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Featuring an electrifying performance from Edward Woodward, Callan explored the dingy twilight world of the professional spy and presented what was, until that point, television s most realistic portrayal of government espionage - becoming a national phenomenon in the 1960s and making Woodward one of the highest profile actors on television. This single play, originally aired in 1981 and scripted by series creator/writer James Mitchell, saw the reluctant killer pressed into service one last time. Reuniting Callan and his malodorous sidekick, Lonely (Russell Hunter), the play also stars George Sewell, Hugh Walters (as Hunter), Anthony Smee and Helen Bourne. Ten years on, David Callan hasn t changed much. Retirement has brought a new identity, a new mistress, and a new business in the form of a militaria shop; but he finds that once a secret-service operative, always a secret-service operative when a call summons him to headquarters and a meeting with the fourth Hunter of his career - a past Callan thought dead and buried. Reactiviating it is no pleasure - but it has to be done.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Talk about disappointing: Edward Woodward and Russell Hunter try their best with a dull and predictable 'one last job' script, but are equally lumbered with an extremely annoying music score which forgets that background music should stay in the background and underpin the action (or lack of) on a subliminal level. Not a patch on the original haunting theme.
There is a nice touch where Callan whips off his glasses and cleans them before going into action before the showdown, but overall he trudges through a mediocre storyline with the grim determination of one paying the bills. Not the way I want to remember Callan or Woodward.
There is a nice touch where Callan whips off his glasses and cleans them before going into action before the showdown, but overall he trudges through a mediocre storyline with the grim determination of one paying the bills. Not the way I want to remember Callan or Woodward.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Callan - Wet Job [1981] [DVD]I sat and watched this last night and i cant tell you how much saddness i felt at the end.Callan is for me THE best TV show ever made in this country and i have spent many years getting all the episodes available from various sources until the only one i didnt have was Wet Job which i missed when it was shown as i was on honeymoon and we didnt have a video in those days.So i started watching and was annoyed straightaway because they didnt have the wonderful and atmospheric theme tune but my annoyance soon gave way to incredulity as a dreadful,dull badly written and frankly boring tale unfolded.Woodward was as ever superb but he had nothing to work with,Russel Hunter did his usual great job but the rest of the cast were BAD. Callans old boss Hunter was played like Graham Norton on a bad day,Thorn(Callans replacement) was so wooden he gave off splinters and the rest of the cast were so stagey it was almost funny,only it wasnt it was TRAGIC.What a sad sad end to such a magnifcent series,i could have cried.The only solace i draw from having this is that now my Callan collection is complete but i will never watch this again i will stick to the series.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
When this series was originally shown I was an avid fan. I watched Wet Job when it was first broadcast in 1981, and vaguely recall it being a satisfying finale to the series.
For those who fancy a spot of nostalgia it is still very viewable - I was pleased to get the opportunity of seeing it again, and enjoyed every minute. But I have to admit, it has not aged particularly well and is now noticeably dated. (Fair enough, it is 30 years old!).
The acting style of that period is very `stagey'. Presumably treading the boards is where many of the cast spent their time when not in front of cameras. But that flaw lies with the director. TV drama is now light years ahead in gritty realism.
Whilst the story line is fine, the substance,tension and pace falls short of its predecessor episodes.
The casting of the security section's `heavy' was laughably woeful, never for a moment living up to the supposedly `hard man' label, as he is described by the excellent Lonely,(Russell Hunter). Not a patch on Anthony Valentine's sneering and menacing Toby Meres.
Edward Woodward's middle aged Callan is great, utterly convincing. Press-ganged resentfully back into service, he is very much aware of being over the hill. Possibly his weariness seeps into the movie's ambience?
The background music is dreadful. I don't remember it being as bad as that, maybe it's a casualty of dated technique?
The section head, codenamed `Hunter', is as unpleasant, manipulative and devious as ever. Whilst the seedy headquarters set in the rear of a scrap metal frontage, now appears parochial and stone-age against today's complex electronic offices.
Callan was a series of its time. Overall, I'd recommend Wet Job for fans. The uninitiated would probably be left wondering what on earth we ever saw in the programme.
For those who fancy a spot of nostalgia it is still very viewable - I was pleased to get the opportunity of seeing it again, and enjoyed every minute. But I have to admit, it has not aged particularly well and is now noticeably dated. (Fair enough, it is 30 years old!).
The acting style of that period is very `stagey'. Presumably treading the boards is where many of the cast spent their time when not in front of cameras. But that flaw lies with the director. TV drama is now light years ahead in gritty realism.
Whilst the story line is fine, the substance,tension and pace falls short of its predecessor episodes.
The casting of the security section's `heavy' was laughably woeful, never for a moment living up to the supposedly `hard man' label, as he is described by the excellent Lonely,(Russell Hunter). Not a patch on Anthony Valentine's sneering and menacing Toby Meres.
Edward Woodward's middle aged Callan is great, utterly convincing. Press-ganged resentfully back into service, he is very much aware of being over the hill. Possibly his weariness seeps into the movie's ambience?
The background music is dreadful. I don't remember it being as bad as that, maybe it's a casualty of dated technique?
The section head, codenamed `Hunter', is as unpleasant, manipulative and devious as ever. Whilst the seedy headquarters set in the rear of a scrap metal frontage, now appears parochial and stone-age against today's complex electronic offices.
Callan was a series of its time. Overall, I'd recommend Wet Job for fans. The uninitiated would probably be left wondering what on earth we ever saw in the programme.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Callan Wet Job
This is/was the last film/episode in the Callan series & it is NOT so good as the earlier film/episodes. Not Edward Woodwoods fault just the
writers/directors/producers.
writers/directors/producers.
Published 2 days ago by canarykid
A fitting ending
Read lots of different reviews before I bought this film. some good some mediocre some downright awful. It comes down to expectations and what you want from the film. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Khadian
Disasterous Production
As a devotee of the 1960's Callan series, I considered the originals as some of the finest televsion from this genre and time. The 'Wet Job' was little more than a catastrophe. Read more
Published 1 month ago by David Turner
Not so good sequel
When a long running and very popular series ends with a very satisfying closure, it's hard to expect a sequel a few years later to be up to par. Read more
Published 3 months ago by John Gammon
Epitaph
Having bought every episode of the TV series available and having neen a fan of Callan since it was first broadcast I feel qualified to comment on Wet Job. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Paul Pickles
Callan, the completer video
I bought this as a completer, having recently purchased the two boxed sets of Callan. Its a fine episode although it is a reshooting of the first Callan story first done in black... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Richard
Callan fan
A necessary addition to the list of Callan titles available. Not quite a classic but it completes the set so far. I'd still like to find more of the early episodes
Published 12 months ago by S. Fowlie
In a word: awful
I just can't believe that this offering was actually written by James Mitchell, creator of the original series and writer of "When The Boat Comes In". Read more
Published 13 months ago by Smokey Joe
One last Callan...
Finally 'Wet Job' is released on DVD &, in my opinion, worth the wait. I know this has been criticised in the past for being slow, not gripping enough, the characters were too... Read more
Published 13 months ago by P. Townshend
Not the train-wreck that it's made out to be
To start I will go into a brief background as to how I first met ''Callan'' so to speak. Having been a casual fan of E. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Brian S.
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