- The Equalizer: The Complete Collection

What makes this show so good is that its lead actor, Edward Woodward, is so consistently good no matter how bad some of the individual episodes are. I don't know how Woodward got involved with this show, but it's good for him and the show that he took it so earnestly. The show itself has an odd premise. McCall, Woodward's character, is a retired CIA operative whose specialty was overthrowing foreign governments unsympathetic to American foreign policy. In each episode, McCall either helps people from his previous life as a CIA killer, or else he helps average private citizens overwhelmed by crime and corruption. One message of the show is that US government policy focuses too much on foreign policy and not enough on domestic policy. McCall tries to set that balance right. Frequently thought of as a vigilante show with an excellent actor, The Equalizer is more nuanced than that. It certainly has a right-wing focus--the show's creators show how McCall has the right to use weapons and high-tech surveillance to monitor and control undesirable criminal conduct. What makes it tolerable is McCall's shadowy past with the CIA and his on-going relations with his former boss "Control". The constant underlining of this background reminds viewers of how fallible and guilt-ridden McCall is. This fallibility is frequently a theme in many of the episodes. The most remarkable aspect of this show, however, is how it simmered with so much talent--in front of and behind the screen. Actors include Kevin Spacey, Ving Rhames, Dan O'Herlihy, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Macauley Culkin, J.T. Walsh, Vincent D'Onofrio, Michael Rooker, Tony Shaloub, Patricia Clarkson, Melissa Leo and Lori Loughlin. Director Tobe Hooper directs one of the episodes. Future Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow co-wrote one of the scripts. Police drummer Stewart Copeland wrote the exciting theme and most of the music for Seasons 1 and 2. The show ended after four seasons, which technically makes it a flop. The complex political content was probably too much for some viewers, especially considering that in the early to mid 1980's most viewers during the Reagan-Bush years thought that America was actually doing good things in central America. Fortunately, home video enables us to watch sleepers such as The Equalizer and give them a second chance to catch on with audiences. My only complaint is that picture quality is average at best, but frequently sub-par with pixilation and washed-out color. It's watchable, but you will need to adjust your expectations for picture and sound.

Great show starring Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a private detective who helps people who are in a desperate situation and have nowhere to turn. Presented here in the original 4x3 TV format, this is a great dramatic series. The packaging is really good, with 16 discs in 8 soft vinyl sleeves that are all attached on the side. Very easy to access and remove the DVDs. I applaud this nice packaging, which arrived with no damage to the case or the discs. The video and audio transfers are good. If you're interested in this show, I recommend this set.

A great series at a great price. Edward Woodward ("Breaker Morant," "The Wicker Man") ,is one of my all-time favorite actors. In the 1960s in Britain, he became a sensation playing the anti-Bond, a tortured man named "Callan," whose only talent was killing. He was so impressive that Laurence Olivier hired him for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Then, after making the two iconic movies, he came to the US to star in "The Equalizer" on CBS TV. I wanted to buy the complete series, but it was $109 in the US. There was also a set with all 88 shows from VEI, an Australian company, for only $29 listed on Amazon, so I took a chance. While I have an all-region DVD player, it's in our living room and my wife prefers reality TV. but these DVDs work just fine on the US DVD player in my "man cave," which was an extra special bonus. So many excellent actors were guest stars on that show, including the great Robert Mitchum, who was one of the few actors of Woodward's caliber. He and Richard Jordan came in to help Woodward, who had suffered a heart attack. At the end of that special two-part show, the final scene with Woodward and Mitchum is as good as any movie moment I've ever seen. Actors at their pre-stardom level appeared on the show and it's fun seeing them so young while there were also some truly impressive established names who added class to their episodes. The revolving cast of supporting players Is top-notch. "The Equalizer" never seems to lack star power and the writing is first rate. The formula may be simple, but it's what the creative team does with it that makes it so special. The same kind of quality control that elevates Brtish programs is very much evident in this series that has stood the test of time. "The Rockford Files" is the only American series that stands up to it in my opinion. I can't stop watching "The Equalizer!"

Great series from the 1980s in a nice DVD catalog type box. The episodes are a great change from today's noise and over the top action. These focused on a more gentleman's intellectual viewer experience.

I should say upfront, that I enjoy the show. Edward Woodward is excellent in the leading role. By today's standards, there are rough edges, and support roles are often overplayed, as if the actors/actresses just came out of the drama school, and think they are on a theater stage. Yet at the same time, this gives us a snapshot of the New York drama scene in mid-'80s. So, why only four stars? Music. The theme tune of the show is fine, and I wish the same person scored every episode. Instead, the scoring throughout the episodes is proverbial "fingernails on the chalkboard." Too much *bad* synthesizer sound, and way too dissonant. Throws me "out" of the experience of watching the show almost every time. I would have chosen someone else to score the episodes. If you don't believe me, listen to the low-key masterful work of Mike Post in Law & Order, filmed in the same city less than a decade later. Proverbial night-and-day difference. I hope you enjoy the show, but beware of the bad soundtrack.

Very pleased, many thanks, Wayne.

Loving the memories of this series. The episodes have good story plots, several of which I've seen retailored on Law and Order, Walker, and other series. Edward Woodward is riveting to watch as the Equalizer. Each episode features actors who rose in prominence, such as Jennifer Grey, Kevin Spacey, William H. Macy, John Goodman, Lori Loughlin, Michael Moriarity, Macauley Culkin, Ving Rhames, and more. Interesting to see them mid '80s. Love the music. I like Seasons 1 & 2 the best, which have plots about helping individuals in need who call on the Equalizer's help. Season 3 had a great two-part intro starring Robert Mitchum and Richard Jordan. Jordan stepped in for most of the season when Woodward was recovering from a heart attack so you see very little of Woodward and also not much of Kostmeyer.. Season 3 and 4 follow socially relevant themes like spousal abuse, bigotry, etc, which give you a good view of how these issues were treated in the 80s. A bit too preachy for me, but still good plots. Some of the Season 3 and 4 episodes feature bubblegum background sound music - mostly like piano notes or new age stuff, which is extremely annoying. The series ended with Season 4 and the last few episodes went back to the winning strategy of the type of plots from the first two seasons. Love The Equalizer's two main helpers - Kostmeyer and Jimmy. Kostmeyer (Keith Szarabajka) was a favorite actor to watch. There's a fifth disc on the first and only season of CI5 - The New Professionals which features Woodward as the head of a British CI5 intelligence unit with three young actors doing the gruntwork. The plots are very good, very well thought out - again, some I have seen retailored on later TV series. But I dislike the music. There is also Woodward's last film, Congregation of Ghosts, on the fifth disc. Very much like a PBS movie; really enjoyed it. All in all, I'm very pleased with this purchase and highly recommend it.

No issue with this purchase,

This was edited in May 2019 to correct a small detail. I'll start with the good. The entire show is here, all in very good quality (as good as the old tapes could provide...... expect occasional small hiccup). Both picture and sound quality is as good as possible. Being the UK release, NO ORIGINAL MUSIC IS CUT, which is half the reason I got this one (the other being higher resolution). The bonus material is a neat inclusion, considering they did not have to film any of it. Original pilot version is also included. Unfortunately, the release is not perfect. Firstly, the first season. Fabulous Films, gods bless their souls, in their infinite brilliance decided to just copy+paste the work done by Universal Playback, from when THEY released season 1. Unfortunately, that means that the picture is interlaced by default. They could have done some digital magic, and restored the original progressive frames (the original old source WAS progressive after all, they filmed on FILM). Now, it is still possible to get the progressive image, IF your player knows how to combine every 2 fields. Sadly, VLC (as of 2018) still does not have a proper reverse telecine option for PAL. And that is how I watch the show. Other filters can do an almost perfect job, but still........ Fabulous, you missed the chance to do a perfect job. 2019 EDIT: looks like episode 2 of season 2 (on the same disk as episode 1, obviously) is presented as interlaced, while the prior episode is progressive. My educated guess is someone somewhere messed up with the flags (the tiny pieces of data before each "chapter" in a MPEG-2 video stream which tell the player if the footage is to be played "as is", or apply interlacing). That means if your player of choice can ignore flags and play the supposed progressive footage on the disk, you are golden. The bonus 40 minute video also combines progressive 576 25p and 576 50i footages, which is something they could have fixed (in the end, it is up to you to do their job). An earlier (shot while the show was still on TV I believe) promo video including an interview with Stewart Copeland is NOT included. Perhaps they could not find it, forgot it existed, or could not get the rights. Still, it sucks. All in all, a VERY complete set with small flaws, but at least those are flaws you can fix yourself.

BOXに入っていてインテリアにもグッドです、出来れば日本語字幕版も欲しいです。

This was one of my favourite shows in the 1980s. Was glad to see I could get all the seasons at a reasonable price. I have not watched every episode just yet but so far no disk quality or playback problems (if I have some I will edit this review and share any technical problems). Yes, the picture you get on this DVD set can seem grainy and the sound is not well balanced in relation to dialogue. For example, you might notice that the background noise track (the people talking in the background in a busy police station) is incredibly loud compared to main character dialogue. For those of you who were not around to watch this show in the 80s, this is what top notch, hit TV shows looked and sounded like. The show has clearly not been reengineered for this DVD series release and, from my perspective, this adds to my enjoyment of this show - it's just as I remember it. Much like by watching Colombo, Law and Order (original) or Seinfeld, you can see the younger versions of big names in entertainment, this show features notable casting choices.

super content de cet achat qui m'a permis de retrouver une serie que j'avais aimé a la tele en son temps

Artículo indispensable de colección..un clásico.