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The Movie:
While Jerry Bruckheimer has gained fame after producing several major-budget film hits ("Armageddon", "Pirates of the Caribbean"), the producer has also extended his reach into television, providing viewers with shows that bare the same intense pace and visual spark that his films have become known for. Although "Amazing Race" (which had better come out on DVD soon!) and "Without a Trace" have been small-screen hits for Bruckheimer, none of the shows that he has been involved with have hit with as much impact as "CSI", a crime series that has spawned one spinoff currently on the air, another in the works and even a video game.
Based in Las Vegas, "CSI" focuses on a team of investigators who are called in each week to solve a murder. They include Gil Grissom (William Petersen), Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle), Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan), Nick Stokes (George Eads), Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) and Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox). Although the repetitive structure of the series can sometimes get a little monotonous, each episode is presented as a tightly structured and well-scripted mystery, with information sparsely parcelled out. Interviews are conducted, clues are tracked down and we spend time in the lab, where we're presented with all manner of gross props. Piece-by-piece, we learn about the hows and whys of the crime.
Given the ratings of CSI, the show can afford to utilize unusually high production values. Special effects are often used to give viewers an idea of the forensic science that's being discussed, while the show's look - both in production design and cinematography - rivals that of many feature film productions. Is it too glossy? Well, it's Las Vegas (see also: NBC's enjoyable drama, "Las Vegas").
The show's scripts often delve into technical terms and scientific explanations, but I do credit the writers for making the explanations easy to understand without making it seem as if the show has just stopped to spell things out for the audience. Multiple plot threads are also interwoven with skill and assurance.
"CSI"'s talented cast certainly also stands out. Helgenberger's icy charm is wonderfully compelling, as she delivers her lines with great timing and confidence. William Peterson is also superb as the lead. The show's supporting cast is terrific and actors taken in for episode-specific roles are also exceptionally well-chosen.
The fourth season of the show offers plenty of highlights, including "After the Show", where Catherine "lets the evidence follow her", as their only link to a high-profile case seems attracted to her; "Eleven Angry Jurors", where the one hold-out on the jury of a major court case is found murdered; "Suckers", where the team investigates a case of potential vampires, as well as how a staged electrocution lead to a robbery; "Turning the Screws", which focuses on an amusement park disaster; "Jackpot", where evidence sent in leads Grissom to a small town where no one's too cooperative and "XX", where a bus taking women to a prison has unexpected cargo underneath.
70. Assume Nothing (1)
71.All for Our Country (2)
72.Homebodies
73.Feeling the Heat
74.Fur and Loathing
75.Jackpot
76.Invisible Evidence
77.After the Show
78.Grissom Versus the Volcano
79.Coming of Rage
80.Eleven Angry Jurors
81.Butterflied
82.Suckers
83.Paper or Plastic
84.Early Rollout
85.Getting Off
86.XX
87.Bad to the Bone
88.Bad Words
89.Dead Ringer
90.Turning the Screws
91.No More Bets
92.Bloodlines
The DVD
VIDEO: "CSI" is presented by Paramount in 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen. These presentations are an improvement over basic, non-HD broadcast quality. Sharpness and detail are first-rate, as the picture appeared consistently very crisp and well-defined, with fine detail visible fairly often. Even darker/dimly-lit sequences appeared crisp and pleasing.
The presentation really did not offer much in the way of concerns, as what issues there were were extremely minor. Edge enhancement was not present in the transfer, making for a smooth-looking image. Only a few minor traces of pixelation were present, and a little bit of grain in the image on a couple of occasions appeared intentional. There were no instances of wear on the source material.
While some flashier moments occasionally push brighter colors into the scene, many sequences go with either a slightly subdued or natural palette. Across the board, colors appeared accurately presented, with nice saturation and no smearing. Black level remained solid, while flesh tones looked accurate.
SOUND: "CSI" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The sound quality of the episodes is generally very good. Surrounds aren't used with too much intensity, but they are put to use on occasion to present sound effects and some ambience. Dialogue remains crisp and clear, with no distortion or other faults.
EXTRAS: Before moving on to the supplements, I must note the packaging and general presentation. Paramount has done a very fine job on the menus, which feature some animation between menus and are very well-organized. Also of note is the packaging: the discs are housed in a durable, hard plastic slipsleeve case that easily slides out of the larger container. I get a lot of complaints about box set packaging and discs falling loose in transit from readers, so it's nice to see a set like this that looks as if it can easily stand up to shipping. There's even a little "police tape" wrapper to keep the case closed.
Seven audio commentaries are included from members of the CSI creative team. "Assume Nothing" includes a commentary by Anthony Zuiker and Carol Mendelsohn. "Homebodies" includes a commentary by Naren Shankar and Ken Fink. "Feeling the Heat" includes a track from Anthony Zuiker and Eli Talbert. "Jackpot" includes a track from Danny Cannon and Karen Shankar. "Invisible Evidence" includes a commentary from Danny Cannon and Josh Berman. "Butterfield" includes a track from Anthony Zuiker, Carol Mendelsohn, Richard Lewis and David Rambo. Finally, "Bad to the Bone" includes a track from Eli Talbert. The tracks definitely provide a lot of information about the show's production, chatting about creating the look of the show, developing the screenplays, technical details, working with the actors and more. All are good, intensive discussions that offer very good insights into the day-to-day and moment-to-moment decisions that have to be made during the creation/production of the episodes.
Also found on the sixth disc in the set is "Evolution of an Episode", which is a 50-minute, 4-part documentary that looks at the four main stages of production: script, pre-production, production and post-production. It focuses on the creation of the episode called "Suckers". A well-done and informative 4-part piece, this isn't a collection of clips and basic interviews; we get footage of discussions taking place in the writer's room, superb interviews that offer interesting tidbits about such topics as casting, finding locations, working with the actors, editing, effects and more.
Final Thoughts: "CSI" continues with an excellent run in season four, which offers many solid episodes and several definite highlights. Paramount's box set offers the episodes with very good audio/video quality and superb supplemental features. Recommended.
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