Rescue Me: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Rescue Me: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 8, 2018

Rescue Me was conceived in the shadow of the 9/11 terror attacks and is the brainchild of Denis Leary and Peter Tolan, the former of whom began his career as a hard-edged comedian but later found notoriety in film and, of course, with Rescue Me. Tolan previously worked with Leary on the short-lived ABC show The Job and has penned several hit films, including Analyze This and Analyze That. For Leary, the show was a natural extension of his longtime involvement with and respect for firefighters; he is the founder of the Leary Firefighters Foundation, which he created in the year 2000 after his cousin and longtime friend, alongside four other firefighters, died battling a deadly blaze in his home town of Worcester, Massachusetts. For this Blu-ray release, Mill Creek has assembled all seven seasons, including a monumental assortment of legacy extra content, presented in 1080p high definition and with either DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 channel or 5.1 channel sound offerings, depending on season. Sony released season three, and season three only, way back in the Blu- ray format's infancy in 2007.

Official synopsis: From series creators Denis Leary and Peter Tolan, the highly acclaimed series galvanized audiences with its uncompromising portrayal of the firefighters of Ladder 62 in post 9/11 New York City. Their duty to save lives and put their own on the line, constantly created turmoil on the front lines, in the fire house and at home. Leary is electrifying in his role as Tommy Gavin, a deeply driven first responder with a combustible personality and personal demons to match. Through seven groundbreaking seasons, we follow his gripping story, along with those of his fellow crew. Provocative, profane, dramatic, humorous and unflinchingly honest, it is an unforgettable journey of courage, conflict and ultimate salvation.

Rescue Me is seeped in the humanity of its characters, their heroic triumphs and their personal downfalls alike. The fires and their responses to them -- in success and failure -- shape them inwardly and outwardly, but the show is surely at its best, and sometimes its worst, as it explores them away from the blaze, either collectively in the station’s kitchen or at home with their friends, families, and lovers. Indeed, Rescue Me is never fully about the blaze, even if the blaze and the action features so prominently on so many of the promotional materials. That’s the general draw, but the show certainly evolves more towards character drama and less the firefighting action as it moves along, which even when the flames are front and center the show is still more concerned with building its roster rather than exciting audiences through imagery of heroic actions in burning buildings. By the time season three arrives, the show has seen its characters through a number of transformative stages that eventually put them at deeply rooted physical and emotional odds and gradually embraces more borderline nonsensical soap opera-style antics which rise to challenge the more complex, concrete, and original character and world drama storylines from earlier seasons. Humor, some of it light, some of it fairly dark, is a mainstay, unsurprising given Leary’s involvement in front of the camera and in the writers room off it; most of the humor compliments and defines the characters, organically folded into stories and personalities, not simply shoved into a script for the sake of levity. It’s a very well written and executed show; it’s just a little too long at seven seasons and grasps at a few too many generic storyline straws along the way.

Rescue Me feels incredibly authentic because it is incredibly authentic. Certainly not every detail within the firefighting world is perfect, some liberties are taken for optics, dramatic effect, or the structural needs of any given shot, scene, sequence, or episode, but by- and-large the show thrives on essential accuracy. It’s also commendable in the way it inhabits its New York location, from the intimacies and intricacies of the station and character homes to the larger city that is a battleground in which the men risk their lives day in and day out. Every episode plays big and feels large. The firefighting appears complex and feels dangerous while the scope, whether in a small space or battling blazes over larger areas or, certainly, figuratively within the characters’ own personal lives, always plays to the moment and the larger story alike. The show is dense, in fires and in the lives of its characters, and as the seasons progress, risk-taking increases, not in how they may fight fires but in how the character lives and relationships evolve, though certainly, as noted before, the show does veer into overly melodramatic territory at times. Leary and company are absolutely terrific in front of the camera. From episode one the primaries inhabit characters, speak the language, and feel firmly planted in their New York surroundings. The show is far more often a crowning achievement than it is a cringe-worthy episodic soap opera; if only it could have been tightened up a little here or there, it would rise towards the level of “masterpiece.”

Rescue Me: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Rescue Me's 1080p, 1.78:1-framed image is imperfect, no surprise considering the constraints. Mill Creek has crammed 93 episodes onto 16 discs, which averages to almost six per, which is the equivalent of about a 4.5 hour movie given an average runtime of around 45 minutes per episode. The bitrate hovers throughout the teens with dips below and peaks above.

The show was shot digitally and the Blu-ray picture is infested by spiky, sharp-edged noise. Compression artifacts are not substantially intrusive in every scene but do interfere with the image's stability and attractiveness on the whole, with some of the worst offending moments coming in low light situations. Detail is decent enough but hardly up to the standards of the finest television Blu-ray releases. Core facial and clothing textures are passable. Environments are not that bad looking, at least sometimes. Brick work outside the firehouse never does enjoy the sort of tangible, robust texturing real-world examples (and far superior 1080p transfers) reveal, but the core definition is there. The same can be said for the firehouse's interior. Lockers, odds and ends around the kitchen, bunks, decor, and other bits are defined to satisfactory essential, but never eye-catching, complexity. There's no doubt that more breathing room and more careful encoding would have resulted in a far superior picture.

Colors are flat but essential fire engine reds, clothes, and any number of shades seen around the city present with enough general clarity, vibrance, and stability to convey any given scene's palette parameters. Flesh tones waver and black levels do not hold stable, veering up and down here and there and crumbling under the compression constraints. As it is, Rescue Me is watchable on Blu-ray, but fans shouldn't expect anything more than basic rough-around-the-edges visual competency.

Rescue Me: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Rescue Me: The Complete Series features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and 5.1 lossless soundtracks, 2.0 for seasons one and two and 5.1 from seasons three through seven. The early seasons two-channel track is of course much more limited and confined. Dialogue images well to the center and verbal clarity is fine. Opening theme music and select effects spread decently far out to the sides and essential sonic detailing is maintained, but little in these tracks really offer much beyond the conveyance of sonic essentials.

Season three introduces the 5.1 surround soundtrack offerings, which do offer a nice upgrade from the obviously much more limited two-channel presentations from seasons one and two. The opening title sequence plays with a more robust and obviously more expansive presentation, a fuller, more aggressive offering that suits the material better than the L/R only track. A dream sequence fire early in the season's debut episode is amongst the first moments that see the show benefit from the aded depth. The scene enjoys some firm crackling and sense of immersion amongst the flames. City environmental effects open up as well, better drawing the listener into the show's dense New York landscape. Active and intense firefighting scenes are the most obvious beneficiaries, featuring more prominent width and surround integration that more completely draw the listener into the sonically complex and dangerous environments. Dialogue is not wholesale different from seasons one and two, even though it emanates from a dedicated center speaker. Certainly, regardless of the number of channels in play, there's absolutely no mistaking the lack of precision clarity and true sonic detail throughout the series run. The sound essentials are fine, offering decent enough baseline clarity and spacing (particularly in seasons three-seven) but this will not be mistaken for a grade-A presentation.

Rescue Me: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Rescue Me: The Complete Series contains a truly massive, borderline overwhelming, assortment of extra content -- audio commentaries, deleted scenes, gag reels, and featurettes -- spread across most all of the 16 discs. All of the supplements from Sony's 2007 release for season three are included. The artwork on the final disc in the set lists a deleted scene but it does not appear to be on the disc. The release ships in packaging a little more attractive and slightly more durable than the typical Mill Creek TV show. Two extra-thick Blu-ray cases house all 16 discs, both of which are tucked into a handsome slip box with foil artwork on the front. A transparent plastic slipcover holds everything together.

Season One, Disc One:

• Audio Commentary: For "Guts:" Actor/Creator Denis Leary and Creator Peter Tolan.
• Deleted Scenes (480i, 7:33 total runtime): Nine scenes are presented without any identifying markers.

Season One, Disc Two:

• Audio Commentary: For "Sanctuary:" Actor/Creator Denis Leary and Creator Peter Tolan.
• Gag Reel (480i, 6:53): Humorous fails from the set and plenty of bleeped language.
• How It All Began (480i, 13:43): Leary and Tolan, as well as additional cast and crew, discuss the show's origins, Leary's first script pages and the pair's writing process, previous collaborations, how 9/11 influenced the show's direction, cast camaraderie, and more.
• Authenticity (480i, 17:25): Leary, Tolan, and others discuss story origins in real New York firefighting stories, the show's interspersed humor, the show's veering away from happy endings, real firefighting techniques used in the show, actor preparations for their roles, firefighters' courage, making the post-9/11 world a prominent component in the film, male-female conflict in the show, writing hard-edged drama, and more.
• The Cast (480i, 16:43): As the title suggests, this supplement looks more closely at the cast, the characters the cast portrays, and the high quality of the performances the cast delivers, dramatically and physically alike.
• The Look (480i, 10:41): Filming the show like a movie, New York area location and stage shooting, the show's scale, the rigors of the shoot, 24p digital photography, post production work and darkening the show as necessary, and more.

Season Two, Disc One:

• Gag Reel (480i, 6:33): Unlike the previous gag reel, swear words are not bleeped on this one.
• Voicemail Deleted Scenes (480i, 5:31): Four scenes from the episode.
• Harmony Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:14): Two scenes.
• Balls Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:24): Two scenes.
• Twat Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:14): One scene.
• Sensitivity Deleted Scenes (480i, 2:04): Three scenes.
• Shame Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:47): One scene.

Season Two, Disc Two:

• The Second Season (480i, 9:03): Leary and Tolan, as well as a number of cast and crew, discuss how the show has progressed in season two as it pushes the character drama further. It also looks at scriptwriting, cast camaraderie, and more.
• Shooting in New York (480i, 10:23): The piece begins by discussing the importance of Ground Zero in early episodes and moves on to explore the authentic New York locations and the value shooting within the city adds to the show.
• The Kitchen (480i, 4:49): A discussion of the importance of the kitchen locale in the show, which is described as the main room in most every firehouse that ultimately serves as a space for more than just preparing and eating meals.
• Writing for the Cast (480i, 9:30): With some humor along the way, the cast pats each other on the back and goes a little more in depth in terms of rewriting scenes as necessary.
• Diane Farr Talks to the Real NYFD (480i, 21:54): Perched on the front of a fire truck and huddled around a handful of real firefighters, the actress who plays Laura Miles asks the men to critique the show, discuss their roles on the show, and more.
• Real life on the Set of Rescue Me (480i, 8:32): A look around the set, including a peek into Denis Leary's personal toilet, the role of hockey in the show and off-camera, making a paintball scene, preparing a stunt, and more.
• Believe Deleted Scenes (480i, 3:06): Four scenes.
• Rebirth Deleted Scenes (480i, 2:24): Two scenes.
• Brains Deleted Scenes (480i, 5:11): Two scenes.
• Bitch Deleted Scenes (480i, 10:07): Six scenes.
• Happy Deleted Scenes (480i, 9:10): Six scenes.
• Justice Deleted Scenes (480i, 5:49): Four scenes.

Season Three, Disc One:

• Location Tour (480i, 10:07): A super-quick look through some of the authentic New York shooting locales seen in the show, including Tommy's apartment, a beach house, the firehouse, Tommy's home, Janet's house, Chris' and Franco's apartment, Jerry's house, Sheila's house, Uncle Teddy's house, and Janet's house.
• Devil Deleted Scenes (1080i, 1:10): One scene.
• Discovery Deleted Scenes (1080i, 1:16): One scene.
• Sparks Deleted Scenes (1080i, 1:32): One scene.

Season Three, Disc Two:

• Behind the Smoke (480i, 25:25): A discussion of plot details and character beats (which includes a major spoiler for season two) from the first three seasons.
• Rescue Me Comedy Short (1080p, 13:23): The crew deals with some scary goings-on in the fire house.
• Being Denis Leary (480i, 2:49): Denis Leary's stand-in earns a few minutes of interview time.
• Going to the Gay Place (480i, 4:51): An elaborate joke with a fake script that turns a character gay.
• The Bravest Traditions (480i, 6:10): A discussion of firefighting staples: Dalmatians, the firehouse pole, red fire engines, firefighting bloodlines, and a traditional song.
• Fighting Fires in a Vertical City (480i, 5:29): A quick look at the challenges of fighting fires in New York City.
• Behind the Hose (480i, 8:36): Raw footage and informal interviews from the set.
• Gag Reel (480i, 6:27).
• Pieces Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:12): One scene.
• Retards Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:19, 2:04): Two scenes.
• Twilight Deleted Scenes (480i, 0:55): One scene.
• Hell Deleted Scenes (480i, 1;24, 2:47, 1:28, 1:09): Four scenes.
• Beached Deleted Scenes (480i, 2:24, 1:28): Two scenes.

Season Four, Disc One:

• Burned Out: Gag Reel (480i, 3:52).
• This Is Not a Drill: Breaking Down Seven (480i, 11:50): A discussion of one of the show's most powerful and landscape-altering episodes in which the firefighters cannot save several children from a particularly bad fire. The piece continues to look at visual effects for the show.
• Babyface Deleted Scenes (480i, 2:00): One scene.
• Pussified Deleted Scenes (480i, 0:44): One scene.
• Black Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:53, 1:55, 0:49): Three scenes.
• Balance Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:55, 0:45): Two scenes.
• Seven Deleted Scenes (480i, 4:09, 1:32, 1:07): Three scenes.

Season Four, Disc Two:

• Welcome to the Set (480i, 13:52): Cast and crew discuss working with Denis Leary, pretend to suffer a heart attack, talk working hours and conditions, have fun on set, and more.
• Walking Thru Fire: The Stories of Rescue Me Season 4 (480i, 29:52): A "kinder, gentler" tone through part of the season, Tommy's continuing arc (as a man, a lover, and a firefighter) following season three, Jennifer Esposito's character's role in the season, baby drama, additional character evolution, the season's forward-looking themes, and much more.
• Tools of the Trade (480i, 5:41): A too-short introduction to some of the equipment firefighters use to battle blazes.
• Captains (480i, 8:25): A closer look at two of the show's directors, Jace Alexander and John Fortenberry.
• Burning Embers: Gavin's Girls (480i, 10:41): A quick exploration of the women in Tommy's life throughout the show.
• Firehouse: Real Stories from America's Bravest (480i, 35:30): Real firefighting heroes share tales from the field.
• Solo Deleted Scenes (480i, 0:43, 2:59, 2:06, 1:07, 0:25): Five scenes.
• Animal Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:05, 1:33, 0:45): Three scenes.
• High Deleted Scenes (480i, 0:41): One scene.
• Keefe Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:14): One scene.
• Yaz Deleted Scenes (480i, 0:31, 1:19): Two Scenes.

Season Five, Disc One:

• French Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:36, 1:08): Two Scenes.
• Wine Deleted Scenes (480i, 0:41): One scene.
• Sheila Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:27): One scene.
• Perspective Deleted Scenes (480i, 2:27): One scene.

Season Five, Disc Two:

• Control Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:37): One scene.
• Mickey Deleted Scenes (480i, 2:47): One scene.
• Disease Deleted Scenes (480i, 0:39, 1:43, 1:18): Three scenes.

Season Five, Disc Four:

• Walking Thru Fire: Surviving Season 5 (480i, 29:53): An exploration of the season's writing and tone, the break between seasons four and five, folding the horrors of 9/11 back into the story, Tommy's vices, new characters, the Tommy-Janet relationship, and additional character arcs.
• Danny Does Danger (480i, 7:34): This piece spends some time with and looks at the work of the show's stunt coordinator, Danny Aiello III.
• Gag Reel (480i, 5:04).
• Drink Deleted Scenes (480i, 1:09): One scene.

Season Six, Disc One:

• Kicking the Tires and Mopping Up: An Attempt to Remember Season 6 (480i, 26:08): This piece begins with major spoilers from the end of season five and moves on to explore the relationship between Tommy and Janet, additional character beats throughout the season, and more.

Season Six, Disc Two:

• The Creators Last Call (480i, 21:57): Leary and Tolan discuss, largely in hindsight, the writing, the characters, storylines, final scene concepts, and much more.
• Burning the Actors at Both Ends (480i, 7:03): A gag reel by another name.
• Balls! (480i, 2:22): Leary and Tolan humorously discuss the show's love for language by way of a number of clips from the show, which includes characters throwing around slang for the human body.
• Denis & Lenny: A Match Made in Hell (480i, 4:36): A fun collection of interactions between the actors.

Rescue Me: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rescue Me is a great, though imperfect, series that boasts rich authenticity and superb character depth. The stories far more often than not engender impressive dramatic draw and the visuals and performances are there to match. Mill Creek's 16-disc Blu-ray release of Rescue Me: The Complete Series delivers merely passable video and audio and an overwhelming assortment of extra content. Recommended.