7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
When Neal escapes from a maximum-security prison to find his long-lost love, Peter nabs him once again. Rather than returning to jail, Neal suggests an alternate plan: He'll provide his criminal expertise to assist the Feds in catching other elusive criminals in exchange for his eventual freedom. Initially wary, Peter quickly finds that Neal provides insight and intuition that can't be found on the right side of the law.
Starring: Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Willie Garson, Tiffani Thiessen, Sharif AtkinsRomance | 100% |
Comedy | 92% |
Mystery | 36% |
Heist | 33% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Not many risks get taken on network or basic cable television. Occasionally, some out-of-the-box producer will give us a Twin Peaks or a Lost, a Mad Men or an Arrested Development—I’ve also got my finger’s crossed for AMC’s upcoming adaptation of The Walking Dead graphic novels—but most television can be summed up tidily: take the word cop, medical, lawyer, or family, and append it with drama and/or comedy. You know—the tried and true, the stalwart, the formulaic. Year after year, networks introduce new series that fall into these familiar genres, and year after year, most of the shows are cancelled after only a half-season run. Yet a few have just enough verve and personality to succeed into a second season and, perhaps, beyond. Such is the case with USA’s White Collar, which brings little new to the buddy cop drama/comedy genre, but subsists on the likeability of its stars and the sharpness of its episodic storytelling.
Just another day for Neal Caffrey...
Limited by bandwidth, cable broadcasts are often host to macroblocking, banding, and other compression artifacts, but on Blu-ray, White Collar looks as clean as, well, a white collar. Shot on high definition video, the episodes have been given solid 1080p/AVC encodes that look great— maybe not as stunning as Lost or Mad Men or some of the other high profile TV shows that have to Blu-ray, but genuinely impressive for a basic cable drama. Occasional softness creeps into a few scenes, but overall the episodes are tightly resolved, with defined facial textures and fine detail visible on Neal's Devore suits. The series has a very realistic aesthetic marked by cool grays and blues, the occasional burst of strong color, and natural skin tones. Black levels are deep but never crushing, contrast is spot on, and while white highlights are often blown out, this seems like an intentional choice. Video noise levels rise during some of the nighttime sequences, but unless you're viewing on an insanely large screen, it shouldn't ever be a distraction. And, as I said before, there are no overt compression problems to worry about. This is by far the best way to watch White Collar.
Like most 20th Century Fox releases, each episode of White Collar features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Though these are TV mixes through and through, they sound great for what they are. The score is fairly generic—it seems like it could've easily been recycled from some late 1990s cop drama—but the music has decent clarity and what, for a lack of a better word, you might call oomph. It also bleeds into the surround channels, giving the otherwise front-heavy presentation a bit of reach and immersion. Aside from the music, though, there's very little going on in the rear speakers. You'll occasionally hear some quiet ambience and the rare effect, but that's about it. I could probably count the number of cross-channel pans throughout the series on one hand. Still, the show is definitely more dialogue than action-driven, and there was never a moment when the voices sounded muffled or low in the mix. You won't be turning White Collar on to demo your speaker system, but for casual TV listening, it sounds just fine.
Commentaries
There are five commentary tracks spread throughout the season, most of the them featuring show
creator Jeff Eastin, along with actors Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay. (Willie Garson and Tiffani Thiessan
both show up on two tracks as well.) While hardcore fans will definitely want to give these a listen,
there's not much here that will sustain the interest of more casual viewers. The tracks tend to be
quiet and conversational, with the participants really just following along instead of doling out
pertinent behind-the-scenes information.
Deleted Scenes (SD, 10:23)
Six deleted scenes are included here, but there's nothing drastic or revealing. Worth a
watch.
Gag Reel (SD, 12:21)
Oddly enough, the longest featurette on third disc is this twelve minute gag reel, which
features your usual montage of flubbed lines, missed cues, and random hilarity.
Pro and Con (1080p, 6:44)
Get it? Pro and Con? Here, show creator Jeff Eastin discusses the two lead
characters and the importance of casting the right people in the roles.
Cool Cat in a Hat (1080p, 5:41)
The show's costume designer leads us through the philosophy behind each character's
wardrobe.
Nothing but the Truth (1080p, 2:27)
Consultant and former FBI agent Tom Barden, who worked in the white collar crimes division, talks
briefly about his contributions to the show.
White Collar doesn't reinvigorate the buddy cop drama or make any revolutionary changes to the episodic TV formula, but what it does—giving us likeable characters and a compelling weekly case to crack—it does well. I don't think I could recommend a blind buy on this one—TV tastes are so different from person to person—but fans of the show will definitely want to pick up this Blu-ray release, as it looks and sounds fantastic. For newcomers, I'd suggest going to USA's website and watching an episode first to make sure White Collar is something you'd like. I will say this: it grows on you.
2001
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