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The Movie:
It just never seems to stop for federal agent Jack Bauer. First, he managed to save candidate David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) from assassination. It wasn't over. Soon after, Jack was called to prevent the detonation of a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles. A few years later, Bauer was once again in Los Angeles to stop the release of a deadly virus.
The fourth season once again deals with terrorism, but the plot keeps twisting and twisting, revealing a new crisis for Bauer to handle each time. It's not a flawless season or the show's best outing, but I still think it's another riveting effort from everyone involved. The season opens with Bauer having been forced out of the CTU unit because of the drug addiction that happened while Bauer was working undercover, which was a focus of the third season. Nevermind that Bauer had essentially saved the country a couple of times, rather than putting him on leave to get help, he was forced out by Erin Driscoll (Alberta Watson). Driscoll's one of the elements that I didn't care for about the season. Although Watson provides a fine effort, I could't help but feel at first that it's the old standby of throwing a character in the mix who must go against (because the plot says they must) the hero we've known to have succeeded many times in the past. Of course, Bauer is proven right.
Bauer is instead working for Secretary Of Defence James Heller (William Devane), and, unknown to Heller, is having a relationship with Heller's daughter, Audrey (Kim Raver). Early in the season, both are captured by a terrorist cell who were responsible for a train crash earlier in the day. In his attempts to figure out a rescue attempt and learn more about why, Bauer learns that Heller's kidnapping is only part of the larger plan by the terrorist group, lead by Marwan (Arnold Vosloo, of "The Mummy"). I won't spoil any more than that.
Sutherland continues to succeed in what is certainly one of the best roles of his career. Operating with a remarkably consistent level of intensity, Sutherland makes Bauer riveting to watch. Other highlights this season include the return of Carlos Bernard as Tony, who thankfully is back, as the character has been an important element of past seasons, and Bernard's portrayal of the character has never been anything less than superb. We also get the return of a character very important to Tony, as well. Other highlights include William Devane as Heller and Kim Raver as Audrey. Those who have not been thrilled with the involvement of Jack's daughter Kim over the prior seasons (played by Elisha Cuthbert) will be pleased to know she does not return again here.
The fourth season of "24" continues the elements of the show that has made it popular. Successfully boasting a real-time format, the show links crisis-to-crisis in a way that often makes the nearly hour-long program rip forward with remarkable tension and urgency. In attempt to have the series top the prior edition and cover multiple events over a day instead of one major one, there are more moments here where logic seems lacking. However, aside from a few moments, I felt that the performances and pacing of the series were able to get past most moments that were a bit much.
There are a series of television shows that work better on DVD than on television, and "24" is one of them. While commericals are understandably necessary and "24" does work well on TV, the show's flow is still interrupted by ads when broadcast. On DVD, the show's rapid pacing is never broken, and the series, in my opinion, plays better. The fourth season of "24" is not the show's best, but I found it to still be a very good - and sometimes great - effort that sees the show still remaining one of the most tense dramas on television today.
The DVD
VIDEO: The fourth season of "24" is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen by Fox. The picture quality is simply fantastic, as I thought image quality was certainly better than what I viewed during the show's basic television broadcast. Sharpness and detail remained very pleasant, as the picture remained bright and crisp, with good fine detail and consistent definition.
The picture did show some minor shimmering at times and some mild-to-moderate grain, but I didn't see any instances of edge enhancement. Some traces of pixelation were noticed, but these weren't too distracting. The show's largely subdued color palette seemed accurately rendered, with no smearing or other faults. Black level seemed solid, while flesh tones appeared accurate.
SOUND: "24" is presented by Fox in Dolby Digital 5.1. The show's soundtrack is mainly dialogue-driven and somewhat front-heavy, but surrounds do kick in for some action sequences and to provide some reinforcement for the show's well-done score. Audio quality was excellent, with crisp and clear dialogue, well-recorded effects and a dynamic, full-sounding score.
EXTRAS: The set offers a series of commentaries scattered across the season:
7:00AM - 8:00AM Commentary by: Joel Surnow and Mary Lynn Rajskub.
12:00PM - 1:00PM commentary by Joseph Hodges and Jon Cassar.
1:00PM - 2:00PM commentary by Kim Raver and Joseph Hodges.
2:00PM - 3:00PM commentary by Stephen Kornish and Peter Lenkov.
3:00PM - 4:00PM commentary by Evan Katz and Shannon Doherty.
4:00PM - 5:00PM commentary by Nestor Serrano and Stephen Kronish
8:00PM - 9:00PM commentary by Tim Iacofano and Shohreh Aghdashloo
9:00PM - 10:00PM commentary by Roger Cross and Bryan Spicer
12:00AM - 1:00AM commentary by Jon Cassar and Sean Callery.
1:00AM - 2:00AM commentary by Paul Gadd and Ken Kobett.
4:00AM - 5:00AM commentary by Matt Michnovetz and Duppy Demetris
6:00AM - 7:00AM commentary by Bob Cochran and Scott Powell.
When scanning that list, I'm sure that the one name that stands out to many will be Shannon Doherty. The actress is not involved with the show, but she is apparently a fan, and was pulled into doing a commentary during a visit to the set. A big fan of the series, Doherty sits with writer Evan Katz to discuss the episode and her feelings about the series. The commentary isn't quite as smooth as the other tracks, but Doherty does try to be the "interviewer" and the track does provide some interesting tidbits about the series and the episode itself. The other commentaries are mostly detailed and involving, providing an enjoyable look at the development of the episode, production issues and other issues, like changes that were made to the story of a particular episode or specific scene.
After how the fourth season ended, fans will likely be even more interested to find out how Jack becomes involved with the events of the fifth season. A "prequel" (11 minutes) that links the fourth season to the fifth is offered on the last disc. We also get a "making of" for this sequence. "Building the New CTU" takes a look at how the CTU set was completely redone for the new season, as well as how the cast and crew work around in the new space.
Also available on the last disc are 39 Deleted and Extended Scenes (with optional commentary from Producer Jon Cassar), which can also be found on the other discs along with the specific episodes. Also included in this section is a "director's cut" of the "prequel" short that tied season 3 into season 4. "Blood on the Tracks" is a 17-minute "behind-the-scenes" look at the making of the train crash that happens early in the season. "Lock and Load" is a look at the making of a rescue sequence.
"24: Conspiracy" is a set of minute long cell phone episodes that were used to promote the series. We also get a promo for "24: the Game", "The Longest Day" music video, a weblink and an "Inside Look" promo for the upcoming Sutherland movie, "The Sentinel".
Final Thoughts: I watched this season while it was broadcast and know how it ended. While I do think that this season has the occasional flaw, it's certainly saying something that, despite knowing how the season ended, I still found myself absolutely hooked while watching this DVD set. Fox's DVD presentation once again provides very good audio/video quality for the episodes, as well as a terrific collection of bonus features. Recommended, although those previously unfamiliar with the series may want to consider starting at the beginning.
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