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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 is thankfully now on DVD) 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 two spinoffs 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), 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 new 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.
Season 5 ends with a mildly successful stunt, as Quentin Tarantino comes aboard to direct the 2-part finale, "Grave Danger". Tarantino's acting work is (I think) underrated (see his appearance in an episode of "Alias"), so it's unfortunate that he didn't find a small role in the episode itself. Still, Tarantino does a strong job directing the episode (not to give much away, a member of the CSI team is captured, and the team has to find him - with little to go on - before its too late), and the cast all offer superb performances in this 2-parter.
Other highlights of this season include: "Formalities", where Sophia Curtis (Louise Lombard) joins Grissom in order to help solve the murder of a 17-year-old in a casino; "Mea Culpa", where an inquiry by Ecklie results in Grissom and his team being separated by Ecklie; "Down the Drain", which has the CSIs finding a body washed up after heavy rains, which leads to a surprising find; "Committed", which focuses on the murder of a mental hospital patient and "Who Shot Sherlock?", where the murderer of a Sherlock Holmes in a Sherlock Holmes club must be found.
1.) 23 Sep 04 Viva Las Vegas
2.) 7 Oct 04 Down the Drain
3.) 14 Oct 04 Harvest
4.) 21 Oct 04 Crow's Feet
5.) 28 Oct 04 Swap Meet
6.) 4 Nov 04 What's Eating Gilbert Grissom?
7.) 11 Nov 04 Formalities
8.) 18 Nov 04 Ch-Ch-Changes
9.) 25 Nov 04 Mea Culpa
10.) 9 Dec 04 No Humans Involved
11.) 6 Jan 05 Who Shot Sherlock?
12.) 13 Jan 05 Snakes
13.) 3 Feb 05 Nesting Dolls
14.) 10 Feb 05 Unbearable
15.) 17 Feb 05 King Baby
16.) 24 Feb 05 Big Middle
17.) 10 Mar 05 Compulsion
18.) 31 Mar 05 Spark of Life
19.) 14 Apr 05 4 x 4
20.) 21 Apr 05 Hollywood Brass
21.) 28 Apr 05 Committed
22.) 5 May 05 Weeping Willows
23.) 12 May 05 Iced
24.) 19 May 05 Grave Danger (1)
25.) 19 May 05 Grave Danger (2)
The DVD
VIDEO: "CSI" is presented by Paramount in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, which is the show's original aspect ratio. The presenation is of the highest quality, with very few concerns. Despite the show's length, the episodes have been spaced out very reasonably across 6 dual-layered DVDs. Sharpness and detail remained totally first-rate, with excellent sharpness and detail consistently present throughout the episodes, even in low-light situations.
I did notice what appeared to be slight grain and a couple of instances of minor shimmering, but I did not spot any instances of compression artifacts or other faults. I was also surprised at how well the presentations handled the Las Vegas color palette, with colors appearing bright, well-saturated and not smeary or otherwise flawed in any way.
SOUND: "CSI" is presented with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. These tracks are not the all-out assault that the sound mixes associated with Jerry Bruckheimer productions usually are, but they do provide a very enjoyable and often rather impressive listening experience. Surrounds, while not constantly employed, are often called into use to provide light ambience, some musical reinforcement and even some more noticable discrete sound effects. Aside from the satisfying amount of activity and detail, I was also impressed at the dynamic range, smoothness and clarity of these soundtracks, as many TV-on-DVD shows that offer 5.1 soundtracks don't have this level of audio quality.
EXTRAS:Once again, I must note the packaging: Paramount continues to use the same kind of solid packaging for the "CSI" sets: discs are housed in a durable, hard plastic slipsleeve case that easily slides out of the larger container. I read a lot of complaints about box set packaging and discs falling loose in transit, 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.
Commentary by Danny Cannon and Carol Mendelsohn on "Viva Las Vegas"
Commentary by Ken Fink and Naren Shankar on "Down the Drain"
Commentary by Dustin Lee Abraham and Naren Shankar on "Formalities"
Commentary by Rich Catalani, Ken Fink and David Rambo on "Who Shot Sherlock?"
Commentary by Richard J. Lewis, Dustin Lee Abraham, and George Eads on "Snakes"
Commentary by Ken Fink and Allen MacDonald on "Spark of Life"
Commentary by Terrence O'Hara, David Rambo, Dustin Lee Abraham, and Naren Shankar on "4x4"
Commentary by Richard J. Lewis and Jorja Fox on "Committed"
Commentary by Marg Helgenberger and Ken Fink on "Weeping Willows"
The commentary tracks are generally excellent, as they give the viewer a clear idea of the production difficulties involved in the specific episodes, as well as some of the fun or interesting behind-the-scenes tales and small tidbits. While I've found some of the commentaries on the various "CSI" sets rather subdued or dry (or both), these provided an involving discussion, with only a few pauses of silence.
Also included on the last disc are a series of featurettes, including: "CSI: Season 5 - A Post-Mortem" (19 minutes), which is a very fine overview of the season, with the actors and creators discussing their views on the highlights of the season and chatting about the behind-the-scenes details of some episodes, as well as the reasoning behind some of the major events of the season. "Tarantino Style" is a lengthy look at the director's work on the season finale. We hear Tarantino discuss how much he's a fan of the series, and how the show got him to come aboard to direct an episode. There's also a few interesting behind-the-scenes clips here, as well. Finally, we get two technical pieces: "'C.S.I': Forensic Procedures On the Scene vs. On the Screen" (broken up into 8 small parts, where a forensic expert discusses reality vs. what's portrayed on "CSI", and "The Research of 'C.S.I.': Maintaining the Accuracy."
Final Thoughts: "CSI"'s fifth season continues on a roll, with an entertaining 2-part finale and continued excellence from the ensemble cast. Paramount's DVD edition provides excellent audio/video quality, as well as a solid helping of supplemental features. Recommended.
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