- Actors: Ken Wahl, Jonathan Banks, Jim Byrnes, Gerald Anthony, James Andronica
- Directors: Aaron Lipstadt, Bill Corcoran, Charles Correll, Dennis Dugan, Kim Manners
- Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
- Language: English
- Region: (US and Canada This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 4
- MPAA Rating:
- Studio: Warner Music
- Release Date: Oct 21 2003
- Run Time: 600 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00009L502
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #48,201 in DVD (See Top 100 in DVD)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon.com
With the release of Wiseguy on DVD, one of the best TV series of the 1980s gets a new lease on life. Long before Donnie Brasco brought similar drama to the big screen, Ken Wahl brought charisma, credibility, and chutzpah to his small-screen role as Vincent Terranova, a handsome 30-year-old agent with the FBI's Organized Crime Bureau. As conceived by cocreators Stephen Cannell (of The Rockford Files and The A-Team fame) and Ken Lupo, Wiseguy followed an innovative "story-arc" structure, allowing Vinnie's deep-cover missions to last only as long as necessary to bring each case to a sensible conclusion. Since copied by countless TV shows, this unique approach to storytelling attracted a devoted following of viewers addicted to the self-contained plots that forced Vinnie, his sourpuss OCB handler Frank McPike (Jonathan Banks), and disabled covert liaison Dan "Lifeguard" Burroughs (played by double-amputee Jim Byrnes) to achieve their objectives within 6 to 10 hourlong episodes.
Season 1, Part 1--the first of six Wiseguy DVD sets--includes the entire nine-episode arc (plus pilot) in which Vinnie infiltrates the New Jersey mob family of Sonny Steelgrave, a silk-suited kingpin played by Ray Sharkey in his finest TV role. Their brotherly relationship poses a moral dilemma for Vinnie (giving the arc its dramatic core and primary source of suspense), and Wiseguy earned its reputation as a well-written series that favored character-driven tension while providing the requisite pulp fiction (i.e. occasional murder and mayhem) that kept viewers and advertisers happy. While the DVD packaging gives bogus equal billing to Annette Bening (who appears here in one pivotal episode), her pre-stardom appearance is indicative of the show's consistently high standards in writing, casting, and stylish direction. The styles may be dated (including poodle-puff hairdos for women, including Bening), but there's not a weak episode in the bunch, including the stand-alone shows (involving domestic crises for McPike and Burroughs) that allowed character growth beyond the story-arc structure. It's all good, apart from a dispensable gag reel and commentaries by Wahl (on his two favorite episodes), who says little of interest between long gaps of silence. (He promises more on later DVDs, so Wiseguy devotees are advised to keep listening. Next up: the "Mel Profitt" arc, with guest star Kevin Spacey.) --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
OCB agent Vinnie Terranova infiltrates the organization of Sonny Steelgrave his undercover assignment to bring down the East Coast Mafia. It s the mission that Vinnie has spent years preparing for but as he gets closer to his goal the unexpected happens: he and his target become like brothers. Now he finds himself in the middle of a mob war between Sonny and the rest of the Mafia with Sonny growing suspicious of everyone -including him. As the circle of death closes in an emotionally- torn Vinnie must decide what his next move should be. Does he allow Sonny to be brought to justice or go against the laws that have defined his life? Discover why New York Newsday raved The Triumph of Wiseguy is that it s an action show where the most exciting conflicts are psychological... It s more than a series. It s a necessity. Episodes:. Pilot Part 1. Pilot Part 2. New Blood. Loose Cannon. Birthday Surprise. One on one. The Prodigal Son. A Deal s A Deal. The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell. No One Get s Out Of Here Alive. Last Rites For Lucci. Bonus Episodes:. People Do It All The Time. Meet Mike McPike.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Garment Story & Return of Sonny Steelgrave are worth it !!!,
By Robert Brant (Miami, FLA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Box Set 3 / Prey for the City (DVD)
I got hooked on Wiseguy when it was a late-night staple on CBS 1989ish. After seeing all the garbage TV shows released on DVD I sent many an e-mail to Stephen Cannell's website asking if and when Wiseguy would be released on DVD. I was thrilled when I saw the Steelgrave Arc released and was hoping that it was not just a one time experiment. The first 2 sets were great. The interviews with Johnathan Banks and Stephen Cannell in the first set along with Kevin Spacey, William Russ & Joan Severance's in the second set were a terrific bonus treat for any fans of the show (or especially fans of Kevin Spacey). The Mel Profitt Arc was released four months after the Steelgrave Arc and when nothing else was released four months later, I guess they figured: Thats all the buying fans would be interestred in. As the other reviews stated, it was definetly a let down going from the Millionare Mob Boss of Atlantic City (Ray Sharkey as Sonny Steelgrave) and the Billionaire, International Drug & Weapon's Contractor (Kevin Spacey as Mel Profitt) to the small time White Supremacy Group "The Pilgrims of Promise". Yeah Vinny's brother was killed but I guess they didn't think past those first 2 guys and were trying to keep it simple. It was still great story telling for broadcast tv at that time and I especially enjoyed the suspenseful "Revenge of the Mud People" where Vinny is wrongfully arrested for murdering a cop and the local police pull a Rodney King on him, while Vince is cut off from McPike and the Lifeguard. The short four-story arc is a good appetizer to the brilliant Garment story with Jerry Lewis, Ron Silver and Stanley Tucci. Even though most of it was without Ken Wahl, the show never misses a beat. Thats because the catalyst isn't Vinny or his replacement John Raglin, it's the brilliant Jerry Lewis. Watching him struggle to hold on to what's left of his little piece of the 7th Avenue Garment District is powerful and is probably the best pure performance of the series. Great Wiseguy suspense and suprises.(However the finale was way too easy. I guess Joel Surnow was saving something for "24"). THE BIG BONUS on this set is a great return by Ray Sharkey as Sonny Steelgrave. While Vinny is in a rehab center healing his leg, he is mistakenly thrown in the Psyche Ward. There he is drugged, abused by the staff and has a nightly hallucination of Sonny. It's a great "What If?" when Sonny torments Vince about his betryal, and dual identity. One of the few episodes I could never tape when the show was rebroadcast on WGN and Court TV in the last few years. Well worth the $60 MSRP. Four more VHS Tapes in the trash. Thanks guys, looking forward to the return of Don Iuoppo when he and his stepson Vinnie Terranova take back New York. (Due out December 2004). Will they release the "Washington Arc" (The revenge of Admiral Stryken), the "Stranger in a Small Town Arc" (the Return of Roger Loccoco), or even the regrettable Steven Baeur era? Only the toes knows.
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's all good !,
By
This review is from: Box Set 3 / Prey for the City (DVD)
For a objective review some perspective is needed here.The First Season of Wiseguy (Steegrave/proffitt arcs)was some of the most brilliant,well written and intense television ever produced and clearly difficult to follow up,therefore it's easy to see this half of the second season as inferior in quality, but thats not entirely fare.At the end of the Proffitt arc Vinnie,completely burned out and psychologically traumatised resigned as a deep cover agent from the OCB. Season 2 opens with him taking stock of his life in his old neighbourhood and when his brother, father Pete is murdered, he begins to suspect and investigate a crusading white supremacist group and is again undercover for the OCB.This is a short story arc of some 4 episodes and of course cannot match the character development of previous arcs over twice as long.This first story line is good and should be seen as a transitional plot for the development of the always brilliant Ken Wahl character. The second part of this boxset focuses on a struggling garment manufacturers attempts to fight off a powerful and sociopathic mobster Rick Pinzolo , played exceptionally well by Stanley Tucci. Jerry Lewis and Ron Silver are outstanding as the father and son garment traders Eli and David Sternberg.Unfortunately at the start of this arc Ken Wahl suffered an accident and had to be written out, but i think the writers did a splendid job in introducing a replacement character in the shape of conflicted OCB agent John Raglin, very well played by Anthony Dennison. Perhaps the bad guys in season 2 lack the charisma of Sonny Steelgrave and Mel Proffitt but this is exceptional,engrossing well written drama none the less, and well worth purchasing.Do yourself a favour and BUY IT because no dvd collection should be without it!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great show; 1 great arc.,
By
This review is from: Box Set 3 / Prey for the City (DVD)
Granted, this was my all-time favorite show; even I have to question the quality of the KKK arc presented here. On the other hand, I thought the Rag Trade arc shone brightly despite the lack of Wahl's participation. Ron Silver and a surprisingly effective Jerry Lewis create the tension and dramatic payoffs we expect from the series, but Tucci steals the show with a deliciously slimy turn as the villain. I loved this arc! The KKK arc has its moments; Fred D. Thompson is imperious as ever, and we get the first real glimpses of the underbelly of the world Vinnie left behind to go deep cover. Other than that, however, this was as bad as this brilliant show would get, imho.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Movies & TV > Action & Adventure > Crime
- Movies & TV > Boxed Sets > Drama
- Movies & TV > Boxed Sets > Television
- Movies & TV > Drama > Boxed Sets
- Movies & TV > Mystery & Suspense > Crime
- Movies & TV > Mystery & Suspense > Mystery
- Movies & TV > TV Shows > Boxed Sets
- Movies & TV > TV Shows > TV Series > Action & Adventure
- Movies & TV > TV Shows > TV Series > Drama
- Movies & TV > TV Shows > TV Series > Mystery & Suspense
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
