Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
Raw, uncompromising, and brutal, the fifth season of Oz represents a turning point for the series, tying up loose ends and preparing for the closure of season 6. As with all previous seasons of HBO's hard-edged prison series, the outbreaks of violence, racial tensions, emotional bleakness, and full-frontal male nudity ensure that Oz is decidedly not for the weak of heart. Simmering animosity between the Aryans, Muslims, Sicilians, and Latinos continues unabated; these eight episodes include numerous shankings and slashings, a severed arm, strangulation, a stabbing with a crucifix, and the death (among others) of one of the series' most prominent characters. As Schillinger (J.K. Simmons) and his skinheaded Aryans exploit a naive pair of new inmates, tensions mount between the weak-willed Omar (Michael Wright, in a standout performance) and his prone-to-rage Muslim mentor Kareem Said (Eamonn Walker, also excellent); Ryan O'Reily (Dean Winters) continues to protect his volatile brother Cyril (Scott William Winters) and reunites with his mother (Betty Lynn Buckley) who's in Oz doing community service; McManus (Terry Kinney) locks horns with his ex-wife over prison policy; Alvarez (Kirk Acevado) seeks partial redemption by training a guide-dog for the guard he blinded; and Keller (Christopher Meloni) returns to the "Em City" cellblock, to the relief of his bisexual lover Beecher (Lee Tergesen) who attends "interaction" sessions with Sister Pete (Rita Moreno) to encourage tenuous peace among inmates.
With subplots involving guest stars Luke Perry, Peter Criss (from Kiss), Malachy McCourt, and others, the fifth season of Oz is weak at times, but series creator and primary writer Tom Fontana keeps a lot of characters in steady play, covering impressive dramatic territory after the relatively generous allotment of 16 episodes in season 4. The series is clearly winding down here (the semi-musical episode "Variety" is a curious attempt to broaden the show's creative horizons, and works surprisingly well), and the outbreaks of violence now have a rather predictable and oppressive frequency. Anyone looking for "feel good" entertainment should stay away, but Fontana and the uniformly excellent cast maintain admirable depth of character and incident, including a tragic loss (in "Visitation") that resonates throughout the season. Extras are slim: commentary by Fontana and Dean Winters accompanies episode 8 (aptly titled "Impotence"), and like the fifth season itself, it's recommended primarily for devoted Oz viewers who've enjoyed seasons 1-4. --Jeff Shannon
DVD Description
The hugely entertaining series Oz is back. It's a new year, and Emerald City's got a brand-new look. The walls are cleaner, the cafeteria is bigger, and everything is fresher... everything on the outside, that is. Inside the hearts and minds of the prisoners, Oz is just as dark and as raw as ever. The renovations may be complete, but the mayhem is starting all over again. As uncompromising and brutal as the seasons before it, the fifth season of Oz represents a turning point for the hard-edged prison series; simmering animosity between the Aryans, Muslims, Sicilians, and Latinos continues unabated and these eight episodes include numerous shankings and slashings, a severed arm, strangulation, a stabbing with a crucifix, and the death (among others) of one of the series' most prominent characters.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Soundtrack: English; sub-titles: English for the Hearing Impaired, English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
After the double length fourth season its understandable this season took a bit of a hit. This has been described by many as the point oz took its dive. The highlight of the season is the musical episode which sees augustus hill's monologes replaced by ironic songs by characters.
The violence in this season is also increased.
Still worth a watch for oz fans everywhere.
The violence in this season is also increased.
Still worth a watch for oz fans everywhere.
I'm Italian, so sorry for any mistake i make :) Oz Season 5 is probably the worst among the six seasons of this great prison drama. Some reasons: many of the most interesting charachters are left a bit behind the story developments; the introduction of some kind of supernatural themes, fascinating but not really fitting into this real ugly world that is Oz; the fact that this is the fifth year, so the series starts to show signs of weakness, altough really few. On the other hand, despite what said before, Oz is still disturbing, compelling and excellent television. This season is also more experimental in style, including a musical episode. And above all, the surprise ending of the season finale really shocked me because it was something I thought impossible to happen among the walls of Oz. In conclusion: despite being the weakest of the six seasons, Oz season 5 is still great, brave and compelling television. If you're a series fan you have to see it, also to be prepared for the big shocking final season. If you are new to Oz, you should probably look to the earlier seasons instead of season 5...
The box set is similar to the other five of the series: nice art and packaging, unfortunately no special features :(
The box set is similar to the other five of the series: nice art and packaging, unfortunately no special features :(
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Best Prison Drama ever made
Oz is brutal, shocking, & thought provoking. I have now purchased & viewed all 6 seaons and I can honestly say, it is one of the best "series" I have ever come across. Read more
Published on 22 May 2009 by The Mekon
Awesome prison series
Oz is one of HBOs best dramas and that's saying something. Not for the faint of heart; the characters and their inter-relations are complex and often violent. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2009 by mogwai_do
oz season 5
another superb series, bought series one because I found it cheap in a supermarket, it was so good I ended up with all 6. Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2009 by David J. Ponsford
Oz 5
This season is dissapointing. last season we had a bumper 16 episodes and as a result this shorter season seems to just pass by too quickly. Read more
Published on 5 July 2008 by Mr. L. Rayner
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Film & TV > Television > Drama
- Film & TV > Television > TV Series
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
