6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 1.5 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
The life and cases of Inspector Nash Bridges (Don Johnson) of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and his quirky partner Inspector Joe Dominguez (Cheech Marin) as they keep tabs on crime in the scenic Bay Area in Bridge’s electric yellow 1971 Plymouth Barracuda. Don Johnson recreates the iconic success of "Miami Vice" with his fashionable flair and electrifying rapport with Marin, with a backdrop of the breathtaking San Francisco Bay Area.
Crime | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080i (upconverted)
Aspect ratio: 1.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
None
Blu-ray Disc
Sixteen-disc set (16 BDs)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
There are a few actors who can say that they have been the face of a genre for two decades, but there are fewer who can say that they have been the face of a genre over two decades by playing two different characters in that same genre. Don Johnson is one of those select few. Johnson rose to prominence in the 1980s by playing the lead role in Michael Mann's epic TV series Miami Vice, portraying Sonny Crockett (alongside Philip Michael Thomas playing Rico Tubbs). Miami Vice ran from 1984-1990, and it was a six-year break before Johnson would once again step into the role of a TV cop, this time starring alongside Cheech Marin in Nash Bridges, a stylistic, tonal, emotional, and in some ways even psychological departure from Miami Vice but still placing Johnson squarely in the role of big city cop, partner in tow, cruising in a flashy car, and dealing with the criminal element around him. Nash Bridges lacks the cool factor, and at this point in its life the legacy that Miami Vice left behind, but in many ways it feels like the more complete show in terms of depth of character and world building, a debate that fans will certainly have for the foreseeable future. Whether one prefers Miami or Nash, there is no denying that Johnson's magnetic personality, flair for the dramatic, screen presence, and good looks dominated two decades of TV buddy cop shows, leaving behind a legacy of excellence that will not soon be forgotten.
Upon disc insertion, viewers are greeted to this message: "due to the age of these original programs and the high quality resolution that Blu-ray
provides, you may or may not notice technical anomalies on this Blu-ray presentation that we are unable to correct." That's a bit of a
misdirect/excuse for
the quality of the presentation, which is not at all great but not at all poor, because age has nothing to do with it. The show was shot on film and
would
look fine with some
TLC, so VEI is really just trying to imply that they tried, but the results of absolute low effort mediocrity (at its best) pretty much speak for
themselves.
Nash Bridges, sadly, looks substandard on Blu-ray, and that is just about the nicest way of saying it. The image is presented at a 4x3 aspect
ratio which preserves the original broadcast aspect ratio and places vertical "black bars" on either side of the HDTV frame. The picture is adequate at
its very best, and those who do not consider themselves hardcore videophiles might even be more-or-less satisfied. However, the picture certainly
does not live up to
its potential. At 1080i it lacks the muscle of a full 1080p resolution, and the image does not faithfully capture the filmic nature of its original 35mm
source. Grain is not really a factor here. The image offers smooth details rather than complex, boosted enough to notice it's in HD but not really
enough
to make the case as a necessary gain over the SD Blu-ray. Fine detail suffices on faces, clothes, and city elements, but texturally this represents just
about the bottom of the "passable" range. The same can be said of colors. There is no depth or punch. Colors lack nuance and life, presenting with
only
the most essential of tonal vitality and accuracy. Skin tones are OK, blacks are OK, and whites are OK. Nothing excels. The image suffers from some
mild
compression issues, random bouts of softness, and bursts of interlacing artifacts, but there are surprisingly few print issues. Casual audiences will
find
this watchable but far from
even "good" retro TV shows on
Blu-ray.
Nash Bridges arrives on Blu-ray with a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. The presentation gets the job done with the bare essentials conveyed well enough. Dialogue images nicely enough to the center and is pleasantly intelligible. There's not much significant stretch to the sides, with even music seeming to linger towards the center area, but some light notes and mild environmental fill spread further and at times even traverse from one speaker to another. Action effects offer decent depth, like gunshots and revving car engines. This is pretty basic stuff.
This Blu-ray complete collection of Nash Bridges does contain some extras, but the supplements are limited to the first two season. The
seasons
ship in their own standard sized Amaray cases. Each case is individually shrink wrapped. The outer box is adequately sturdy. It reminds of a typical
Mill
Creek TV box set in terms of structure and design.
Season One, Disc One (note that the season packaging advertises "audio commentaries" and "Nash Bridges Writers Roundtable Season
1,"
but I cannot locate either):
Nash Bridges is not the legend that are some of the like-minded shows that preceded it, and it is not a legend like some of the similar shows that would come after it, but it's a wonderfully blended yet still somehow unique spin on various genres that works extraordinarily well thanks to great superficialities and plenty of depth that draws the characters out of the stereotypical world with enough depth and feeling to help draw the viewer into, maneuver through, and come to love the full world of cliche and originality alike that make Nash Bridges a very successful show. VEI's Blu-ray is adequate, at best, offering troubled video, baseline decent 2.0 lossy audio, and a few extras that are included and a few that are advertised but appear to be missing. For hardcore fans of the show only.
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