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The Movie:
Seeking another series in a somewhat similar vein to its successful "24", Fox brought "Prison Break" to the table last year. The involving series opens with Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) getting one giant tatoo all over his body. Shortly afterwards, Michael walks into a bank in Chicago and, despite a show of force, it's all actually just a show when he tries to rob the place.
Michael heads to court and doesn't even attempt to try and plead his case. However, it's all according to plan: Michael's brother, Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) has been thrown into the same prison Michael's headed to for killing the Vice President's brother, and Lincoln will be put to death in a month. Michael believes his brother is innocent and his plan is to break him out. However, despite the fact that Michael has done all the possible research and has the blueprints of the place on him (literally), once he's in, he finds that the plan isn't so easy and requires the assistance of a set of fellow inmates - who may or may not be trusted.
The prison used in the series is a real prison (Joliet Correctional Facility, which was abandoned), which makes the scenes in the prison certainly feel more cramped and claustrophobic than they would if the show was filmed on sets. The plot of the series works even better than one might expect, with the information falling into place at a nice pace and little bits of information coming into play in a satisfying way later on. The less said the better, as one of the best aspects of watching the series is seeing the twists and turns unfold.
The performances are also a big part of why the series works so well. Miller and Purcell offer confident, strong performances that are consistently engaging (and they're also quite convincing as brothers.) Miller is especially good, as he smartly portrays a man who's forced to play other inmates against one another and have to read people quickly. Robin Tunney (finally getting a good role!) is also superb as a lawyer who's been friends with the two brothers since childhood. Stacey Keach is also excellent as the warden.
Overall, I quite liked "Prison Break". The series does an excellent job maintaining tension (through reveals/twists, dynamic performances and the occasional action sequence), the overall plot is intricate and the series remains pleasingly unpredictable.
The second season of "Prison Break" premieres on August 21st. Check your local listings.
Disc 1:
1. Pilot
2. Allen
3. Cell Test
4. Cute Poison
Disc 2:
5. English, Fitz or Percy
6. Riots, Drills and the Devil (Part 1)
7. Riots, Drills and the Devil (Part 2)
8. The Old Head
Disc 3:
9. Tweener
10. Sleight of Hand
11. And Then There Were Seven
12. Odd Man Out
Disc 4:
13. End of the Tunnel
14. The Rat
15. By The Skin & The Teeth
16. Brother's Keeper
Disc 5:
17. J-Cat
18. Bluff
19. The Key
20. Tonight
Disc 6:
21. Go
22. Flight
The DVD
VIDEO: Fox presents "Prison Break" on DVD in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The screening copy that arrived included all of the final features, but video quality did not appear to be equal to the final product. Video quality looked generally just okay, with sharpness and detail appearing inconsistent at times. Additionally, some pixelation, minor noise and shimmering were spotted. Colors, as one might expect from the situation, were mildly subdued.
SOUND: The show's 5.1 soundtrack seemed perfectly fine, with crisp dialogue and a rich-sounding score. The surrounds were not put to constant use, but they did get a chance to provide some slight ambience and a few sound effects during the more intense scenes.
EXTRAS:
* Pilot Commentary #1 by: Paul Scheuring & Dominic Purcell
* Pilot Commentary #2 by: Brett Ratner & Mark Helfrich
* Cute Poison Commentary #1 by: Paul Scheuring, Dominic Purcell & Wade Williams
* Cute Poison Commentary #2 by: Matt Olmstead and Silas Weir Mitchell
* Riots, Drills and the Devil (Part 1) Commentary #1 by: Paul Scheuring, Dominic Purcell, Robert Knepper, Sarah Wayne Callies, Amaury Nolasco & Wade Williams
* Riots, Drills and the Devil (Part 1) Commentary #2 by: Nick Santora & Bob Mandel
* Riots, Drills and the Devil (Part 2) Commentary by: Paul Scheuring, Dominic Purcell, Wade Williams, Amaury Nolasco & Peter Stormare
* Odd Man Out Commentary by: Garry Brown & Karyn Usher & Bobby Roth
* Brother's Keeper Commentary #1 by: Paul Scheuring, Robert Knepper, Sarah Wayne Callies, Amaury Nolasco & Wade Williams
* Brother's Keeper Commentary #2 by: Greg Yaitenes & Zach Estrin
The commentary tracks are generally informative and interesting, with a lot of great tidbits about the production, behind-the-scenes stories and occasional jokes and goofs. Although not all of the commentaries keep the discussion moving consistently, they are worth a listen for fans.
Deleted scenes are offered for some of the episodes.
The final disc starts off by offering up an enjoyable 30-minute documentary on the making of the series, offering interviews with the cast and creators and a look at the sets. We also hear more about casting, characters and story issues. The documentary is rather promotional in ways, but it does certainly offer some good information. Also included on the final disc are a featurette on the real prison, a featurette on the tattoo work and a promotional featurette that offers an overview, as well as some detail on a particular scene in an early episode. Finally, we get a promo for season 2, 5 TV spots and a promo for Fox's new series, "Vanished".
Final Thoughts: "Prison Break" is more than your average action series, as while it offers some great action moments, it boasts a very enjoyable amount of depth and detail and the twists and turns are genuinely surprising and thrilling. The performances are consistently excellent, as well. Recommended.
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