Homicide: Life on the Street The Complete Seasons 1 & 2
August 2003 Reviewed by: Rad Bennett Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Debuting in the same year, Homicide and NYPD Blue dramatically changed the perception of TV cop shows. The emphasis shifted from the crime itself to the detectives solving it. Though audiences seldom saw the actual murders on Homicide, the victims achieved greater prominence when seen through the eyes of the detectives investigating their killings. Inspired by David Simon’s book, the show was put together by noted director Barry Levinson and writer Paul Attanasio.

Having filmed Diner (1982), Tin Men (1987), and Avalon (1990) in Baltimore, Levinson was familiar with what the city had to offer, and he put together a production team that actually lived in the city during filming. The show employed a lot of extras and tech people from the Washington/Baltimore area, and became a regular topic on local 11 o’clock news programs.

The actors on Homicide were a mix of well-known figures -- like Ned Beatty and Yaphet Koto -- and relative unknowns, such as Richard Belzer and Andre Braugher. Belzer, Koto, and Braugher, along with Clarke Johnson and Kyle Secor, would remain through the show’s entire run. When you look at all the changes in the casts of shows like ER and NYPD Blue, that’s a remarkable achievement. The actors in Homicide became so identified with the characters they played that those characters achieved life outside the show. Detective John Munch, played dryly by Belzer, is now a regular on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. When Homicide was at the top of the game, its characters regularly interacted with the original Law and Order lineup.

One of the most powerful characters was Frank Pembleton, a role that will forever be identified with actor Andre Braugher. Frank loved to get suspects in the interrogation room, "the box," and hammer at them until they gave in. One of the most exciting shows from the first season is "Three Men and Adena," which is set almost entirely in that box. Pembleton and Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor) interview and pummel a murder suspect (Moses Gunn), trying to wrest a confession from him. The tension in this episode is nearly unbearable as presented on this DVD set, with no commercial interruptions for needed relief.

In its earlier seasons, Homicide had a distinctive look, one that makes it hard to evaluate the DVD picture. The video was deliberately rough, shot on 16mm stock using hand-held cameras. There were jump cuts à la Godard; characters would even repeat their lines to hammer home key dialogue. The first season, and half of the second were desaturated to obtain a black-and-white look from color stock. These elements all seem to come through faithfully on the DVDs that make up the set. The effective sound was scattershot. The dialogue often seems overheard rather than spoken, yet nothing important is ever missed. There was no musical "score" for Homicide. Source music was used throughout, and the Dolby 2.0 soundtrack reproduces it well.

Four DVDs make up the set. A skinny plastic case contains each, with all four fitting inside a sturdy cardboard container. Fox and others please note: This packaging is a lot easier to handle than those unwieldy accordion foldouts! There are some interesting and appropriate extras. The pilot episode has wry commentary by creators Levinson and Tom Fontana. Another disc contains a brief interview with the same two. The teaser trailers shown during Super Bowl XXVII are on one disc, as is a song-listing of the music used in the show, and cast biographies. The third disc contains an episode of A&E’s American Justice series: To Catch a Killer: Homicide Detectives.

A&E promises another box with the third season in the fall, with more installments due in 2004. Once you see this initial set, you will be eagerly awaiting the others. Homicide is a stick-to-the-bones drama that is hard to forget.

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