The Level Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Level Blu-ray Movie Review

Brighton, Rocky

Reviewed by Michael Reuben March 9, 2017

Police procedurals routinely delve into the personal lives of the cops whose investigations are the main subject, but in The Level, a U.K. miniseries, the personal story takes the lead. The series is anchored by a murder mystery, and there's no shortage of forensics, stakeouts, witness interviews and other accoutrements of law enforcement, but the real story is a young woman's turbulent and often dangerous voyage of discovery, as her official duties yank her back into a life she thought she'd left behind.

Acorn Media co-produced The Level, which aired on ITV in six weekly installments from September 30 through November 4, 2016. In the U.S., the series appears exclusively on the Acorn TV streaming service, and it is now available on a handsome Blu-ray set.

The life of Nancy Devlin (Karla Crome, Under the Dome) is a study in contradiction. As far as most people know, Nancy is a detective sergeant based in London with the U.K.'s National Crime Division ("NCD"), which investigates organized crime and where Nancy is regarded as a rising star. In secret, however, Nancy maintains an ongoing relationship with a surrogate father named Frank Le Saux (Philip Glenister, Life on Mars), a criminal entrepreneur whose trucking company is a cover for drug smuggling and other illegal activities. When Nancy was growing up in a troubled household in Brighton, her best friend was Frank's daughter, Hayley (Laura Haddock), and the Le Saux home became a sanctuary. Nancy and Frank have remained close ever since.

As The Level opens, Nancy is summoned to a mysterious late-might meeting with Frank, who says he's in trouble. But before he can explain further, Frank is gunned down by an unseen assailant, and Nancy is grazed by a bullet that may or may not have been intended for her. She flees the scene, wounded, grief-stricken and terrified.

Unaware of Nancy's connection to the dead man, her NCD supervisor decides that her familiarity with Brighton makes her an ideal liaison to the local authorities and sends the detective back to a locale she would rather forget. In Brighton, Nancy is partnered with the sullen DS Gunner Martin (Noel Clark, Star Trek Into Darkness), whose attitude is inexplicably hostile and suspicious. The division is commanded by Det. Chief Inspector Michelle Newman (Lindsay Coulson), from whose keen eye Nancy has to conceal both her bullet wound and her history with Frank Le Saux. Further complicating Nancy's situation is the arrival of a second NCD colleague from London, DS Kevin O'Dowd (Rob James-Collier), who brings with him the romantic attentions Nancy has been rejecting for months but is now tentatively entertaining. (Given both her family history and her double life, it's no surprise that she shies away from any hint of intimacy.)

As Nancy delicately navigates the challenge of investigating the Le Saux case while concealing her own involvement, she is caught in a thicket of problematic relationships, starting with the Le Saux family itself. Nancy's childhood friend, Hayley, is now a mother with two small children, an estranged husband and a thuggish ex-boyfriend, Shay Nash (Joe Absolom), who is sniffing around both Hayley and her late father's trucking business. But Shay has competition for Hayley's attention in the person of Darryl (Lorne MacFadyen), Frank's former driver, who continues to offer support and comfort to the Le Saux family, while constantly eyeing the grieving daughter.

In contrast to her daughter, Frank's wife, Cherie Le Saux (Amanda Burton), seems unnaturally self-possessed and serene for a new widow, but perhaps that reflects her lifelong habit of keeping up appearances while married to a serial philanderer. Frank's mistresses include a customs officer, Delia (Kelly Harrison), who shows up unexpectedly at the funeral and obviously knows more than she is saying. Frank's lawyer, Theo Kettler (Rupert Procter), is also hiding something, but it may be nothing more than his own larceny, as the Le Saux family discovers that their bills aren't being paid, including fees for the special education school attended by Frank's mentally challenged son, Tate (Cian Binchy). And then there's Duncan Elliot (Geoff Bell), another local hoodlum, who appears on the Le Saux family's doorstep within days of Frank's death bearing a generous offer to buy the trucking business— and it may be an offer the family can't refuse.

As Nancy labors to unravel Le Saux's twisted life and affairs, she also has to deal with her own shattered household. Her mother, Teresa (Suzanne Packer), is now a permanent hospital resident, having suffered a mental breakdown after years of spousal abuse. Nancy's estranged father, Gil (Gary Lewis), a retired cop, may have quit drinking but he hasn't shed the bad temper that made their home life unbearable. Even as Gil awkwardly attempts to reach out to his daughter, anger frequently gets the better of him.

By all indications, Nancy Devlin is a good cop, but the Le Saux case strains her abilities to the breaking point. Injured both physically and emotionally, Nancy spends much of The Level struggling to maintain appearances, and frequently failing. As further victims pile up, it becomes increasingly clear that Frank's murder is the tip of a criminal iceberg, but Nancy has to expend so much time and effort concealing her own involvement that the investigation suffers. Her haunted look makes her seem more like a crime victim than a cop, and her furtive demeanor routinely suggests a guilty secret (it's no wonder her fellow cops look at her strangely). By the end of The Level's six one-hour episodes, Frank's murderer has been identified, but solving the case doesn't provide Nancy with any sense of closure, and it doesn't free her from the double life she's been leading.

The Level Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Level was shot on the Arri Alexa by cinematographer Ben Wheeler, who has extensive credits in U.K. TV. Acorn Media has distributed the six episodes across two 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-rays, both of which exhibit the sharpness and clarity typical of digital capture, along with the smooth textures for which the Alexa is well known. As several cast members describe in the extras, Brighton offers vistas that can appear either tranquilly beautiful or noirishly sinister, and Wheeler's photography tends toward the latter, with an absence of bright colors, even in daytime scenes and even when the action is set in scenic locales like the famous Brighton Pier. Recurring settings such as the police station, Le Saux Haulage and Nancy's family home all feature a bland palette and quietly nondescript production design. The Le Saux household looks wealthier, but it's cinematically just as bland. The image is free of noise, aliasing or other artifacts. Acorn has mastered The Level with an average bitrate of 23.48 Mbps, with a capable encode.

The Level Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Level arrives on Blu-ray with a 5.1 soundtrack encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA. Surround activity is limited to environmental ambiance, with all of the important sonic information up front. Except for machinery and occasional gunfire— and one memorable stunt sequence that is discussed in the extras and is notable for its realism—the track's principal component is the literate and thoughtful dialogue, which is clearly rendered and well-localized. The brooding musical score has been supplied by Jack C. Arnold (Holy Flying Circus).

The Level Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Except for the introductory trailers, all of the extras are located on disc 2:

• On Set and Behind the Scenes (1080p; 1.78:1; 30:58): This leisurely featurette includes interviews with producer Jane Dauncey, directors Andy Goddard and Mark Everest, Karla Crome ("Nancy"), Noel Clarke ("Gunner"), Robert James-Collier ("Kevin"), Rupert Procter ("Kettler"), Laura Haddock ("Hayley"), Amanda Burton ("Cherie") and Joe Absolom ("Shay"). Interspersed with the inteviews is location footage from the sites that double for Le Saux Haulage and the Le Saux family home. (Caution: Spoilers!)



• From Page to Screen (1080p; 1.78:1; 7:55): Producer Dauncey and co-writer Gaby Chiappe discuss the evolution of the story and script, with contributions from director Goddard and actress Amanda Burton.



• Where Truth Meets Fiction (1080p; 1.78:1; 2:51): Actor Joe Absolom and others describe a "true crime" incident from the location shoot in Brighton.



• How They Do Like to Be by the Seaside (1080p; 1.78:1; 3:26): Reflections on Brighton as a setting and a location.



• What's Location Catering Like? (1080p; 1.78:1; 4:07): The cast and crew celebrate their Brighton craft services.



• Why Are Murders and Cop Dramas So Popular? (1080p; 1.78:1; 5:31): The answers are as varied as the interviewees.



• Introductory Trailers: At startup, disc 1 plays trailers for Acorn TV, 19-2 and Line of Duty.

The Level Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Level leaves several key plot points unresolved, as Nancy (and others) face an uncertain future. Karla Crome has said that she would be interested in revisiting the character in a second series, and I hope she does, because Nancy Devlin is a different kind of TV cop, with a unique combination of strength and vulnerability that is alternately frustrating and fascinating. The Blu-ray set is technically superior and recommended.