Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

The Rockford Files: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Or "The R-Files," For Short.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 22, 2017

Mill Creek Home Entertainment is once again working in the time capsule business, this time releasing the classic detective TV Drama The Rockford Files to Blu-ray, following hot on the heels of several other complete vintage series collections, such as Airwolf, Knight Rider, Miami Vice, and Quantum Leap. The Rockford Files pushes a little further back in time. The show first aired on NBC on September 13, 1974, starring James Garner as the title private eye. Garner, coming off the smash success of Maverick (and he would later star alongside Mel Gibson in a film of the same name) brought instant gravitas to the show and it was a massive success for the network. The show ran through January 1980, spanning six seasons, 122 episodes, and eight -- count 'em, eight -- TV movies. That's a healthy run of success, and the show certainly played a part in influencing any number of similarly constructed procedurals over the years.

Official synopsis: The original and quintessential anti-hero detective, Jim Rockford, is on the case! The Primetime Emmy Award-winner James Garner stars as the ex-con-turned-private-investigator who stays under the radar and takes on the cases of the lost and dispossessed, chasing down seemingly long-dead clues on the sunbaked streets and seamy alleys of Los Angeles. Filled with wry humor, chilling suspense, and engaging cases, it’s no mystery why 'The Rockford Files' remains one of the most celebrated detective shows.

It's one of the most famous amounts of money in entertainment history: $200 per day. Plus expenses, of course, which might amount to a sum significantly higher, perhaps a sum significantly lower. That's certainly not chump change today, and it definitely wasn't small coin back in 1974. That tidy fee is what one can expect to pay to Jim Rockford, a Malibu, California-based private eye who works when he can, when a job presents itself and it falls into his fairly narrow window for taking a case, namely one that doesn't involve an active police investigation and one that can allow him to talk, rather than shoot, his way out of trouble. Of course, cases have a tendency to unravel when someone like Rockford starts sniffing around and gets close to the truth. That's part of what makes the show, and others like it, so much fun, but the real gem here is the character, a complex man with a checkered history, a sometimes less-than-professional presentation, and a low-rent way about his operation. As with so many of these classic TV shows, the character takes the spotlight and procedure shares it; dense, intimate narrative arc evolution is important but plays second fiddle to the core dynamics of each independent episode.

Television occupations are plenty, but only a few are staples: the doctor, the lawyer, and the detective. Some of the detectives work in the medical field, some are affiliated with a branch of law enforcement, some are independents who take advantage of the freedom from reasonable constraints to further their pursuits of justice. Jim Rockford falls into that latter category that so often makes for the most interesting characters and plot lines. Television has enjoyed a diverse selection of outside-the-law investigators over the years, each of them with unique qualities and characteristics that have texturally, structurally, dramatically, and perhaps even soulfully enhanced their shows. Magnum, P.I., Father Dowling, Dr. Mark Sloan, Adrian Monk, Jessica Fletcher, and even Bo and Luke Duke have all tackled some of the 20th century's most challenging television mysteries and enriched audiences with a wealth of entertainment over the years. The Rockford Files stands as one of the most influential of the bunch, certainly a forerunner of the deluge of 80s detective/mystery programs but, of course, playing in the shadow of earlier genre greats, like Dragnet. Such is the staying power of the genre, and many of these classics, that in the world of seemingly endless digital entertainment, there are channels dedicated to just the detective/mystery genre; several of these characters, and some new contemporary peers, are regulars on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, for example.

But why is it that the genre enjoys such tremendous staying power, and why have these characters -- Jim Rockford amongst them -- continued to capture the imaginations of audiences even decades after they have aired and entertained fans who weren't even alive when the shows came to an end? Each of them has something -- many things, really -- distinct about them. It's not the cases they solve, it's the manner in which they solve them, the style and flair and, on the opposite side of the spectrum, the fundamental character building and the emotional attachment that any good show will build upon over any lengthy run. Adrian Monk charms with his neurotic behaviors. Dr. Mark Sloan saves lives while solving crime. Remington Steele is more than meets the eye. But what is it that sets Jim Rockford apart? Does it boil down to great scripts? That classic Pontiac Firebird Espirit and the famous Rockford turn-around maneuver? Is it that catchy "$200 per day?" downpayment on peace of mind? Or is it more the character flair that James Garner brings to the screen? It's probably a little bit of all of that, and much more. Jim Rockford is a jack of all trades detective. Less a man of focus or one distinct personality quirk or identifying characteristic and more a man who can just get the job done, his is a much more grounded style of work that makes up for its lack of flair with a grit and determination to see the mystery solved. And that $200 per day, plus expenses, doesn't hurt either. He's got a sweet trailer that needs its upkeep, after all.

For Jim Rockford, the draw is definitely that everyman quality. Rough around the edges, more utilitarian than not, the character is about as blue collar as they come on this sort of show. Not a writer, not a doctor, not a lawyer, not anything but himself, his car, and his guile, his distinguishing characteristic is that he really has none, except a high rate of success and a willingness to get the job done. He's also an imperfect, flawed hero. He is an ex-con (innocent of his crime though he may be), he can barely keep the bills paid, and he seems to attract the police for all the wrong reasons, more often than not. But he gets the job done. He's tough, but he's nice. he takes the case seriously, and he takes the money seriously. He gets his hands dirty, he beats up his car, he beats up some bad guys. And he gets the job done. Jim Rockford knows what matters. It's not Miami Vice clothes or a Knight Rider car. It's results. He'll do it on a budget, out of a dilapidated trailer. And he'll get the job done.

The series shies away from deep procedural stylings in that Rockford isn't affiliated with any one group. The independent streak suits Garner's work and it also allows the show greater areas of operation beyond the confines of police scrutiny (at least if he were in the department's employ with a superior breathing down his neck or a partner getting in the way. Jim Rockford's cases don't all revolve around murder either. One would think that in some of these shows murder was as regular an occurrence as the sun setting everyday. While Rockford will work murder cases, he also works theft and missing persons cases, too, adding a bit of variety to the proceedings and allowing the Rockford character ample room to grow with a tough case or show his detective chops under more unique circumstances beyond the run-of-the-mill television case. That also, potentially, anyway, attracts a wider audience.

It's perhaps not the defining role of James Garner's career, but it's certainly one of his best. His portrayal of Jim Rockford allows him to demonstrate a command of a character and the ample series run -- derailed by Garner's injuries sustained during the making of the show -- grants him the opportunity to flesh Rockford out well beyond the confines and constraints of a series synopsis or episode blurb. He makes Jim Rockford, as rough around the edges as he may be, into a likable character, one who, yes, will get the job done but who will evolve and reveal the man inside at the same time over the course of the series. Garner's insistence on performing his own stunts may have cost him the show in the long run, but the 122-episode string is all the better for it. Garner creates a more personable, identifiable, real character. The show asks much of him, and he gives much in return, and in the days before digital, it's all very impressive.

The Rockford Files: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Rockford Files releases to Blu-ray with an adequate 1080p transfer framed at around 1:33:1. It's problematic in places and particularly early on. Fortunately, various issues lessen along the way to the end. The series' opening episodes represent a low point. Print wear is increased, contrast fluctuations aren't uncommon, edge halos are occasionally distinct, harsh and jagged lines are regular, and occasional blocking clutters up backgrounds. Grain is uneven, a bit spiky in spots -- extremely snowy in places -- but the image is more often rather flat and pasty, leaving details basically agreeable but lacking any sort of tangible distinction. Period attire, as complex as it should be, fails to excite. Faces are far too often smooth. Colors are decent, a bit faded and dull, suitable for the most part but not particularly deeply saturated or realistically nuanced. At its best, the image can be said to benefit from the resolution Blu-ray offers it but not taking advantage of the format or the film medium's inherent qualities. Things do tighten up a bit as the series progresses. The presentation is never exceptional, but details firm a bit even as the image maintains that flatness and pastiness that steals away finer-point textures. Colors serve a little more depth, but not significantly more. Contrast holds a little more stable. Black levels never push too far towards crush or paleness. Flesh tones are a bit pasty. Given the budget nature of the release, it's difficult to be too disappointed. It's very watchable, fairly in-line with Mill Creek's other TV offerings. That the show is even on Blu-ray at an affordable price is reason to celebrate. Just don't expect perfection.

The Rockford Files: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Rockford Files features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack that's unsurprisingly flat and straightforward. Range is little; the track images towards the center but never extends back out to any significant width to more fully disperse music and effects. That keeps dialogue, which is suitably clear but still a bit tinny and harsh-edged, mostly in the middle, but that also keeps elements that could stand some more breathing room more cramped than necessary. Musical clarity, like most every other technical quality in the set, ranges from acceptable to satisfactory. In other words, there's not much of a downside and not much of an upside. Clarity and raw definition of course suffer, but core qualities remain. Action effects such as squealing brakes, helicopters and airplanes, gunfire, crashes, punches, and other effects that offer an uptick in aggression present without much verve, and when they're combined -- like gunfire from a zipping plane -- the result is a rather jumbled mash-up that presents with enough raw definition to distinguish the elements but not enough to really make the scene sonically interesting. As with the video, things clear up a little as the show moves along. Dialogue becomes a bit firmer, music a little more clear, but the improvements are not substantial. The track is fine; it gets listeners through the show but accomplishes little more than recreating its core sonic needs.

The Rockford Files: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This full-series release of The Rockford Files contains no supplemental content. Packaging is comprised of six Blu-ray cases, four discs per case, stacked two per side, one atop the other, the exception being season six, which is comprised of only two discs, one per side. The slip box is super flimsy and gives very easily when picking it up with one case removed, and even full it's not exactly sturdy. The closed side tends to open on its own with basic handling; be careful that the cases don't spill out that side. It does include a nifty recreation of Rockford's telephone book ad on the bottom. It would have made for a much cooler front image rather than the generic photoshop amalgamation, but it's still a nice touch.

The Rockford Files: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Building on the somewhat successful, though certainly at times troubled and/or controversial (and bare bones) launches of classic 80s TV series, Mill Creek Entertainment has delivered a 70s treat: all 122 episodes of The Rockford Files packaged together in a single boxed set on Blu-ray for the first time. While some might question the decision to choose this show as the next nostalgic blast from the past release over another 80s staple, the show did, and still does today, enjoy a broad appeal both with fans who grew up watching its hero on the first run and those who have followed his cases on television syndication. Perhaps one day soon The Rockford Files TV films will also make their way to Blu-ray. As expected of a somewhat value priced and bare-bones release, The Rockford Files' Blu-ray package is far from format pinnacle, but it delivers a fair presentation for the cost. Recommended for longtime fans and newcomers alike who enjoy a good detective program, even with a vintage 70s flair.