The Film:
ITV have made many a drama over their years of broadcasting, but haven't particularly been well known for the production of spy dramas, their most famous probably being "Man In A Suitcase". "The Sandbaggers" is another of these spy dramas and ran for a total of twenty episodes spread out over three series. It follows a small and elite team from the British Secret Service and the missions they must undertake including anything from assassinations to helping spies defecting from other countries escape. Starring Ray Lonnen ("Harry's Game", "Z Cars"), Elizabeth Bennett ("Home To Roost", "Heartbeat"), Alan MacNaughtan ("Victim", "Shadowlands"), Dennis Burgess ("Wuthering Heights", "Father Brown") and Jerome Willis ("Bleak House", "Dr Who"), The Sandbaggers was hugely successful when it originally aired over twenty years ago. Does that make it any good though?
If I was to write a review in twenty years for an X Factor/Pop Idol DVD and wrote it was popular twenty years ago, then you'd obviously just ignore that fact and skip buying the disc. This is the same. Yeah, loads of people watched it twenty plus years ago, but those people were most likely dull, lonely men who wished they were part of the Secret Service, instead of sitting in their living room, with no company, eating their beans on toast and wanting to avoid what must have been crap on the other channels. The stories are extremely slow paced, and so often feel as though they are going nowhere making them a chore to sit through and you are just aching for there to be action which just doesn't come. The overall product feels unpolished and rushed, with the actors sometimes looking as though they wish they weren't there, and don't even know what's going on themselves. The camera angles for most scenes aren't the best and instead of constantly having close ups on the actual speaker it would've been better to have had a view of the whole entire room. By the end of each episode I was thinking to myself it really can't get any slower or even more boring but with each new episode I was constantly surprised. To me the whole series was a waste of time, and even if creator/scriptwriter Ian MacKintosh hadn't died in a mysterious plane crash in Alaska, someone at the ITV commissioning office would have seen the bright side and put an end to this travesty of a show altogether. If you want to watch a decent spy-drama, then catch Spooks from the BBC instead of this mind-numbing rubbish.
For those that care, here is an episode guide, with the first three episodes on disc one and final four on disc two:
All in a Good Cause - MI5 investigate the wife of the CIA Chief of Station in London and the Sandbaggers enter a cat and mouse chase where they can see the enemy, but not identify.
To Hell with Justice - Edward Tyler, the Director of Intelligence, flies to Malta for a holiday, but the Sandbaggers are left with the memory of a tragic event thanks to an inquisative SIS officer and a young lady.
Unusual Approach - Burnside's temper gets even worse from the stress of quitting smoking and is sent on holiday by 'C'. Whilst he's away the CIA move in in an attempt to destroy Caine's confidence as he is forced to make his own tough decisions.
My Name is Anna Wiseman - In this episode, Burnside is handed a tape prepared by a NATO secretary in Brussels claiming that if the tape is being heard, the woman whose voice it is, is standing trial for political offences in the Soviet Union.
Sometimes We Play Dirty To - Robert Banks was one of the best sources of information for the joint intelligence bureau but is found dead. When it takes two hours to transport his body five miles, Burnside and Caine realise something is up.
Who Needs Enemies - Burnside's career is on the edge as the whispers of him leaving echo around Whitehall, and suddenly everyone seems to be trying to bring him down and take him out of a job he loves.
Opposite Numbers - A dangerous game of bluff happens when the Sandbaggers meet members of the KGB in Malta.
The DVD:
Video:
Network have provided the show in it's original 4:3 aspect ratio and it is adequate. Just like the second series DVD from Network, it appears to have been sourced from a reasonably good quality VHS, leaving the show with consistent grain and general poor quality. I don't know if a better source exists, but after being pleasently surprised with some of Network's recent output, this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Audio:
Network have provided us with the original English Dolby Digital Mono track here there's nothing majorly wrong with it. Dialogue is clear at all times and volume levels are consistent throughout. The only real problem with the soundtrack was the noticeable (but low volume) background hiss, present on all seven episodes. As is usual for Network releases, no subtitles have been provided.
Extras:
Network have provided several extras for this release.
The first extra, Crown Court: The Eleventh Commandment is a three part television show in which the first episode we learn about the case (in this instance, shoplifting), the second episode we hear the evidence, and the third episode we get the verdict from 'audience members' if you will. Unfortunately, the show lasts for far too long and my interest feigned by midway through part two. I did watch all three parts, but it was tough going. Parts one and two are on disc one and last for (23:45) and (24:39) respectively. Part three is on disc two and lasts (24:52).
Other than that we get some PDF Files of original programme documentation and promotional files. Luckily for me, my PC is in storage and the computer I'm using has no DVD drive so I was thankfully, unable to rift through these extras which, if the main attraction was anything to go by, would've bored me stupid.
