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Cracker - The Complete Collection [DVD] [1993]
 
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Cracker - The Complete Collection [DVD] [1993]

DVD ~ Robbie Coltrane
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Cracker Complete Collection [DVD] [1993]
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Product details

  • Actors: Robbie Coltrane, Geraldine Somerville, Kieran O'Brien, Lorcan Cranitch, Barbara Flynn
  • Directors: Charles McDougall, Jean Stewart, Michael Winterbottom, Richard Standeven, Simon Cellan Jones
  • Writers: Jimmy McGovern
  • Format: Box set, PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 10
  • Classification: 18
  • Studio: Cinema Club
  • DVD Release Date: 12 May 2003
  • Run Time: 999 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00008YNE6
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 32,524 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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    #4 in  DVD > Television > TV Series > Cracker

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

First screened in 1993, Jimmy McGovern's Cracker was at once a variation on a familiar theme and a daring new departure from the run-of-the-mill cop show. Robbie Coltrane's Fitz is an independent criminal psychologist called in by the police to help them crack intractable cases, usually involving grisly serial murders. But like its Granada TV stablemate Prime Suspect, Cracker also delves deep into the main characters' personal lives, revealing a chaos of emotional entanglements that become increasingly inseparable from their professional duties.

Robbie Coltrane's charismatic presence dominates: the contrast between Fitz's professionalism and his complete inability to diagnose his own psychological failings provides much of the show's dramatic impetus. His frequent interrogations of murder suspects are tour de force demonstrations of coolly analytical method shot through with biting humour. But his drunken, intemperate behaviour towards his wife and everyone else is a telling contrast of extremes, and one that creates dangerous resentment among his colleagues. Coltrane is supported by a strong cast that includes Barbara Flynn, Geraldine Somerville, Lorcan Cranitch (as the terrifyingly unstable DS Jimmy Beck), Christopher Eccleston, and a pre-Royle Family Ricky Tomlinson. McGovern's screenplays balance gritty, Manchester-based realism with splendidly mordant wit, making Cracker simply riveting viewing.

On the DVD: This complete Cracker 10-disc box set contains all three series that ran from 1993-95. The feature-length episodes are: "The Mad Woman in the Attic", "Say I Love You", "One Day a Lemming Will Fly" (Series 1); "Be a Somebody", "The Big Crunch", "Men Should Weep" (Series 2); "Brotherly Love", "Best Boys", "True Romance" (Series 3); "White Ghost" (1996 special). --Mark Walker



Special Features

English
Region 2
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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (12)
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars TV Copland's Finest Hour, 22 May 2003
"You're the one who needs the psychologist," a murder suspect tells Fitz (Robbie Coltrane) in the first ever episode of Cracker. As things transpire, it's a painfully accurate description. Fitz is a wreck, hopelessly hooked on cigarettes, booze and gambling, in denial over his ailing marriage while liaising with the Manchester police as a psychological profiler. He's a doomed figure, and as played by Coltrane he burns a hole in the small screen. It's an epic performance, built on a series of brave, no-holds-barred scripts from writer Jimmy McGovern. If Fitz is McGovern's most memorable creation he's also (to date) Coltrane's finest hour. You get the feeling Coltrane truly understands Fitz's dark vision of the world, a vision that allows him to unlock the minds of killers.

The Cracker stories really work best if watched in sequence. Beginning with 'The Mad Woman In The Attic' through 'To Say I Love You' and 'One Day A Lemming Will Fly' you get a feeling of slow descent towards tragedy.

McGovern doesn't pull any punches. It's shocking to see characters we've come to know and love being slowly torn apart by the job. If there's a turning point in the series - a point where we suddenly realize this is only going to grow darker and darker - it's somewhere between parts four and six, 'To Be A Somebody' (Robert Carlyle is on fire as a bereaved soccer supporter taking revenge on the police for Hillsborough) and 'Men Should Weep', an unflinching examination of rape. The treatment of sexual violence caused a minor storm at the time, and there are moments here and especially in 'Brotherly Love' which some viewers will find hard to watch. 'Brotherly Love' was McGovern's last word on the subject and truly overpowering. Later episodes, written by Paul Abbott, were less explosive, but it would've been hard to top what had gone before.

The only downside to this DVD set is the 4:3 aspect ratio; but assuming that's how it was originally framed it's hard to nitpick. If you can live with that, you'll get TV drama at its absolute best, a landmark series that deserves every one of its accolades.

With a fabulous supporting cast including: Geraldine Somerville (D.S. Jane Penhaligan), Lorcan Cranitch (D.S. Jimmy Beck), Christopher Eccleston (D.C.I. David Bilborough).

Highly recommended.

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Welcome addition to DVD, 4 Jun 2003
By A Customer
It is not very often that a series is crying out to be put on DVD. The big three I would choose would be Coldfeet, Inspector Morse and Cracker. Now Cracker is out, my collection is complete. I recently purchased this boxset before boarding a long flight, the onboard movies did not even get a look in for the whole journey. This series is just as exciting as it was when it was first broadcast. Christopher Eccleston and Robbie Coltrane are perfect together on screen. When Eccleston left the series it was difficult to see if the series would be as good without him. No need to worry as Ricky Tomlinson was a perfect replacement. If I had to choose one single episode as a personal favorite it would have to be "To be a somebody" which featured Robert Carlyle. The only thing missing from this set is a commentary from the writer Jimmy McGovern. Despite this small blemish, it is an excellent buy!
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars From Manchester to Hong Kong... Jimmy does it again, 8 Mar 2004
By Shawade (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
If you are like me then you grew up with Robbie C in the Young Ones and the Comic Strip - right? Could you ever have imagined him less than a decade later playing a tough but compromised psychologist drawn into Manchester's crime world through results and building reputation?

No of course not.

This is what Robbie Coltrane does so well; building the character (possibly with Jimmy Mc's help of course) into the story line and seeing strong development as the series progressed. His character acting is simply inspired.

Stories are typical Mr McGovern, strong, powerful and ever-so-slightly unbelievable with characters to match.

Very powerful, excellent British crime drama. Do they write like this anymore? Probably not. Turn off your reality TV stuff and plug into this. When you are done with all ten hours, go get Prime Suspect and do the same again; More strong stories, charatcers and early 90's fashions/cars/mobile phones.

....If, on the other hand you know Robbie Coltrane best as a huge bearded school caretaker with a passion for owls and spiders... well you are either too young to watch Fitz or you are old enough to have kids of your own... :)

Highly, highly recommended.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Buy
What a brilliant buy! For all those detective fans out there this is a must buy! Robbie Coltrane is just so brilliant at Fitz. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mrs. S. I. Morgan

4.0 out of 5 stars Cracker is a real cracker!
Basically the most imaginative tv cop drama you're ever likely to see, great cast ,script etc. DVD is sadly lacking in extras, for some reason there is only music on the first... Read more
Published on 17 May 2005 by Mr. M. J. Aviss

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed!
I've been waiting to be able to afford this box set for a long time. Having bought it, I was so disappointed because the picture quality is grainy and poor. Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2005 by Mike 'the dean' of Helston

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT VALUE FOR SOME SUPERB VIEWING
Having missed this when it was shown on the telly as I lived abroad I thought I would bite the bullet and take a chance and buy the whole lot on an assumption that I thought I... Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent Britcop Drama
The great strengths of this series are Jimmy McGovern's gripping, intelligent scripts and the terrific performances, notably from Robbie Coltrane as Fitz, and Lorcan Cranitch as... Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2004 by Hawfinch

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor Quality from supplier
As fans of cracker, i'm disappointed to advise that the quality of DVD's in the box set is not up to scratch. Read more
Published on 20 Mar 2004 by D. Campbell

5.0 out of 5 stars Who's the Daddy?? - Robbie Coltrane is - Brilliant!
Quite simply, 'Cracker' is the best series of it's ilk. There hasn't been another show even remotely connected to this genre that has come close since...... Read more
Published on 6 Mar 2004 by Russell Tit Davies

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely collection......... BUT NO EXTRAS!
We have some outstanding movies in this great box, but there are just no extras included, not even any subtitles, it's just pointless. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2003 by pwoods49

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best TV series!!!
"CRACKER" is an outstanding series with a brilliant script and some great performances. Technically, the DVD presentation is good,
but the complete absence of any extra... Read more
Published on 10 Nov 2003 by windowlicker2000

4.0 out of 5 stars Great series - but where are the episodes?
I have the same problem with these DVDs as I had with Prime Suspect - namely the producers of the DVDs have thought fit to splice all the episodes of each story together - thus... Read more
Published on 30 Sep 2003 by Norman Day

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