7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Vinnie Terranova does time in a New Jersey penitentiary to set up his undercover role as an agent for the OCB (Organized Crime Bureau) of the United States. His roots in a traditional Italian city neighborhood form the underlying dramatic base throughout the series, bringing him into conflict with his conservative mother and other family members while acting undercover as syndicate enforcer. The segments, which ran several shows each, included in-depth and empathetic characterizations of the players on both sides of the law. Scenarios include the underbelly of the recording industry, protection rackets, international arms dealing, foiling white supremacist plotters, uncovering a government conspiracy to set up a compliant new head of state in a third-world country, and Vinnie's final reconciliation with his Italian mother and her new husband, the purely legendary Mafia figure Don Aiupo.
Starring: Ken Wahl, Jonathan Banks, Jim Byrnes (I)Crime | 100% |
Drama | 79% |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080/60i
Aspect ratio: 1.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Fourteen-disc set (14 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Wiseguy was a TV show ahead of its time. In a world that was then populated by rote Cop Dramas, Wiseguy broke free of the standard structures and safety nets of establishing routines and following good guys who weekly thwarted the plans of the (usually) one-and-done bad guy(s) of the week. In Wiseguy, the cop is a criminal (working undercover), and the show's structure permits in-depth exploration of narrative arcs that see the gray area in which the title character finds himself: torn between the mundane yet dangerous structure of his real life and the unmistakable allure of the criminal empire which he has infiltrated and is charged with crumbling. It's a satisfying spin on formula that turns away from routine and carefully builds world and characters from within rather the from without, offering audiences not just something different but also a compelling look on the other side of the badge.
Upon disc insertion, viewers are greeted to this message: "due to the age of these original programs and the high quality resolution that Blu-ray
provides, you may or may not notice technical anomalies on this Blu-ray presentation that we are unable to correct." That's a bit of a
misdirect/excuse for
the quality of the presentation, which is not at all great but not at all poor, because age has nothing to do with it. The show was shot on film and
would
look fine with some
TLC, so VEI is really just trying to imply that they tried, but the results of absolute low effort mediocrity (at its best) pretty much speak for
themselves.
Wiseguy is presented on Blu-ray at the 1080i resolution and framed at the 4x3 aspect ratio which preserves the original broadcast
parameters
and places vertical "black bars" on either side of the 1.78:1 HD display.
The picture begins very inauspiciously. It looks very video-y in the opening moments, with grossly substandard definition and stability, portending a
sloppy, throwaway picture not even acceptable at DVD standards, never mind Blu-ray. However, after a
few minutes the image improves a good deal, finding a flawed but ultimately satisfying presentation which holds to the natural film look with
decent grain management at work (though sometimes it looks more frozen than it does naturally occurring), solid clarity (allowing viewers to see Ken
Wahl's pores and facial scruff, for example), and ultimately delivering a
very stable and very agreeable image. No, it's not amongst the finest of film-shot TV on Blu-ray, but it's actually not at all bad, especially for
reproducing
the core film elements with agreeable clarity and overall sharpness and definition. This is easily, and vastly, superior to any broadcast SD image from
back in the day. Additionally, print wear is surprisingly minimal and macroblocking is not a major issue, but do expect to come across interlacing
issues and at times excess jagged edges.
Colors are suitably stable. The palette is never robust, and tonal nuance and vitality are not at the top of the format, but the image captures the
gritty
overtones quite nicely, offering good balance to clothing hues, city street colors, and the like. What the palette lacks in sheer tonal vividness it more
than makes up for with quality balance and stability to what is here. Flesh tones look fair enough, never appearing pasty, or on the other end of the
spectrum, overly warm. Black levels are a bit iffier, ranging from flat and pale to somewhat crushed, but the darker end of the spectrum is favored
more
often than not. Even in those shots that are prone to crush, the depth usually helps any dark scene's tone, and the crush is never so aggressive as to
lose
every last bit of shadow detail information. White balance lacks polish but is serviceable enough. That defines the whole image: surprisingly and
sometimes even satisfyingly serviceable. The 2.5/5.0 score seems very reasonable, even if it usually plays a shade better than the score suggests.
Right off the bat at the beginning of episode one, the audio inspires no confidence. It's scratchy, uneven, and hollow. But like the video, it evens out with a little time and evolves into a decent audio experience that, also like the video, will not wow its listening audience but will, at least, get its audience through the series with minimal distortion. Overall clarity is acceptable whether talking music, ambience, action gunfire, or dialogue. The track spreads nicely along the front channels, presenting with agreeable, and necessary, width while dialogue remains impressively center imaged for the duration. While the two channel track does have its limitations for spacing and immersion, what is presented here seems faithful to the original source. This one is not complex or extravagant, but it satisfies the show's basic audio needs. Note that I have seen reports of a few original songs being replaced. I do not know the show well enough to comment on this, but please be aware of this issue.
Unfortunately, no supplemental material is included. Wiseguy ships in a pretty standard VEI case: a big clamshell (with a non-embossed slipcover) that houses the discs in thin plastic sleeves. Seasons 1, 2, and 3 are bundled in the same sleeve (each disc is in its own holder) but the two season four discs are included in a detached double-sided sleeve.
Few films, never mind TV shows, have so successfully engaged within the criminal world as Wiseguy. Certainly, The Sopranos stands supreme as the clear-cut model for excellence in drawing audiences into the gritty world of criminality, but Wiseguy stands tall as one of the greats in the all-too-small genre. VEI's complete series Blu-ray release is unfortunately featureless, but the presentation does offer satisfactory video and audio. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
2007
1936
1980
1954
1991
1931
2012
1993
2008
2014
1999-2007
1973
1990
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1955
Extended Director's Cut
1984
2006
2014
2008
Theatrical Edition
1997
Un prophète
2009