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6 Degrees Entertainment

'New Tricks - Season 3'
(Alun Armstrong, Amanda Redman, Dennis Waterman, James Bolam, et al / 3-Disc DVD / NR / (2006) 2011 / Acorn Media)

Overview: Sexy, ambitious Superintendent Sandra Pullman (Amanda Redman, Sexy Beast) leads the unsolved crimes unit of the Metropolitan Police in this fresh and funny British drama. Her team includes three aging former detectives lured out of retirement. Can this curmudgeonly trio of crime busters learn new tricks to crack tough crimes? Or are old-fashioned hunches and footwork still best?

DVD Verdict: If you have seen any season of 'New Tricks' I know you have loved them! Great acting all round. Their timing with one another is so spot on perfect, the humor in general, well, bloody humorous! You don't need a laugh track to tip you off that something was said that is supposed to be funny! Ergo, the writing is exceptional.

In the first episode, 'Lady’s Pleasure,' the car driven by a teacher who died in a crash is returned to the victim's husband. Sandra, who worked on the original case, re-opens the unsolved case. She is somewhat less than unbiased about the case. Indeed, more than that, she is certain the husband is the guilty culprit. A slowburner this one, that also includes a male prostate exam - kinda!

In 'Docker,' the death of Joe Walsh, whose body was found in the Thames in 1975, is reinvestigated. Walsh was General Secretary of the Crane Driver's Union. He was suspected of financial improprieties at the time of his death. Brian Lane (Alun Armstrong) takes center stage here, along with his new medicine!

In 'Old Dogs,' the team investigate a series of dog mutilations, which appear to be linked to similar killings in the same area 30 years ago. Guest-starring the always loveable Richard Briers ('The Good Life'), the episode is a little slow, the killer an obvious choice, and Brian gets some major dizzy spells! That said, it does carry with it the BEST line said in the whole series: "You've still got those sores on your face! What sores? Great, mine's a pint, thanks mate!"

In 'Diamond Geezers,' the vicious criminal Chopper Hadley returns to England to bury his father. Jack is viciously intimidated after being tricked into attending the funeral. Brian is sent undercover with a green officer to investigate Hadley. Guest-starring the brilliant Patrick Malahide ('Minder') as Chopper Hadley, the chase is on to nail him for his hatchet kills! In the end, the big reveal is VERY nicely pulled off - just in time, as it happens!

In 'Wicca Work,' the death of a local librarian is reinvestigated when a woman insists it was because of witchcraft. This episode brings Jack Halford (James Bolam) to the acting fore as he gets lured in, bit by bit. Another slow burner - save for the hilarious 'high' woodland scenes with Gerry and Brian - but with a lackluster ending though, sorry!

In the next episode, 'Bank Robbery,' when a former police informant returns to the country after 17 years on the run, he reveals information to Gerry about a bank robbery which left a cashier dead. This has a great, fun intro and guest-stars the great Gareth Hunt ('The New Avengers') as an ex-cop trying to pull a neat little caper. It also features Brian and his new laptop - which is worth its comedic gold value alone!

In 'Ice Cream Wars,' the battle between two families in the business of selling ice cream erupts once again. UCOS discover most of their conflict has been exacerbated by predations of "the ice cream bandit", an armed robber whose targets were the ice cream vans of the two feuding families in the mid 1990s. A light-hearted episode, it doesn't go too far, but is fun to watch.

In the final episode, 'Congratulations,' a school arson is reinvestigated when the young man originally convicted of the crime, Luke Hanson, turns out to have an alibi after all! However Jack is determined to get a confession from Luke’s father, Ricky, who is suspected of having killed his own brother about the same time. As Jack investigates, he begins to get deeper and deeper into the whole days-gone-by mess; and is messing with a mad, hard man too! Gerry gets a sub plot here too, when a young woman shows up on his doorstep claiming to be his long-lost daughter! In real life, it actually IS his real-life daughter, Hannah! The ending leaves it open as Jack has a car head right at him to shut him up, but given that season four has him on the front cover, well, it seems likely that he survives! [RT] This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.66:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Behind-the-scenes featurette
Cast filmographies
SDH subtitles

www.acornmedia.com





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