Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #885 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-02-02
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 476 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
A quirky drama with moments of startling originality, Life: Season One concerns Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis of Band of Brothers), a cop who spent 12 years in federal prison for murders he did not commit. Exonerated by DNA evidence, Charlie receives a multimillion-dollar settlement for his troubles and returns to his old job, though now as a detective. Cleared of the crime, Charlie still faces skepticism from his law enforcement brethren and the impatience of a new partner, Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi), a former drug addict squeezed by her superior (Robin Weigert) to find reasons to boot Charlie from the force. None of this hostility, however, compares with the terrible time Charlie experienced behind bars, where a former cop is everyone's punching bag. Charlie's sanity, saved by studying Zen methods of non-attachment, remains with him after he is released into a digital world, Charlie has a lot of catching up to do, but it is his post-prison unorthodox manner and tendency to speak without thinking that prove jarring for colleagues and crime witnesses. Still, it is easy to root for the guy and appreciate (non-attachment aside) his fondness for the good life: a mansion, fast cars, beautiful women, and lots of fresh fruit. The pilot episode is a knockout, the kind of show featuring moments one has never seen before, such as a scene in which Charlie is forced to shoot a suspect and then talks him through an almost dream-like death. Subsequent episodes are a little uneven in quality, but the overall package is quite compelling, particularly as Charlie quietly solves the mystery of the murders for which he was blamed. Throughout, Charlie's religious transformation in prison collides with his darker impulses toward possible revenge, making Life a fascinating study in conflict. --Tom Keogh

DVD Description
Life was his sentence. Life is what he got back. Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers) stars as the unconventional police officer-turned-convict-turned-detective with a second chance in each compelling Season One episode of the critically acclaimed mystery series Life. After twelve years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, offbeat Charlie Crews has returned to the force with a $50 million settlement, a new spiritual outlook, a strong fondness for fruit, and a highly unusual approach to solving crime. With the aid of his sceptical and demanding new partner, Dani Reese, played by Sarah Shahi (Rush Hour 3), he’s turning police procedure upside down in this unique and fast-paced series.

"Sharp, quirky, edgy new US crime drama"– Daily Mail

Special Features:

• Life Begins
• Fruits of Life
• Still Life
• Life’s Questions
• Answered
• Deleted Scenes
• Blooper Reel
• Audio Commentary with Cast and Crew

Synopsis
While spending 12 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit, police officer Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis) developed some curious coping skills, including a Zen-like calm and a detached, quizzical approach to reality's many injustices. When he's exonerated and released with a bag full of money, Crews buys a big house, a great car, and, unpredictably, opts to returns to the force and use his new personality quirks to help solve crimes. The first season follows this newly free detective as he investigates vicious murders alongside his edgy, outcast partner Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi), and searches the streets for the person who framed him for homicide so many years ago. As Crews navigates his newly re-claimed life, he bumps up against the members of the force who remain unconvinced of his innocence; throughout this first season, the detective gets close to department secrets that may have had something to do with his false imprisonment.

Customer Reviews

COP NOW BACK ON THE BEAT, BUT WHO SET HIM UP?
A cop series with a difference.

Damian Lewis(who starred in Band of Brothers)plays Detective Charlie Crews. A cop wrongly convicted and after spending 12 years in jail, he is back. Not just back, but financially compensated and promoted to detective.

Like all the good recent dramas there is a thread running through each series that slowly gets revealed. Who set him up? While he is trying to work this out he continues his day job, and enjoys his wealthy bachelor lifestyle.

The series is original, involving, and well acted. If you liked Dexter you will enjoy this.

Loved it - I'll keep watching this show
I picked up this first season box set on a whim. I'll admit that I never saw this show while it was on TV - but its obviously something I should have watched. Thank god for DVD box sets.

Damian Lewis plays Charlie Crews - and its hard to believe watching him on the screen that he's a UK import - he does the American accent so well. A mixture of weird Zen philosophy, cop mystery and conspiracy this show is addictive if you like your lead characters to have odd quirks and good chemistry.

The show is currently in its second season - here's hoping we get a third. However, rest assured one of the central mysteries of this season is wrapped up by the end of season 1 - it was a relief to know if the show had been canceled (and TV execs are notorious for canceling the really good shows) that you still would have had a satisfying season of TV - here's hoping that they end season 2 on the same note.

Great show but DVDs light on features
I'll make no comments on the show (which I absolutely love), I'm only commenting on the boxset. Universal have severely skimped on this with few features and very little bonus material - you're getting the show, but very little else.

It has become quite usual to have subtitle tracks in several languages, but there are no subtitles here at all, not even English for the hard of hearing. Do they think the appeal of this show is restricted to English speakers with good hearing? Personally, I watch boxsets whilst I do the ironing, and tend to run the subtitles to accommodate the washing machine hitting the spin cycle in the background. I was really surprised not to be able to do that.

'Deleted Scenes' sometimes shows you where the director wanted to go but couldn't, or explains an apparent plot hole - but not here. They are few and they are not illuminating, apart from one, which is shown in four different versions. The fourth version is the one aired. The first is the same script but a different setting, suggesting a longer-standing relationship between two of the main characters, so that was interesting. The second and third versions were really just the first version, but shot from a camera angle that included the cameras and crew. (Why? What is the point?)

There are also some little features which are, frankly, spoilers. Maybe if they'd been on the third disc I would not consider them so, but they are on disc 2 so, funnily enough, I watched them after I had watched those episodes. 'Life begins' reveals details of Dani's career that had not unfolded in the story arc yet, and I'm guessing a dramatic revelation isn't going to be quite as dramatic for me as it could have been. 'Life's Questions Answered' I stopped before it had finished as it immediately started talking about the plot at the end of the series (which I have yet to view).

It's a great show but a little more thought should have gone into the entire contents of the DVDs.