CRACKER - DVD review

As far as brilliant criminal psychologists go, Dr. Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald is at the top of his game. He can profile a criminal better and more accurate than anyone in his field of expertise. He has helped the Greater Manchester Police crack some pretty tough cases in the past. He can go head-to-head with any criminal mind, probe their motivations for committing the crimes that they are accused of and come out smiling with a confession in hand. Alas, if only he can keep himself sober long enough to put his great talent to work. You see, our good doctor is also a chain-smoking, hard-drinking compulsive gambler with a self-important attitude that seeks to alienate everyone around him, including his own family. Fitz can easily find other people's psychological weaknesses but can't see his own faults. Even Fitz's almost-Sherlockian power of deduction cannot save him from the scorn of many of the police officers that he works with.

Working for Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Bilborough (Christopher Eccleston), Fitz's closest associate on the force is the attractive and young Detective Seargent (DS) Jane Penhaligon (Geraldine Somerville). At the start of Series 1, Penhaligon found Fitz to be a hard man to work with but as their friendly jabs slowly turn into flirtatious innuendos, Penhaligon starts to like him more and more, even though he is an overweight middle-aged guy who is married with two kids. By the end of Series 1, they were both set to go on holiday together but Fitz backed out at the last minute, opting to try and patch things up with his wife Judith (Barbara Flynn) instead. Well, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. In Series 2, Penhaligon has no trouble showing her despise for Fitz, even refusing her boss, Bilborough's request to bring Fitz in to help on an important murder investigation. At the same time, Fitz's life is falling apart faster than he can say "Freud". Even with a temporary reprieve from Judith, Fitz manages to screw it up with his own arrogance and constant denial. Sometimes, I think Fitz is as flawed as the criminals he helps catch.

To its credit, Series 2 tries very hard to top Series 1 with more sensational stories and even more shocking events that affect the main cast of characters deeply. In an unexpected turn of events, a very important supporting cast is killed off, making for some major changes on the show. Whether the demise of that character helps or hobbles the show, it is hard to say but personally I can't help but think that it creates a tense atmosphere and puts the audience on its toes, not knowing what the show's writers have in store for them next.

Unlike many television crime dramas, "Cracker" is a show that does not hide the identity of the perpetrators until the end but instead shows the crime being committed. So what kind of incentive does the audience have to tune in to the show if they already know who did it? Well, the biggest fun is following the process that Fitz's mind goes through in figuring out how the crime is committed and by whom. With lots of naysayers around him, there are plenty of funny quips and intelligent exchanges to be had, especially between Fitz and the sometimes-incompetent DS Jimmy Beck (Lorcan Cranitch).

Smashingly portrayed by Scottish gentle giant Robbie Coltrane--who is now more famous for his role as Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies,--Fitz is somewhat of an unorthodox hero, able to catch the bad guys but can't get past his own failures to save his own marriage. Other regular supporting cast members like Somerville, Eccleston, Cranitch and Flynn successfully combine to give "Cracker" a believable and dark tone that is unusual for television in the early 1990's. Among the guest stars, Robert Carlyle ("Full Monty" and "The World Is Not Enough") stands out as he gives a chilling performance as the disturbed serial killer Albie in the episode "To Be A Somebody".

"Cracker: Series 2", like Series 1, comes in a 3-DVD set that consists of 3 different episodes, one on each disc. Each episode is divided into 3 parts.

"To Be A Somebody"
After a Pakistani storekeeper is murdered and a witness says he saw a skinhead leave the store soon after, the police assumes that the killing is racially motivated and tries to quell the rumblings in the minority communities. Fitz, though, has a different theory but Penhaligon won't hear any of it after he stood her up at the airport. We soon see Albie Kinsella (Robert Carlyle) go on a killing spree as he, in his own demented mind, tries to avenge the deaths of Liverpool FC soccer supporters in the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium tragedy. This is my favorite "Cracker" episode among the six so far. It cleverly ties the fictional crime portrayed here to a real tragedy that is probably still affecting its victims psychologically. A great episode that is full of tension and emotional distress.

"The Big Crunch"
This time, the writers delve into the world of religious fanaticism, giving appropriate social commentary to hypocritical behavior among religious zealots. A teenage girl, Joanne (Samantha Morton) goes missing and many assume that she has run away from home. As usual, Fitz has his own idea of what really happened to her and as he digs deeper into the evidence, finds a disturbing crime that leads to a deeply religious sect run by Joanne's school headmaster Kenneth Trant (Jim Carter) and his wife Virginia (Maureen O'Brien). A boy is falsely accused of kidnapping Joanne and Fitz has to quickly rectify the matter before things get worse.

"Men Should Weep"
This particular episode is an explosive and personal one as the crime entangles Penhaligon, Beck, Fitz and Judith into its web. A serial rapist, taxi driver Floyd Malcolm (Graham Aggrey) is on the loose and everyone is on edge. Malcolm is very arrogant and believes that he will never be caught. The already complicated relationships between Fitz and Penhaligon and Fitz and his wife Judith are forever changed when unforeseen circumstances muddle the waters further.

Video:
Looking slightly better than the previous release, "Cracker: Series 2" still looks a little blurry and grainy. Presented in its original full frame (1.33:1) broadcast aspect ratio, colors look marginally faded and without much life. However, even with these somewhat video shortcomings, "Cracker" is still an enjoyable viewing experience. No subtitle options are included on this DVD set.

Audio:
Somehow, the Dolby Surround 2.0 audio sounds better than I remember from "Series 1". Maybe it's my new speakers :) but I do swear that the audio this time around projects clear dialogue and better-sounding music. No other audio or language options are available.

Extras:
While Series 1 is quite bare and only had a biography of Coltran as an extra feature, Series 2 does not include any special features.

Packaging:
The packaging for this DVD set is quite unique. Like the previous release, it is in a form of a book with very thick cardboard covers. Opening it will reveal Disc One on the left panel and Disc Three on the right. When you open panel holding Disc Three, Disc Two will be revealed. There are no snaps or any type of mechanism to hold the package shut, just the disc panels themselves fit into each other.

Film Value:
While I enjoyed "Series 1", "Series 2" is so much more satisfying because almost all the characters go through an emotional grinder and no one is left unscathed. Created by popular TV/film writer, Jimmy McGovern, "Cracker" is more than a regular crime drama. It is also an in-depth character study that is both edgy and emotional as well. As a flawed hero, Fitz is the perfect foil for many of his counterparts in the police force and also his long-suffering wife Judith. "Cracker" effectively proves that sensationalism is unneeded when you have really intelligent stories and well-written dialogue to back up an able cast.