Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Professionals: MkIV Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 22, 2018

Created and produced by Brian Clemens, The Professionals: MkIV (1980-1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Network. The supplemental features on the five-disc set include archival production and promotional materials; isolated score tracks; and more. The release also arrives with a 240-page book of program notes authored by TV historian Andrew Pixley. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for each of the show's thirteen episodes. Region-B "locked".

The Cow

The first three seasons of The Professionals are already out on Blu-ray. You can see our listings and reviews of Network's box sets here, here, and here.

Season four of The Professionals is also the final one with the enigmatic duo Bodie (Lewis Collins) and Doyle (Martin Shaw) and their colorful boss "The Cow" (Gordon Jackson). One more season was produced after it, which also featured original content by screenwriter Brian Clemens, but it was essentially a made-for-profit-only homage of sorts that really should not be grouped with the remaining seasons of the classic show.

While season three had the most diverse content, some of the riskier episodes were introduced in season four. Indeed, a few of the episodes traded some of the fast-paced action for more intimate and complex plots that would basically shift the focus to Bodie and Doyle’s personalities. Crime, corruption, and political intrigues were still the main themes that gave season four its identity, but here one can certainly find the greatest amount of examples that the guys from MI5 are also normal and more importantly vulnerable human beings. In Wild Justice, for instance, a psychologist raises a red flag when during routine tests Bodie reveals troubling weaknesses and later on comes to the conclusion that he is probably waiting for the right opportunity to end his life. In Discovered in a Graveyard Doyle is also seriously wounded and, while in comma, is haunted by horrific memories that expose an unusual side of his personality.

There are no surprises as far as Bodie and Doyle’s targets are concerned, though, as once again they are colorful and usually flawed characters with plenty of baggage. In The Ojuka Situation someone attempts to assassinate a high-profile African politician who may or may not have had multiple identities. In The Untouchables Doyle also approaches an elegant call girl who could help him solve a complicated case. Then in Operation Susie Bodie and Doyle are tasked to protect a prominent anti-communist after powerful shadow figures assassinate her friend and brother.

Ultimately, season four has enough quality thrills that are guaranteed to please fans of the show. It does attempt to cover some new ground, but it also remains respectful of the type of material that brought success to its creators.

A top-notch soundtrack created by Laurie Johnson complements the show. It blends catchy jazzy tunes, pop tracks, and very stylish '70s electronica. (Johnson also created the soundtracks for The Avengers and Stanley Kubrick’s classic film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb).

Each episode of The Professionals MkIV is approximately fifty minutes long. On Network's Blu-ray box set they are grouped in the following order:

Disc One

1. The Gun
Directed by Dennis Lewiston. Original ITV transmission November 9, 1980.

2. Wild Justice
Directed by Dennis Abey. Original ITV transmission September 14, 1980.

3. Black Out
Directed by William Brayne. Original ITV transmission October 19, 1980.

4. It's Only a Beautiful Picture
Directed by Dennis Lewiston. Original ITV transmission December 27, 1980.

Disc Two

5. Blood Sports
Directed by Phil Meheux. Original ITV transmission October 26, 1980.

6. Hijack
Directed by Martin Campbell. Original ITV transmission November 30, 1980.

7. You'll Be All Right
Directed by John Crome. Original ITV transmission November 21, 1982.

8. Kickback
Directed by Ian Sharp. Original ITV transmission December 20, 1980.

Disc Three

9. Discovered in a Graveyard
Directed by Anthony Simmons. Original ITV transmission December 5, 1982.

10. Foxhole on the Roof
Directed by William Brayne. Original ITV transmission November 7, 1982.

11. The Ojuka Situation
Directed by Christopher King. Original ITV transmission January 23, 1983.

12. Operation Susie
Directed by Ian Sharp. Original ITV transmission November 14, 1982.

Disc Four

13. The Untouchables
Directed by William Brayne. Original ITV transmission January 13, 1983.

14. Cry Wolf
Directed by Phil Meheux. Original ITV transmission January 9, 1983.

15. A Man Called Quinn
Directed by Horace Ove. Original ITV transmission January 30, 1983.

16. Lawson's Last Stand
Directed by Ian Sharp. Original ITV transmission November 20, 1982.

Disc Five

16. No Stone
Directed by Ian Sharp. Original ITV transmission February 6, 1983.

17. Spy Probe
Directed by Dennis Abey. Original ITV transmission December 12, 1982.

18. Special Features and Promotional Materials

The Professionals: MkIV Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080/50i transfer, The Professionals Mk IV arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Network.

The high-definition transfers for each episode are encoded in 1080/50i, but they actually contain progressive frames. This means that there is absolutely no motion-judder whatsoever. To be clear, they are solid progressive transfers "locked" inside 1080/50i encodes. (The 1080/50i encodes are needed to retain the show's native speed).

The basics characteristics of the technical presentation are pretty much identical to those observed on the previous three seasons. Most people will likely conclude that this is good news, and it is certainly true that the current restoration offers some pretty dramatic improvements in quality, but it is also true that the entire show could have had an even more impressive organic look. What does mean exactly? It means that once again there are traces of very light degraining adjustments that have affected some details and nuances, and the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to spot some of them. In some areas there is even light black crush that is essentially a byproduct of the digital work. As I have mentioned previously, these are type of minor anomalies that very easily could have been avoided, but someone obviously thought differently. Still, the overall presentation is quite good, but knowing that all the scanning and the color grading were done right, the end result is indeed somewhat frustrating. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: Network's release is Region-Free. However, because the entire show is encoded in 1080/50i, which is a standard that is not supported in North America, it cannot be played by the overwhelming majority of native Region-A Blu-ray players, including the PS3 and PS4. This being said, there are a few Blu-ray players on the market that automatically convert 1080/50i content to 1080/60i or 1080/60p. If your player is capable of performing such conversions, you will be able to view the show on your North American TV set. All Region-Free players will automatically do the conversion described above).

The Professionals: MkIV Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for each episode.

Once again, I would have preferred to have a lossless 2.0 track, but the 5.1 track is very nice. In fact, mu guess that younger viewers that will experience The Professional for the first time on Blu-ray will almost certainly be very happy that a 5.1 track was provided. However, since the bonus music and effects track is LPCM 2.0, I just don't understand the decision not to provide a standard lossless 2.0 track as well. For the record, there are no pops, audio dropouts, or distortions to report.

The Professionals: MkIV Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Galleries - a large gallery with archival promotional materials for the fourth season of The Professionals.

• Restoration Featurette - a restoration featurette and before and after comparisons. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• ATV Today - two newsclips featuring Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Then and Now - The London Files PDF.

• The Professionals Serving The Professionals - outtakes from a 1982 NAAFI promo. (19 min).

• Music and Effects Track - included with every episode and featuring Laurie Johnson's original scores. Presented as LPCM 2.0.

• Book - 240-page book of program notes authored by TV historian Andrew Pixley, which documents the complete production history of The Professionals MkIV.

The Professionals: MkIV Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I don't know what else to say about The Professionals that I have not already said in the reviews of the previous three seasons. I think that The Professionals is a great show, with plenty of good old-fashioned (and politically incorrect) action and a wonderful retro vibe. Network's restorations of the four seasons are fine, but I honestly believe that they could have turned out even better. Anyhow, the four box sets are still available at Amazon.UK and their price tags are very attractive. Grab them while you can. RECOMMENDED.