Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Strike Back: Season Three Blu-ray Movie Review

"Make a choice!"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 23, 2015

No series delivers action like Strike Back is currently delivering action. The size. The scale. The thrills. The suspense. The intensity. The pulse-pounding, hair-raising, death-defying counterterrorism. Deftly closing the gap between television and explosive, action-packed summer cinema, the show's third season, Shadow Warfare, ups the bullet-riddled ante to new heights. Over the top? Sure. Testosterone-fueled? Absolutely. Big Dumb Fun? Not quite. There's an intelligence and sophistication to Strike Back that defies such dismissive nods to its base instincts, and a sharpness to its scripts and nuance to its performances that make it easy to barrel from one episode to the next. It generally takes time to work through an entire season, particularly when under a deadline. Life has its demands, after all. But then there are those special series that are so addicting, so exciting, so well made that it's hard to walk away without exhausting every episode available to you. Strike Back's third season is as strong as previous entries, and perhaps even more infectious. It understands the fundamental elements of the genre and the ever-tenuous balance between drama and action, piecing together international intrigue with a vengeance. Some will scoff. Some will shrug. Others will grin, eager to dig into the latest Cinemax has to offer.

Cinemax's first scripted primetime drama series returns. The world isn't saving itself, so the stealth counterterrorism unit Section 20, led by the unlikely alliance between two crack special agents -- American renegade Sgt. Damien Scott (Sullivan Stapleton) and elite British spy Sgt. Michael Stonebridge (Philip Winchester) -- continues to pursue threats to our global security around the world. This season the team tracks a deadly terrorist network from Colombia to Beirut to Europe, uncovering deadly plots that reach to the West. As in previous seasons, the production utilized consultants who work in the field of counterterrorism to add to the authenticity of the series, providing essential background on stories, characters, training and settings. The returning cast includes Rhona Mitra as Maj. Rachel Dalton, Michelle Lukes as Sgt. Julia Richmond and Liam Garrigan as Sgt. Liam Baxter. New cast members include Robson Green as a new member of Section 20, Dougray Scott as rogue operative James Leatherby and Milauna Jackson as a key player who crosses paths with the counterterrorism team.

So what doesn't work? That enters spoiler territory, though I'll do my best to be vague. Late in the season a significant twist upends everything Scott and Stonebridge knows. There's just one problem. The reveal doesn't quite track. It feels tacked on; an afterthought cooked up after earlier episodes had already been written. It doesn't bring the season to its knees and certainly doesn't put a bullet in its head, but those who are sensitive to plot holes will recall scenes in previous episodes that undermine the revelations of the last two episodes. Fortunately, it barely registers. I've probably done more damage by putting it on your radar than had I simply kept quiet. However, even staring at each plot hole in the face, I was still able to thoroughly enjoy Shadow Warfare, drinking up the action, tensing up during especially dangerous encounters, savoring the actors' command of their characters, and admiring the complexity of the criss-crossing, interconnecting threats determined to permanently shut down Section 20.

HBO/Cinemax's Blu-ray release of Strike Back: Season Three features ten episodes:

• Episode 1: While enjoying a long-deserved vacation, Scott and Stonebridge are recalled to duty after a fellow Section 20 member dies while pursuing the elusive terrorist Al-Zuhari in Beirut. A new lead sends them into the remote jungles of Colombia, in pursuit of a known associate of Al-Zuhari’s.
• Episode 2: Out of options and being hunted by a cartel, the Section 20 team desperately attempts an assault in downtown Bogota, hoping to obtain intel on one of Al-Zuhari’s key operatives. Elsewhere, Dalton searches for the source that exposed her team in Beirut and finds a surprising ally and also some info about Al-Zuhari’s plan.
• Episode 3: While uncertain where other people's loyalties lie, the team must work with an asset in Beirut in an effort to get a lead on James Leatherby, a dangerous and unpredictable operative with possible ties to Al-Zuhari.
• Episode 4: Section 20 attempts the risky rescue of the daughter of a potential new ally. Now teetering close to the edge, but determined to find the truth, Dalton goes AWOL with a recently captured detainee.
• Episode 5: While trying to recover from a shocking turn of events, Section 20 faces a different threat when a new enemy joining forces with an old one. Locke attempts to draw Kamali in closer to the team. Scott looks for an old friend, while Stonebridge gets closer to a new one.
• Episode 6: Locke has trouble deciding whether to devote their resources to the mission or to saving one of their own people. Stonebridge's growing health problem continues to affect him in the field. Kamali explains why yet another threat is emerging and Al-Zuhari's terrorist network strikes closer to home.
• Episode 7: Section 20 tracks the stolen property to Russia, where Scott and Stonebridge come up with an unorthodox plan to enter the prison. Kamali is worried that his cover identity may be in danger of being exposed as fake. While in the prison they discover new mysteries about a piece of Al-Zuhari's plan, but Stonebridge's health continues to deteriorate.
• Episode 8: While the rest of Section 20 races to locate Stonebridge, whose condition is worsening by the minute, Scott looks for a way to escape the prison. Ulyanov continues to hunt for Scott and Stonebridge, to enact revenge for his dead son.
• Episode 9: Scott and Stonebridge attempt to protect Kamali's daughter Ester from being abducted. Martinez and Richmond's questioning of a suspect captured during the raid, results in a possible lead to an associate of Al-Zuhari, and may target a potential infiltrator.
• Episode 10: After making a shocking discovery, Locke makes a deal with Arkady in an effort to secure an antidote to the virus before the entire city becomes infected.

Strike Back: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray release of Strike Back: Season Three features an excellent 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation that's comparable to previous seasons. The series' palette is hot and vibrant, with searing light, harsh shadows and warm skintones, as intended. Colors are strong, primaries stronger, black levels striking, and contrast even more so. Detail is impressive as well, with crisp, clean edges free of ringing and aliasing, precisely resolved fine textures, and stunning close-ups. Moreover, there isn't any compression artifacts, color banding, errant noise or other anomalies of note. Crush takes a small toll from time to time, but it too is a product of the series' aesthetic rather than an issue with HBO's encode. All told, Strike Back looks as good as it always has.

Strike Back: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

HBO's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track doesn't disappoint for a second, sinking its teeth into every ounce of action Strike Back brings to the table. Dialogue is intelligible and perfectly prioritized, even in the chaos of a firefight. LFE output is aggressive and effective, lending weight and impact to gunfire, explosions, roaring engines and other low-end elements. The rear speakers impress too, creating immersive environments and enveloping action through pinpoint directionality, slick cross-channel pans and an engaging, altogether invigorating soundfield. No complaints here.

Strike Back: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentaries: First up, three cast and crew audio commentaries, among them "Episode 1" with director Michael J. Bassett and actors Sullivan Stapleton (Scott) and Philip Winchester (Stonebridge); "Episode 3" with Stapleton, Winchester, Robson Green (Locke), Zubin Varla (Kamali) and Dougray Scott (Leatherby); and "Episode 9" with Bassett, Stapleton, Winchester, Green and Varla.
• How to Strike Back Featurettes (HD, 21 minutes): Nine brief, playful behind-the-scenes featurettes are also available. Segments include "How to Act in Shit," "How to Get Beat to Hell in Columbia," "How to Drive Through a Minefield," "How to Have Fun in a Drug Den," "How to Get Your Boss Kidnapped," "How to Interrogate While Driving," "How to Get Yourself Arrested," "How to Fight Naked While on Fire" and "How to Dangle From a Helicopter."

Strike Back: Season Three Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Strike Back continues to entertain while taking itself seriously enough to infuse a welcome dose of drama into its action. Decisions carry consequence. Death has weight. And the show makes it clear no one is safe, minus Scott and Stonebridge. (Although I wouldn't rule anything out entirely with this series.) HBO's Blu-ray release is just as satisfying, with a terrific video presentation, immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and a small but solid selection of supplements.