makes ends meet as a private eye. He still has connections to the agency, but his reputation is such that virtually everyone there sees him as a disgraced professional who ought to be kept as far away from internal business as possible. It is why Mac has not seen his home country in years.

The secret behind Mac’s banishment from the agency is revealed in the pilot, Man From the Dead, which chronicles a failed operation to prevent a prominent Western scientist from defecting to the U.S.S.R. While overseeing the operation, Mac apparently followed the orders of his superior, but he died in an accident which later on made it impossible for him to convince top brass at the agency that he wasn’t responsible for the gaffe. Many years later, on a clear day in London the ‘dead man’ that destroyed Mac’s career reappears, and soon after evidence emerges that the defector may in fact be an active double agent planted deep into enemy territory.

After the stain on Mac’s reputation is explained, the show switches gears and all kinds of unusual characters begin contacting him with requests to help them solve equally unusual cases. Mac frequently travels abroad as well. For example, in No Friend of Mine, he boards a plane and lands in an unnamed African country to foil a dangerous plan that could ruin its chances of rebuilding itself. Then in Variation on a Million Bucks Mac becomes involved with some seriously, and equally, unfriendly Soviet and American characters that are trying to ‘recover’ a million dollars that a former KGB agent has stolen and deposited in a bank in Lisbon. In Find the Lady, Mac is in Rome and forced to improvise after some stolen jewels inspire a local mafioso to abduct one of his closest friends. And in The Boston Square, Mac finds himself right smack in the middle of a massive conspiracy involving a Greek oceanographer, an Albanian agent, and CIA agent with big plans to cripple a Soviet submarine station.

Created by Richard Harris and Dennis Spooner, Man in a Suitcase offers very diverse and often quite bold for its time genre material. International espionage and period crime drama, for instance, are wonderfully intertwined and in a number of episodes used to provide exotic entertainment of the type that the early James Bond films would legitimize. The routine use of classy jazz tunes also infuses the suspense and action with a very authentic ‘60s cool vibe that now makes the entire show look chic without actually trying. The icing on the cake is Mac’s refreshing cynicism, which is raw enough to impress but never even remotely degrading. One of the decade’s best show, indeed.

BOX SET CONTENT

DISC ONE

1. Man from the Dead
2. All That Glitters
3. Sweet Sue
4. The Bridge
5. Find the Lady

DISC TWO

6. Brainwash
7. The Girl Who Never Was
8. Variation on a Million Bucks: Part One
9. Variation on a Million Bucks: Part Two
10. Day of Execution

DISC THREE

11. Web With Four Spiders
12. Blind Spot
13. The Boston Square
14. Jigsaw Man
15. The Sitting Pigeon

DISC FOUR

16. The Man Who Stood Still
17. Somebody Loses, Somebody... Wins?
18. Dead Man's Shoes
19. The Whisper
20. Essay in Evil

DISC FIVE

21. Why They Killed Nolan
22. Burden of Proof
23. Who's Mad Now?
24. Property of a Gentleman
25. No Friend of Mine

DISC SIX

26. Which Way Did He Go, McGill?
27. The Revolutionaries
28. Three Blinks of the Eyes
29. Castle in the Clouds
30. Night Flight to Andorra

Man in a Suitcase: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Man in a Suitcase arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing.

The show was exclusively restored by the British label and looks really, really good. To be honest, excluding the extremely light degraiining that was applied to the raw master -- and why this was done I have no idea because the restoration is magnificent -- the visuals look flawless. For example, virtually all well-lit close-ups boast exceptional delineation, even on a very large screen, while clarity is of what I would consider to be 'reference' level. Fluidity is mighty impressive as well. The darker footage is where trained eyes will notice that some extremely fine details could have been slightly better exposed, but I would argue that the visuals still look rather stunning. Also, the entire show is graded with incredible precision, which allows some lighting choices to produce rather magnificent nuances. (When you see the, you will know exactly what I mean). All in all, this show looks truly remarkable in high-definition, so revising it, or exploring it for the first time, can be quite the special treat. (Note: The entire box set is Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to access its content regardless of your geographical location).

Man in a Suitcase: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

It immediately becomes obvious that the audio was fully remastered because clarity, sharpness, and stability are outstanding. Also, there are some pretty impressive ranges of dynamic nuances, plus the cool jazzy soundtracks tunes that pop up everywhere sound terrific. Only the optional English SDH subtitles are missing.

Man in a Suitcase: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Ad Breaks - a short collection of ad breaks. Music only. (1 min).

Man in a Suitcase: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Man in a Suitcase is one of the best vintage TV shows that I have seen released on Blu-ray. It keeps surprising with very diverse material and in addition to a spectacular Richard Bradford has a ton of stars, before and behind the camera, that do tremendous work. The show was exclusively restored by Network Releasing and looks gorgeous on Blu-ray. Also, this six-disc box set is Region-Free and perfectly playable on all North American players. If you enjoy older TV shows, you should not miss it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.