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Amazon.co.uk Review
HBO's violent men-behind-bars drama is an addictive, testosterone-driven soap opera for guys. The eight episodes of the first season set the style for the show: a massive cast of a vivid characters on both sides of the bars, four or five stories unleashed at a breakneck pace and framed by angry, oddball introductions, and a soaring casualty rate. Created by Homicide producer Tom Fontana, this drama quickly earned its rightful reputation as the most brutal show on TV. It's simple chemistry: combine volatile ingredients in a confined space, shut tight, and shake.
The yellow brick road of the Oswald Correctional Facility (affectionately known as "Oz" among the inmates) leads to "Emerald City," an antiseptic cellblock of cement and glass overseen by prison-reform advocate Tim McManus (Terry Kinney). The first episode introduces its two most compelling inmates: meek lawyer Beecher (Lee Terguson), who transforms from a vulnerable lamb to a fearless, drug-addicted wildcat, and Muslim activist Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker), a fiercely non-violent leader whose campaign for reform explodes in a season-climaxing riot. The stunning first-season cast also features Ernie Hudson (the warden), Rita Moreno (a worldly drug-counseling nun), and Edie Falco (who jumped from her role as a single-mother prison guard to mob wife in The Sopranos). It carries no rating, but the drug use, nudity, and brutal violence make this highly inappropriate for young viewers and unsuited to the squeamish. Oz pulls no punches in its portrayal of prison violence and predatory abuse. --Sean Axmaker
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Like a realy good book Oz grips you and makes you want more, in all my 21 years ive never been so gripped by a t.v show.
You'll never want an episode to end, theres numerous plots that intertwine and twist and turn. Racial and Drug issues are rife amoungst the inmates along with a hefty dose of violence.
The acting is superb, the characters are inspired with Adebisi being the best, an almost cartoonish figure who plagues his inmates with power and a no nonsense attitude. Oz while being very serious and shocking at times retains a certain comedic slant that makes it even more watchable. Series 1-4 cannot be beaten, the rest veer slightly.
If your a fan of great Tv or film do the right thing.
Buy this and become a prisoner to its unbeatable charm.
You'll never want an episode to end, theres numerous plots that intertwine and twist and turn. Racial and Drug issues are rife amoungst the inmates along with a hefty dose of violence.
The acting is superb, the characters are inspired with Adebisi being the best, an almost cartoonish figure who plagues his inmates with power and a no nonsense attitude. Oz while being very serious and shocking at times retains a certain comedic slant that makes it even more watchable. Series 1-4 cannot be beaten, the rest veer slightly.
If your a fan of great Tv or film do the right thing.
Buy this and become a prisoner to its unbeatable charm.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
If you like your drama to be compelling and uncomfortable in equal measures, then Oz is for you. Quite simply this is one of the best things HBO ever did. It's raw and explicit at times, but it is filled with brilliant performances and amazing writing. Highly addictive.
If you've enjoyed other HBO series such as Six Feet Under or the Sopranos, chances are you'll love this.
If you've enjoyed other HBO series such as Six Feet Under or the Sopranos, chances are you'll love this.
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The first time I caught this show was by accident but I was hooked after about two minutes. Many of the actors will be recognisable from shows such as Lost, Law and Order, The Wire, Rescue Me and The Sopranos. This show has some of the best writing and characterisation that has ever been on television and definately holds up ten years later.
Oz is the nickname for the Oswald State Correctional Facility, but the majority of the plot arcs are set in Emerald City ("Em City"), an experimental unit of the prison, where the unit manager tries to emphasize rehabilitation during imprisonment.
Life in Oz is tough and the show revolves around the plotting and schemining of the inmates and as a result daily life in Em city often includes murder, violence, drug use, rape, homosexuality and religious and ethnic tensions.
Oz does not try to speculate on the cause of criminal behavior by the inmates, indeed the show takes place exclusively behind the prison walls except for when a particular inmate is introduced by showing the crime which he is in prison for. This helps to vrete a very claustrophobic and tense atmosphere. One of the perspectives shown by Oz is that the rehabilitation of the prisoners is impossible when the system is largely corrupt.
The true masterstroke of Oz is that it refuses to pigeon hole its characters. Even the most sociopathic prisoners are shown to have moments of humanity while some of the nicest prisoners commit very bad acts. It is also notable that some of the most 'normal' prisoners are in prison for crimes that are far worse than some of the worst prisoners and as a result you as the viewer end up feeling sympathy for some of the characters before remembering that they have killed a child or a cop.
I had given up on this show ever being released region 2 so I have imported every season but I would strongly recommend this show to anyone who like good, gritty drama.
Oz is the nickname for the Oswald State Correctional Facility, but the majority of the plot arcs are set in Emerald City ("Em City"), an experimental unit of the prison, where the unit manager tries to emphasize rehabilitation during imprisonment.
Life in Oz is tough and the show revolves around the plotting and schemining of the inmates and as a result daily life in Em city often includes murder, violence, drug use, rape, homosexuality and religious and ethnic tensions.
Oz does not try to speculate on the cause of criminal behavior by the inmates, indeed the show takes place exclusively behind the prison walls except for when a particular inmate is introduced by showing the crime which he is in prison for. This helps to vrete a very claustrophobic and tense atmosphere. One of the perspectives shown by Oz is that the rehabilitation of the prisoners is impossible when the system is largely corrupt.
The true masterstroke of Oz is that it refuses to pigeon hole its characters. Even the most sociopathic prisoners are shown to have moments of humanity while some of the nicest prisoners commit very bad acts. It is also notable that some of the most 'normal' prisoners are in prison for crimes that are far worse than some of the worst prisoners and as a result you as the viewer end up feeling sympathy for some of the characters before remembering that they have killed a child or a cop.
I had given up on this show ever being released region 2 so I have imported every season but I would strongly recommend this show to anyone who like good, gritty drama.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
OZ is Brill!!
I've just got into Oz,I love it,I haven't watched all 6 seasons yet,but this first season is amazing,I love Tobias Beecher especially towards the end of the season,can't wait to... Read more
Published 12 days ago by daisyjayne
Dont smile.Get yorself a wepon.
I have watched some of the best TV including The Wire, Deadwood, Dexter, Breaking Bad, Band of Brothers and Sons of Anarchy but I can honestly say that this is equal if not better... Read more
Published 22 days ago by B. J. Evans
Oz Series 1.
After enjoying many different series on dvd, such as Prison Break, Supernatural, Jericho etc, I was quite looking forward to getting stuck in to watching Oz. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mattie Boy
Good but not great
I've found myself watching a lot of tv box sets over the past few months, and have been particularly drawn to the HBO dramas - Deadwood, The Wire, Rome, Game of Thrones, Carnivale. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kris Rees
Compelling brutal drama
I used to stay up to watch Oz way back when channel 4 showed it on their graveyard shift. I wondered if it was as good as I remembered. It's even better! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Titch
prison break it is not
was expecting big things from this dvd after reading the reviews, was very let down it is very dated and very poorly acted, not a patch on series 1 of prison break, the in house... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Jason Fortune
Hard hitting brilliance
A brilliant series. If you liked the Sopranos you should like this. It really seemed to set the template for HBO dramas. Read more
Published 18 months ago by The Emperor
One of the most intelligent, witty and probing dramas about a man's...
I first started watching Oz 2 months ago and have since seen all 6 seasons, and have to say, in my opinion it is one of the best shows ever made. Read more
Published on 23 Dec 2009 by Sophie E
Indifferent - interesting by flawed
I was really looking forward to watching the series (after putting of purchasing for quite some time). Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2009 by The Sugarman
Oh dear
What a disappointment. This is a drama that feels terribly dated. The characterisation is weak and the script more than slightly pedantic. Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2008 by Trej
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