Alex takes a trip down memory lane with Edward Woodward starring as Callan.
How does the DVD measure up?
David Callan is a reluctant professional killer and counter espionage expert.
Callan is hired to track down and eliminate enemies of the state.
Agent Meres (Peter Bowles) is on a mission to frame Callan for Schneiders murder.
Disgusted at his treatment by the intelligence service, Callan quits vowing never to work for them again.
He has a change of heart…
The series is introduced by the now iconic swinging lightbulb, which shatters at the sound of a gunshot.
Callanwas the first major television role for the late Edward Woodward.
Ronald Radd, Michael Goodliffe and Derek Bond did the honours in the first two series.
Callans infamous sidekick was a career-defining role for Russell Hunter.
Mitchell honed a hallmark technique of well-paced, tightly plotted scripts.
AlthoughWet Jobwas only a one-off, it was good to revisit the characters.
Callan has retired and Lonely has gone straight and got married.
He even has his own plumbing business called (with some irony) Fresh and Fragrant!
There is much to recommendCallan.
The plots are often non-linear yet manage to hold the attention some accomplishment given the age of the footage.
That said, there are many scenes in which Callan is tied up and held prisoner.
Although rather wordy, these scenes rarely drag thanks to some excellent performances.
There is, of course, a magnetic central performance from the much missed Edward Woodward.
The DVDs end with the second season finale from 1969,Death Of A Hunter.
This episode was made with two endings, one which killed off Callan and another which was more open-ended.
ITV chose to continue the series and transmitted the latter version.
However, viewers still jammed the ITV switchboard unclear as to Callans fate.
There are four DVDs in this set with a total running time of approximately 500 minutes.
There are no extras.
The final episode, in particular, suffers somewhat from technical problems which should have been corrected.
Feature:
Callan: The Monochrome Years is out now andavailable from the Den Of Geek Store.
Rating:
5 out of 5
