The Sequelizer: Sony Confirms Denzel Washington Equalizer Sequel

We've known for a long time that a sequel to last year's feature film version of The Equalizer was in the works and that Sony hoped it would be star Denzel Washington's first ever sequel, but now it's official. Variety reports that Sony confirmed a follow-up to the R-rated action movie, which grossed $192 million globally. According to the trade, "Washington is expected to reprise his role as vigilante Robert McCall in Equalizer 2." The role of McCall, the former spy who decides to atone for his past sins by helping those with the odds against them, was of course originated in the 1985-89 TV series by Edward Woodward (Callan). While Sony announced the sequel at this week's Cinemacon, little else is known at this time, including a release date, additional cast involvement, or whether Antoine Fuqua will return to direct. Personally, I hope he does! I thought he pulled off one of the better TV-to-film remakes, and made a damn good adult action movie in the process. I'd like to see this series continue, as the first film basically served as an origin story bringing this McCall to the doorstep of the TV version. Maybe they can get him a Jag next time around! While fans wait for the next movie to materialize, they can check out last year's surprisingly thick Equalizer novel novel by series co-creator Michael Sloan.

Listen to Red File for Callan On BBC

BBC Radio aired the first installment of a 4-part abridged reading of James Mitchell's Red File for Callan this week, and for the next month you can listen online. Red File for Callan (originally published as A Magnum for Schneider) was the novel that introduced the world to David Callan, one of the great antiheroes of the spy genre. Mitchell adapted it twice for the screen, first as an episode of Armchair Theater (which actually predated publication of the book) that served as the pilot to the Callan TV series, and later as the feature film Callan, both starring the incomparable Edward Woodward. But the novel is fantastic in its own right, and deserving of a place alongside the better known likes of Deighton and Freemantle in the canon of working class spy fiction. While abridged versions are never the best way to read (or listen to) something, Ben Miles does quite a good job narrating, and free is infinitely preferable to the inexplicably steep price of the unabridged Story Sound audiobook (which is itself quite excellent if you can find it more cheaply).
UPDATE! And... you can get it more cheaply right now! When I composed this post last night it was its usual exorbitant $64.95, but at this moment it's available on Amazon for 88% off... just $7.86! At that price, go buy this unabridged audiobook right now! Buy it! Now! You won't regret it. Who knows how long this amazing deal will last.

Read my review of Acorn's Callan: Set 1 here.
Read my review of Acorn's Callan: Set 2 here.
Read my review of Network's Callan: The Monochrome Years here.

Second Trailer and Poster for The Equalizer

Well, it doesn't look much like the classic Eighties TV series, but the latest trailer for the feature film version of The Equalizer does look pretty good! (I can't say the same for the new poster, however, which isn't nearly as good as the advance one.) Denzel Washington stars as former intelligence operative McCall in this update of the Edward Woodward TV show. In a startling difference from Woodward's McCall, Washington's McCall doesn't use guns. But he's clearly still plenty deadly. The Equalizer opens September 26 in theaters and IMAX.

Trailer: The Equalizer

The first trailer is out for the big screen remake of The Equalizer. Denzel Washington steps into the role made famous by Edward Woodward on the Eighties TV show, that of Robert McCall, a former intelligence agent who uses his unique skill set to help people with the odds against him. At least that's what the show was about. The movie looks a little different. And while it does have a shot of a car's headlights turning on (albeit a wide shot from afar), the classic Stewart Copeland theme is nowhere to be heard.

Second Season of The Equalizer Finally Coming to DVD! (UPDATED)

As hoped for, apparently the upcoming big screen version of The Equalizer has spurred enough new interest in the original 1985-89 Edward Woodward TV series to at long last yield a DVD release of Season 2! Way back in 2008, Universal released The Equalizer: Season One on DVD. Fans hoped that release would be quickly followed by the other three seasons, but that never happened. All that time the feature version was in development (Russell Crowe was at one time attached when the film was set up at The Weinstein Company; now his American Gangster co-star Denzel Washington is starring for Warner Bros.), and word was Uni was waiting for the film to materialize. Now that's finally happening, but it's not Universal releasing the DVDs. Instead the title has been licensed out to VEI, distributed in the U.S. by Millennium. TV Shows On DVD reports that they've set a street date of August 26 for The Equalizer: Season Two, and an MSRP of just $29.99. (It's currently listed for pre-order on Amazon for a mere $20.99!) Additionally, on June 3 VEI will whet our appetites with a single-disc "Best Of" release. The Equalizer starred Woodward as former spy McCall, atoning for his past sins by helping those who found the odds against them. The extra-textual backstory was that Woodward had of course played a spy himself much earlier in his career in Callan. Guest stars on the show's second season include Kevin Spacey, Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy, John Goodman and Christian Slater. (UPDATED with artwork.)

In other Edward Woodward news, it's just come to my attention that Brian Clemens' 1998 revival of his hit Seventies action spy series, CI5: The New Professionals, starring Woodward as the tough leader of the updated team, was released on DVD in Australia back in 2012. The Region 4 release from the Madman label marks the first time that show has been available on DVD anywhere, so Woodward completists will want to take note.

Tradecraft: Nicolas Winding Refn to Direct The Equalizer

Well this is cool. According to Deadline, one of the hottest young directors out there, Nicolas Winding Refn, has signed on to direct the feature film version of the 80s action series The Equalizer. Denzel Washington signed on to star a year ago, although it's still unclear whether he'll be playing McCall, the role originated on TV by Edward Woodward, or a different equalizing former intelligence operative. The trade blog reports that the new movie, scripted by Richard Wenk (The Expendables 2), is only "loosely" based on the show, revealing only that Washington will play "a solitary, monastic figure who hates injustice and devotes himself to helping people who are being victimized." [UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter reports that Washington will be McCall, but they're not always reliable on such subjects.] Refn's involvement has me very excited about this. Drive was excellent, and I look forward to seeing what he does with a mainstream action franchise. (And if the 80s synth-infused soundtrack to Drive is any indication, I'd say it's likely Refn will at least retain Stewart Copeland's iconic theme music from the TV version!) The Danish director has also directed Casino Royale baddie Mads Mikkelsen in the Pusher trilogy and Valhalla Rising. Could he become the Equalizer villain as well? Washington, meanwhile, is coming off a career-best performance in Flight, and should be in fine badass form under Refn's direction. He's got some huge shoes to fill, though. It's a shame that Woodward is no longer around to make a cameo.

Network Spy Sale

Network, the awesome UK DVD company responsible for the Region 2 releases of so many classic spy series and ITC adventure shows, is currently running an all-spy sale called their "Shadow State Sale." It's a great opportunity to pick up some fantastic serious spy shows, like Callan (review here), The Sandbaggers and Danger Man, at reasonable prices! Network's Callan releases include the reunion telefilm "Wet Job" and what survives of the original monochrome series (review here), neither of which have been released in Region 1 to date, so American spy fans with all-region players should take note. Another notable Edward Woodward title included in the sale is the 80s miniseries Codename: Kyril (review here), which had been out of print for a while and is well worth seeking out! Further great titles on sale include the excellent Mr. Palfrey of Westminster (which contains bonus material not found on the Region 1 release reviewed here), The Quiller Memorandum, The Ipcress File (also with bonus material not found in Region 1), and the Sixties anthology series Espionage, among others. I'm not sure how long The Shadow State Sale runs for.

Equalizer Movie Moves Forward With Washington

Huh. I didn't really think this would actually happen. But Deadline reports that the long, long-in-the-works feature adaptation of the classic 1980s TV show The Equalizer is moving forward, with Denzel Washington in the Edward Woodward role. (Washington's attachment was first reported in December.) In fact, it's not only happening, but it's fast-tracked! The trade blog reports that Sony has set an April 8 start date in order to lock down Washington. The studio's shortlist of director candidates for the tightly budgeted thriller reportedly includes Pierre Morel, Nicolas Winding Refn, Gavin O’Connor and Gareth Evans. Like Woodward, Washington will play a former secret agent atoning for past sins by helping those with the odds against them. However, Deadline cautions that this "loose adaptation" has "that basic premise but takes off in its own way, tailored to Washington’s skills." Therefore, I'm hesitant to even suggest that Washington will play McCall. He may portray a new character altogether. The original Equalizer was to some extent inspired by Woodward's must-see 1960s spy series Callan.

Tradecraft: The Equalizer Returns

After a series of stops and starts with various directors, various studios and various stars attached (I think Russell Crowe was the last name I heard), Variety reports that the long-in-the-works, on again off again big screen version of the Eighties spy show The Equalizer is back on. This time the studio is Sony, and the star is Denzel Washington. Richard Wenk (who wrote the Jason Statham Mechanic remake and contributed to the Expendables 2 script) will write the script which, according to the trade, "revolves around a former secret agent who offers his investigative services in order to atone for his past sins..." exactly like the TV show. The 1985-89 show starred the great Edward Woodward as McCall, the former spook who lent his services to people with the odds against them and nowhere else to turn. The intertextual thing going on there was that Woodward had played a moody government assassin years earlier on Callan (which happens to be one of the best spy shows of all time). Callan had to do some terrible things that weighed heavily on his conscience, and McCall easily could have been what he became a few decades later. It's too bad that Washington doesn't bring the same ex-spy extratextual baggage that, say, Timothy Dalton would have... but then he has the clout to get a movie greenlit. And I think Washington will be good. Done right, this should do for him what Taken did for Liam Neeson. McCall is the epitome of the old guy who can kick your ass. Most of all, though, I hope the movie gets the remaining seasons of the show released on DVD. Universal put out Season One a few years ago, and then dropped the ball. Denzel Washington will next be seen playing a secret agent in Safe House.

Full Details On Nikita DVDs

We already knew that the first season of The CW's reboot of Nikita (based on Luc Besson's 1990 movie and the subsequent US/Canadian TV series) starring Maggie Q was due on DVD and Blu-ray this summer.  Now, thanks to TV Shows On DVD, we have more details... and final cover art. The two releases of Nikita: The Complete First Season will be out on August 30. The 5-disc DVD set will retail for $59.98 and the 4-disc Blu-ray for $69.97—though both are available to pre-order from Amazon for substantial discounts. Warner are being very generous with the bonus material, which sounds quite interesting! On both releases, we'll get the documentaries "Inside Division, Part 1: The New Nikita" - (in which we discover what elements from the previous versions of La Femme Nikita were important to preserve and protect and what twists and changes needed to be made in order to reinvent Nikita for a new generation), "Inside Division, Part 2: Executing an Episode" (which focuses on how the sets, costumes, weapons, lighting, editing and music were all fashioned to reflect the creators' new vision) and "Profiling Nikita, Alex, Percy & Michael" (a look at the characters and the actors who play them). We'll also be treated to commentaries on two episodes, copious deleted scenes and a gag reel. In addition to all that, the Blu-ray will also boast an exclusive feature called "Division Tracker" which enables viewers to "hack into Division and uncover a global tracking device designed to record every major character's move throughout the years." I'm not totally sure what that means, but it could be cool!

Meanwhile, all the seasons of USA's late 90s TV version of La Femme Nikita, which are usually way overpriced in the $90 range, are currently on sale on Amazon for just $15.99 apiece!  It's a great time to pick them up, because in addition to the bargain price, Warner has just reissued the lot in slimmer, sturdier cases.  Check out:

La Femme Nikita: The Complete First Season
La Femme Nikita: The Complete Second Season
La Femme Nikita: The Complete Third Season
La Femme Nikita: The Complete Fourth Season
La Femme Nikita: The Complete Fifth Season (Featuring Edward Woodward!)

Upcoming Spy DVDs From MGM's Limited Edition Collection

Including Works From Broccoli and Saltzman, Diana Rigg, Edward Woodward, Richard Johnson and More!

The next monthly wave of titles from MGM's MOD program, the Limited Edition Collection, includes some real spy gems!  Most exciting is the spy movie that Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman collaborated on between Dr. No and From Russia With Love: 1963's Call Me Bwana, starring Bob Hope and Anita Ekberg. Long unavailable on home video and never before released in widescreen (though it's run that way on TCM), this title is probably best known to Bond fans for the in-joke in Sean Connery's second 007 outing. Bond's ally Kerim Bey uses 007's Q-issued sniper rifle to shoot the Bulgarian KGB stooge Krilencu as he attempts to escape his safe house through a secret exit in the mouth of Anita Ekberg on a poster for Call Me Bwana painted on the side of his building. (In Ian Fleming's novel, it was Marilyn Monroe.)  But Bwana is notable for more than that; it's a spy movie in its own right.  When an unmanned American space capsule crash-lands in the African veldt, the CIA sends self-professed African expert Bob Hope (The Road to Hong Kong) to retrieve it.  The other side sends beautiful secret agent Anita Ekberg (The Cobra) and scientist Lionel Jeffries (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), and soon all the interested parties find themselves on safari together.  In typical Bob Hope fashion, hilarity ensues.  Much of the Bond team established on Dr. No remains in place here, including editor Peter Hunt, production designer Syd Cain, composer Monty Norman, D.P. Ted Moore, title designer Maurice Binder and scribe Johanna Harwood.

The 1969 Eurospy movie The File of the Golden Goose doesn't quite live up to the promise of its all-star cast (which includes Edward Woodward, Charles Grey, Yul Brynner, Walter Gotell, Ivor Dean, John Barrie and Adrienne Corri), but it's still a welcome release on DVD. American Secret Service agent Brynner is sent to England where he teams up with Scotland Yard detective Woodward to go undercover to bust a brutal counterfeit gang known as the Golden Goose. All the double-crossing expected of the spy genre ensues, but the stodgy movie feels more like a generic Forties or Fifties noir (thanks in part to some unnecessary narration), belying its origins as a remake of 1947's T-Men. Director Sam Wanamaker made a much better Eurospy movie the following year, The Executioner, which has already been issued on MOD from Columbia.

Don Sharp's 1975 political thriller Hennessy is a real surprise! Based on a story conceived by Deadlier Than the Male star Richard Johnson, its contriversial subject matter ensured an extremely limited release in Seventies Britain, and it's never been very widely available since.  Fans have long demanded it on DVD, but probably never thought it would actually happen. Rod Steiger plays Hennessy, a peaceful Irishman driven to extremism after his wife and child are killed during violence in Belfast. As retribution he plots to assassinate the Queen of England by bombing the British Parliament when the Royal Family is in attendance. Johnson plays the Special Branch operative out to stop him, and Eric Porter plays an IRA thug out to stop him as well, out of fear of British reprisals in Ireland for such a horrific act. Trevor Howard, Lee Remick, Patrick Stewart and Queen Elizabeth II herself (via stock footage) co-star.

Diana Rigg fans will be pleased to note that this wave of titles also includes Peter Hall's 1968 version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream starring Rigg (between The Avengers and Bond) as Helena. Judi Dench, decades prior to playing M, also appears, as Titania.  Impossibly young versions of Ian Holm (Game Set Match), Helen Mirren (RED), Michael Jayston (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Barbara Jefford (who lent her voice to Daniella Bianchi's Tatiana Romanova in From Russia With Love) round out the dream cast.

Though there are no pre-order links up yet, all of these titles will be available soon from online outlets like Amazon and Screen Archives Entertainment.

New Spy DVDs Out This Week and Last

Farewell
I was very curious about this fact-based French spy film when it got limited theatrical release late last year, but I didn't have the opportunity to see it.  I look forward to rectifying that now that it's available on DVD and Blu-ray from Terra. Director Christian (Joyeux Noël) Carion's film traces the true story of a KGB defector who enlisted the unwitting aid of a French engineer working in the Soviet Union during the 1980s to smuggle secrets (including ones pertaining to American national security) out of the country to French intelligence. The DVD retails for $24.98 and the Blu-ray for $34.98, though both are significantly cheaper on Amazon, as usual.

Arabesque
Moving from harrowing true spy stories to fluffy ones of the most escapist variety, we come to the mod, ultra-Sixties confection Arabesque. Though it's been available for some time as part of the boxed set The Gregory Peck Collection, Stanley Donen's 1966 follow-up to Charade was finally issued on its own last week (along with a Peck mystery of similar vintage, Mirage). Try as it might, Arabesque doesn't quite recapture Charade's particular magic, but Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren make charming and attractive stand-ins for Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, and the story of a college professor caught up in psychedelic intrigue involving a beautiful spy and Middle Eastern politics is still plenty of fun. And "psychedelic" is the operative word, even if you wouldn't expect it to be used in the same sentence as "Gregory Peck." Donen gleefully taps into the zeitgeist of the moment, and that wonderfully dated view of Swinging London is a big part of what makes the film so appealing today. (You can see plenty of examples in this article on SpyVibe.) Universal's single-disc release of Arabesque (on DVD only) is a steal at the MSRP of just $14.98... but it's even cheaper than that on Amazon.

Thanks to Collin for the heads-up on that one... and I'm sorry I took so many weeks to finally act on it!

Any Human Heart
Any Human Heart based on the acclaimed novel by William Boyd, is only partially a spy story, but it does involve James Bond creator Ian Fleming as a character.  The miniseries, which recently aired in American on PBS' Masterpiece, follows a writer named Logan Mountstuart as his life intersects with a number of famous figures, including Fleming (played by Casino Royale's Tobias Menzies), Ernest Hemingway (Foyle's War's Julian Ovenden), Wallis Simpson (Johnny English Reborn's Gillian Anderson) and her husband the Duke of Windsor (Hanna's Tom Hollander). Mountstuart is played at different points during his life by Sam Claflin, Spooks/MI-5's Matthew Macfadyen and Jim Broadbent.  Hayley Atwell (one of the few highlights of the 2009 Prisoner remake) also stars.  Menzies' Fleming only appears in a couple of scenes, though one is a key moment when, as assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence, he assigns Macfadyen's Mountstuart to a wartime spy mission involving Wallis and Edward. The DVD, from PBS, contains all four episodes as they originally aired in the UK, not the re-edited 3-episode configuration seen on American TV. It also includes a wealth of special features, including interviews with Boyd and the actors, an On Set featurette, and deleted scenes. Retail is $29.99, though it can currently be had for half that on Amazon.

Callan: Wet Job
The most exciting spy release of the last few weeks, however, has to be the 1981 Callan reunion telefilm "Wet Job," which is finally available on DVD! (In the UK, anyway, as a PAL Region 2 release from Network.) It didn't get included as a bonus feature in Network's Callan: The Colour Years, but now it sees its first ever legitimate home video release as a standalone.  Despite being scripted by series creator James Mitchell, "Wet Job" doesn't have a very good reputation.  (Even Edward Woodward disparaged it in his commentary on the Acorn release Callan: Set 2.) That said, fans of the series (and, really, any spy fan should be a fan of this amazing series) will still rejoice to be able at last to own this elusive postscript to one of the best serious spy shows of all time.  Retail is £14.99, but it's currently much cheaper on Amazon.co.uk. Bear in mind, though, that next Ocotober the company will issue Callan: The Definitive Collection, a 12-disc megaset collecting every surviving black and white episode from seasons 1 and 2, every color episode from seasons 3 and 4, the original Armchair Theatre pilot play, "A Magnum For Schneider," "Wet Job," a brand new Callan documentary and a definitive book on the series by Andrew Pixley. That will retail for £99.99 (though it's currently available to pre-order for £69.99). It's great that Callan will finally get Network's usual special feature treatment, but at the same time no doubt annoying to fans who have already purchased The Monochrome Years and The Colour Years on their own. Hopefully the company will make the documentary available individually as well, as they have done in the past with their Prisoner and Saint documentaries. Fingers crossed! In the meantime, I'm absolutely thrilled that I'll finally be able to see "Wet Job," even if I know it won't be up to the standards of the show itself. This is the spy release of the spring!

Upcoming Spy DVDs: The Edward Woodward Hour

In addition to the upcoming release of the Callan reunion telefilm "Wet Job" (still not officially announced, but available to pre-order on Amazon), it looks like Network has another treat for Callan fans up its sleeve.  It's The Edward Woodward Hour, and Edward Woodward variety show from the Seventies.  Yes, you read that right.  I think Network can do a better job of explaining it than I, so I'll let them do their thing. But don't give up now, Callan fans; be sure to read through.  There really is a spy aspect to this odd release!

Though primarily known as a serious actor, drama was only one of the strings to Edward Woodward’s bow. A significant proportion of his stage work included musicals and music-themed shows, gaining him a Variety Club award for the Best Performance in a Musical. Singing was undoubtedly one of the great loves of his life, and his strong tenor voice graced numerous best-selling albums – the enthusiasm for his work shining through.

With the success of Callan, Woodward became a household name – this popularity giving him the chance to show his lighter side in three light entertainment specials in the early 1970s for Thames Television. Sadly only the first one still remains in the archive, but it ably showcases Woodward’s whimsical side; jokes and music abound, while his guests in this show include Beryl Reid, Patrick Cargill and Russell Hunter. The highlight of the show, however, is the Callan vs Father, Dear Father sketch – something that no self-respecting Callan fan can be without!

Callan vs. Father, Dear Father sketch??? The tense Woodward spy drama versus the Patrick Cargill sitcom?  What the who? I can't imagine what that is, but this I've got to see! Unfortunately, the original transmission master for this surviving special no longer exists, so Network has used an off-air recording, meaning that the quality won't be top-notch, but at least we'll have the opportunity to see this weird obscurity!

The Edward Woodward Hour, a PAL Region 2 DVD, will be available on March 28. Retail is £15.31, but it will be available from Network's website for £9.18. (Odd price points.)

Upcoming Spy DVDs: Callan: Wet Job

The 1981 Callan reunion telefilm "Wet Job" is finally headed to DVD! It didn't get included as a bonus feature in Network's Callan: The Colour Years, but this March the UK company will release it on its own. This marks the first ever legitimate home video release of "Wet Job."  Despite being scripted by series creator James Mitchell, "Wet Job" doesn't have a very good reputation.  (Even Edward Woodward disparaged it in his commentary on the Acorn release Callan: Set 2.) That said, fans of the series (and, really, any spy fan should be a fan of this amazing series) will still rejoice to be able at last to own this elusive postscript to one of the best serious spy shows of all time.  While the title hasn't yet been officially announced by Network, an Amazon UK listing shows the release date for the Region 2 PAL disc as March 28, 2011.  Retail is £14.99, but it can be pre-ordered from Amazon right now for just £8.99. Then (also according to Amazon), next Ocotober the company will issue Callan: The Definitive Collection, a 12-disc megaset collecting every surviving black and white episode from seasons 1 and 2, every color episode from seasons 3 and 4, the original Armchair Theatre pilot play, "A Magnum For Schneider," "Wet Job," a brand new Callan documentary and a definitive book on the series by Andrew Pixley. That will retail for £99.99 (though it's currently available to pre-order for £69.99). It's great that Callan will finally get Network's usual special feature treatment, but at the same time no doubt annoying to fans who have already purchased The Monochrome Years and The Colour Years on their own. Hopefully the company will make the documentary available individually as well, as they have done in the past with their Prisoner and Saint documentaries. Fingers crossed! In the meantime, I'm absolutely thrilled that I'll finally be able to see "Wet Job," even if I know it won't be up to the standards of the show itself. This is great news!

Read my review of Acorn's Callan: Set 1 (comprising the first color season) here.
Read my review of Acorn's Callan: Set 2 (comprising the second color season) here.
Read my review of Network's Callan: The Monochrome Years (comprising the two original black and white seasons) here.

New Spy DVDs Out This Week

After a bit of a drought, there are finally some big spy releases again this week. 

First and foremost, on the big-budget studio front, there's Knight and Day, available as a single-disc DVD, a 3-Disc DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack with Digital Copy, and a "limited time Holiday Gift Set," which seems to be the same as the Combo Pack, but without the stupid digital copy. (That one also works out to be the cheapest.) Special features on all three versions include the featurettes "Wilder Knights and Crazier Days," "Boston Days and Spanish Nights," "Story," "Scope" and "Knight and 'Someday': Featuring the Black Eyed Peas and Tom Cruise" (which may actually be the worst special feature ever on a DVD!), the viral videos "Soccer" and "Kick" and the theatrical trailer.  The Blu-ray configurations will include all that plus the BD-Live Extras "What’s New, "Live LookUp," "Exclusive: Not Your Regular Spy" and "Highlight: Excerpt from Wilder Knights and Crazier Days." (No, I'm not quite sure what the advantage is of having an excerpt from a featurette also included in its entirety, but there you have it.)  SRP is $39.99 for the 3-disc Combo Pack (though it's half that right now on Amazon), $34.98 for the limited Holiday Gift Set (also cheaper, of course) and $29.98 for the DVD (ditto). I wish they'd had the courage to stick with the film's really cool theatrical poster design for the cover, but given its poor box office reception it was probably a good idea to switch to a more traditional show-the-stars'-faces look. And as far as star face DVD covers go, this one's actually not bad. This movie got a bad rap because the press wanted Tom Cruise to fail, but I found it to be a lot of fun.  (Read my review here.)

On the other side of the pond, Network has a couple of Region 2 releases that will be of interest to spy fans. It's not "Wet Job," but Whodunnit? is a Callan reunion of sorts. Whodunnit? is a unique panel gameshow from the Seventies hosted by Callan himself, Edward Woodward, on which Russell Hunter (Lonely on Callan) is one of the guests.  The show challenged celebrity contestants to solve a fictional murder mystery.  I'm not familiar with it myself, but it sounds kind of awesome!  According to Network's description, Whodunnit? "presented short dramas laden with clues to be pieced together by the panellists, who would then question the characters involved and finally point the finger at the most likely suspect; lively repartee was the order of the day." Other guests appearing on the first season (which is what you get, along with the pilot, on this 2-disc set) include James Bond author Kingsley Amis and real-life private eye Anne Summer.  The PAL Region 2 DVD retails for £19.99, but can be ordered from Network's website for just £11.99.

Also new from Network is Scorpion Tales, an anthology series of six one-hour plays "each linked by the scorpion-like twist in its denouement," according to Network's publicity.  Of most interest to spy fans will be the Prisoner-like sixth episode, "Truth or Consequence" by Brian Phelan, which follows a jet pilot who sets out for a training course at a remote secret service base. En route, he finds his car has been sabotaged, and on arriving, he is subjected to physical and mental abuse and accused of passing on intelligence documents. Terrifyingly, both his wife and father seem to be in collusion with the military authorities. He doesn't know what to believe, or to whom can he turn for help. Scorpion Tales, a 2-disc PAL Region 2 release, retails for £19.99. It can currently be ordered from Network's website, though, for just £14.99. (And there's a sale going on on web exclusives that makes it even cheaper still: £10.49!)

I mentioned there'd been a bit of a drought lately, but I've also overlooked some important releases in the last few weeks.  Last week saw the release of Who? from Scorpion Releasing (speaking of scorpions), and BBC released Sherlock the week before.  As previously reported, Who? is a 1974 Cold War spy-fi movie starring Elliott Gould and Trevor Howard, based on the novel by Algis Budrys (thanks, Tex). The plot mixes espionage and robots–but in a very gritty, serious, Seventies way, not a Sixties Casino Royale/Some Girls Do Way. Scorpion's DVD will contain a plethora of bonus features, including separate audio commentaries with director Jack Gold and star Elliott Gould, an interview with co-star Edward Grover and a brand new 16x9 (1.78:1) widescreen transfer. Retail is $19.95, but of course it's cheaper on Amazon.

Sherlock is the fresh, contemporary take on Sherlock Holmes devised by Lucifer Box creator Mark Gatiss and current Doctor Who (speaking of Who?) producer Steven Moffat.  Benedict Cumberbatch (the upcoming Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) and The Office's Martin Freeman (soon to be Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit) star as Holmes and Watson, respectively.  (Sorry; "Sherlock" and "John" as they're now referred to.)  As with many of the best Holmes adaptations, it uses the character of Sherlock's brother Mycroft Holmes to inject a healthy dose of espionage into the proceedings.  Mycroft (played by an actor who should probably be recognizable to fans of the material covered on this blog) pops up in two of the three feature-length episodes, and the final one, "The Great Game," is partially an adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's very best spy tale, "The Bruce Partington Plans."  Beyond the spy angle, though, this is hands-down the best adaptation of Sherlock Holmes in years, and just so much fun.  Bond composer David Arnold provides the soundtrack.  Sherlock: Season One is available on DVD (SRP $29.99, but obviously available cheaper if you look in the right places) and Blu-ray ($39.99, but currently discounted enough on Amazon that it's actually cheaper than the DVD).  To make up for the fact that the "season" contains only three episodes (only in England!), there are lots of bonus features, including commentaries by Gatiss, Moffat and others, a making-of featurette and--best of all--the unaired, original, hour-long version of the pilot, which was totally reshot.

Upcoming Spy(ish) DVDs: Edward Woodward In Whodunnit?

It's not "Wet Job," but it's a Callan reunion of sorts in Whodunnit?, a unique panel gameshow from the Seventies hosted by Edward Woodward on which Russell Hunter (Lonely on Callan) is one of the guests.  And it's coming to Region 2 DVD this fall from Network.  Whodunnit? challenged celebrity contestants to solve a fictional murder mystery.  I'm not familiar with the show myself, but UK readers who were around in the Seventies probably remember it.  Here's Network's description: "The show’s brilliantly original formula, devised by comedians Lance Percival and Jeremy Lloyd (and revived in the 1990s for Cluedo), presented short dramas laden with clues to be pieced together by the panellists, who would then question the characters involved and finally point the finger at the most likely suspect; lively repartee was the order of the day." Other guests appearing on the first season (which is what you get, along with the pilot, on this 2-disc set) include James Bond author Kingsley Amis and real-life private eye Anne Summer.  The PAL Region 2 DVD comes out on November 29 and retails for £19.99, though it will be available from Network's website discounted to just £11.99.

Tradecraft: Paul Haggis In Talks To Write The Equalizer

After co-writing the last two James Bond movies, Paul Haggis is in talks to take on another famous British secret agent: Robert McCall.  Russell Crowe has been attached to the project for some time, not only to step into Edward Woodward's shoes as star, but also to produce (along with Jack Ryan producer Mace Neufeld and a host of others).  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Crowe and Haggis recently worked together on the thriller The Next Three Days, and are apparently keen to re-team.  McCall is a former secret agent turned private vigilante who helps people with problems who find the odds against them.  While it seemed pretty clear that McCall and David Callan were separate characters, the extra-textual baggage of Woodward's previous spy role certainly helped sell the conceit of the TV series, which ran from 1985-1989.  Crowe carries far less spy baggage, but he has been known to be convincing as a badass, which is crucial for the part.  The Equalizer was in development for years at The Weinstein Company, but didn't go anywhere thanks to TWC's financial problems. Now, apparently, Crowe and his cronies have full control, and are shopping it to other studios.  Maybe if this movie version actually happens, Universal will finally get around to releasing the rest of the TV show on DVD!  (So far they've only put out Season One.)

DVD Review: Codename: Kyril (1988)

DVD Review: Codename: Kyril (1988)

Of all the 80s spy miniseries made for British television that I’ve been watching lately, Codename: Kyril is by far the most enjoyable. That’s thanks more to the cast of well-known actors and first-rate production values than the script (by Smiley’s People scribe John Hopkins, based on a novel by John Trenhaile), though. Fantastic actors, fantastic sets and locations and slick cinematography put it head-and-shoulders above the others, but don’t help it make much sense. The plot is very dense and undeniably muddled, but everything that’s actually going on on screen–from the dialogue to the rather impressive action setpieces–makes it easy to swallow nonetheless. I stopped trying to mentally plug every plot hole and instead just went with it, and let myself be carried by the frequent twists and turns the story takes, savoring the rich performances along the way. And it was a thoroughly enjoyable ride.

The version of Codename: Kyril available on Region 2 DVD from Network is not the cut-down movie version that aired on American television and subsequently enjoyed a VHS release. This is the full two part miniseries, totaling nearly four hours. I’m actually a little bit curious about the two-hour cut version, because it would certainly be possible to edit all of this material into a tighter, more streamlined and more cohesive story... but in all likelihood the truncations probably just make it even more muddled. Given a choice, I’d much rather see the full, uncut miniseries, because there’s a lot of globetrotting espionage to enjoy, and the pacing works quite well as it stands, so I would hate to see individual sequences needlessly pared.

Codename: Kyril follows two rival moles working against each other to prevent their exposure–one in MI6's London Station (note the Le Carré jargon) and one in Moscow Centre. This isn’t a who’s-the-traitor? mystery, though, like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; the audience is aware of the moles’ identities very early on. Instead it’s about watching the game unfold, as they and their superiors each make moves and counter-moves. The great Edward Woodward plays Royston, the Russian mole very highly placed inside MI6, as a haughty, petulant asshole with a penchant for bow ties. He’s about as far away from Woodward’s career-launching spy role of David Callan as one can get–but a bit closer to Robert McCall gone bad. (Codename: Kyril was made while The Equalizer was still on the air.) He answers to Joss Ackland as C, the head of MI6 who doesn’t realize there’s a traitor within his organization. On the other side, Denholm Elliott plays Povin, the bookish, bespectacled highly-ranking KGB man passing secrets to the British. His performance is somewhat similar to the “complicated man behind a phony, ‘silly ass’ facade” with which he imbued his Smiley in A Murder of Quality. Quintessential Englishman Elliott seems a bit too British to pass for Russian, but then again we’re dealing with an entirely English-speaking, Russian-accented KGB here–an 80s TV conceit that works just fine for me. Peter Vaughn plays the Russian spymaster, Stanov, and unlike his English counterpart, he knows that he has a mole in his organization. It’s his efforts to force that mole to reveal himself that set the story into motion.

Stanov sends a very capable and highly trusted agent code named–obviously–Kyril (Ian Charleson) out into the cold to pose as a defector, thus flushing out the British mole and forcing him to make a stupid mistake. He is bait, and he knows it. The finer points of Stanov’s plan were never totally clear to me (why would a defector take his knowledge of a British mole to the British, who would already be well aware of that?), but of course events don’t go exactly according to plan anyway–and the way that things actually turn out is much easier to follow than the way they were intended to go. MI5, meanwhile, has uncovered a KGB treasurer and armorer operating in London–and makes the mistake of contacting Royston about their discovery. He takes charge of attempts to turn the spy–operating, of course, according to his own agenda. To that end he recruits a patriotic lawyer and sometime MI6 agent named Sculby, played by Richard E. Grant (at his most flamboyantly 80s). The Russian agent, Loshkevoi, meanwhile, is making his way through Europe (to make the defection look genuine), with the eventual objective of hooking up with his London girlfriend, Emma (Catherine Neilson), who has come under Sculby’s observation in the course of his mission. Those are the key players, and it should be clear from their numbers alone that they’re probably better suited to a miniseries than a TV movie. It helps to have so many recognizable actors in the roles, as that makes it easier to keep track of all these characters.

While the intrigue is pure Le Carré, the action is more Ludlum. The combination of those two makes for ideal miniseries material. Kyril’s defection route takes him from Moscow to Amsterdam, across Europe to London. Along the way he stops to cash out his own stashes of money and weapons and passports that any good agent would have accrued over years in the field, all in order to make the defection look real to both sides. (This deception is crucial, since Stanov doesn’t know who in Moscow Centre he can trust.) That also pits Kyril against his own KGB comrades, whose orders are to stop him using any means necessary–short of killing. This scenario leads to some accomplished action sequences–including a chase across Dutch rooftops ending in gunplay and a large explosion.

The locations themselves–a key element in any spy tale–are phenomenal. East Anglia doesn’t stand in for Russia. This miniseries clearly had a budget. And director Ian Sharp (2nd Unit Director on GoldenEye) makes the most of it. Codename: Kyril was shot on location in London, Bristol, Amsterdam and Oslo. Oslo makes a very convincing Moscow. I don’t claim to have been to Moscow (in the 80s or ever), but I was sold. I would have believed it was Moscow if I didn’t know better. It’s clearly cold enough, and the buildings and trains look distinctive enough that they won’t be confused for British. Even the locations within England are superb, spanning from a very modern looking MI6 office space to a spacious London flat to a sprawling country house–a wing of which the Public Trust makes available to MI6 for use as a safe house.

The prolonged climax in which all the characters finally comes together (or most of them, anyway) takes place at that country house, and I couldn’t help but flash back to Callan while watching Edward Woodward pace around a giant, darkened country safehouse waiting for a supposed defector to appear! It’s “The Richmond File” all over again–only circumstances are somewhat reversed.

The climax that events in that country house build to is inevitable, but the suspense–and the fun–comes in how we get there. You always know that these 80s British spy miniseries are going to try to outdo each other in terms of utterly bleak, existential endings. That was a mark of the genre in those days. You know how it’s all going to end (badly) but the game is guessing why... and how it will get there. And, of course, who will survive. Characters don’t necessarily have to die in order for things to turn out poorly for them.

One of the many things that Codename: Kyril has going for it is that we actually do care about these characters’ fates–on both sides of the equation. Royston is the closest thing to an actual villain on display–but that’s more because of what an utter prick he is than because he’s a traitor. (And despite that, he’s still kind of badass–mainly thanks to Woodward.) The other Russian characters come off pretty well. It’s quite interesting, in fact, that the story is told largely from the Soviet agents’ point of view. Even the assassin who’s dispatched from Moscow late in the game and murders a pivotal–and likable–character is not presented as a bad guy. He’s merely someone with a job to do, like everyone else. And he questions that job for a moment, but ultimately does what he’s paid to do. Most of the spies in Codename: Kyril are just pawns, slaves to the whims and machinations of spymasters and victims of traitors and moles.

Codename: Kyril may not tell a totally cohesive story, but it doesn’t need to. It’s got so much else going for it. Huge stars, fine performances, slick production and great locations all add up to provide everything you could ask for from a spy miniseries of this era. (And of its era it certainly is–from Richard E. Grant’s and Hugh Fraser’s hair to all the neon lights to Grant’s oversized checkerboard linen sports coat, Codename: Kyril screams 80s.) If you, like me, often find yourself wishing that there were more miniseries from this time based on the works of Robert Ludlum and John Le Carré, Codename: Kyril will satisfy you on both fronts.  Right now, the Region 2 PAL disc is available exclusively through Network's website.

New Spy DVDs Out This Week

The streak continues.  Once again, the most notable new spy DVD of the week comes from the United Kingdom... and from the ever-reliable Network.  Their newest release of interest is Codename: Kyril, a late Eighties British miniseries starring a stellar spy cast including Joss Ackland, Peter Vaughn, Denholm Elliott, Richard E. Grant, Hugh Fraser and spy legend Edward Woodward.  Codename: Kyril has been available in a truncated two-hour movie version on VHS, but this Region 2 PAL DVD release marks the first time it's ever been available in its nearly four-hour entirety.  The plot is a tad muddled, but this globetrotting tale of rival moles in British and Russian intelligence boasats just the right mixture of Ludlum and Le Carré that makes for perfect Eighties miniseries viewing. Right now it's available only as a Network exclusive from the company's website for £12.99.

Meanwhile, in America, we get Operation: Endgame from Anchor Bay Entertainment.  This violent spy/assassin comedy (which seems to have shades of Duane Swierczynski's novel Severance Package) may be going direct to DVD (and Blu-ray, of course), but it stars quite a roster of name actors including both spy vets like Ving Rhames and Maggie Q and talented comedians like Jeffrey Tambor, Rob Corddry and the great Zach Galifianakis (who's finally getting his due thanks to The Hangover)... as spies.  Killing each other.  Bloodily.  If that notion alone doesn't have you intrigued, the plot finds rival teams of covert operatives set against each other with improvised weapons inside their (underground) office complex after their boss dies.  Extras include an alternate beginning, alternate ending and 11-minute behind-the-scenes featurette. The DVD will run you $15.49 on Amazon, the BD $24.99.

Finally, Hannie Caulder deserves a mention.  It's not a spy movie, but any movie pairing Raquel Welch and Robert Culp certainly bears a mention on a site like this... especially when it's one that's been missing in action on DVD for so long!  (In America, anyway.)  Relative newcomer Olive Films has stepped up to the plate where Paramount has so long come up short and finally put this curiously compelling 1971 Western revenge movie on Region 1 DVD.  (It's just a pity they didn't use any of the famously sexy poster artwork featuring Raquel in nothing but a poncho and a holster for the cover!) Christopher Lee, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam, Strother Martin and Stephen Boyd co-star.

Upcoming Spy DVDs: Edward Woodward In Codename: Kyril

Wow, this is a very pleasant surprise!  I only ever happened upon the existence of Codename: Kyril while researching Edward Woodward for my obituary of the great Callan actor.  From the title, it was clear that it was a spy movie, so I read about it on the IMDb and immediately wanted to see it, but that wasn't possible as it's not currently on DVD anywhere, apparently.  Well, that changes on July 26 when the spy fan's savior Network releases it on Region 2 DVD in Britain!  But that's not the surprise.  The surprise for me was learning that Codename: Kyril was not merely a TV movie, as stated on the IMDb, but a four-part miniseries!  And that is the version that Network is releasing, Codename: Kyril: The Compete Series, not the truncated movie version.  Which means that there is now a whole other Edward Woodward spy series to look forward to, one whose existence I never even knew about!  (It originally aired in 1989, while he was still The Equalizer.) Regular readers will know that I've long loved Network for their uncanny ability to resuscitate even the most obscure long-dead spy series on DVD.  But I had no idea that it was within their power to actually create new old spy shows out of the ether, as they appear to have done here!  I know next to nothing about Codename: Kyril, but I'm suddenly over the moon anticipating it!  Since I've confessed such ignorance, however, I'll let Network's own copy do the talking in describing the show: 

The KGB has a particularly evasive spy to eliminate: a high-ranking Kremlin traitor who has been leaking crucial secrets to London. Bucharensky, code-name Kyril, is ordered to defect to catch the attention of the intelligence services of both East and West, setting himself up as a target and drawing fi re from all sides as he makes his way across Europe to London; the object of his mission is to panic the traitor into making a mistake. But waiting in London is Kyril’s deadliest enemy: Royston, a KGB mole whose life now depends upon silencing Kyril before he can disclose Royston’s identity as a Soviet double agent...

Now check out the cast: besides Woodward, we have such spy stalwarts and pillars of British television as Joss Ackland, Denholm Elliott, Peter Vaughn, Hugh Fraser, Ian Charleson and Richard E. Grant!  It's written by John Hopkins (based on a novel by John Trenhaile), who also adapted Smiley's People and The Holcroft Covenant, and directed by Ian Sharp, second unit director on GoldenEye.  Yesterday I had only a vague notion of the existance of Codename: Kyril, and today it is suddenly one of my most eagerly-anticipated DVD releases of the summer.

Codename: Kyril, a Region 2 PAL DVD, is a Network web exclusive.  It retails for £14.99 but can currently be pre-ordered at a discount.