Why So Blu?

Leverage Season 3 (DVD Review)

We’ve got more television antics to bring you here on Why So Blu.  On deck we have Leverage The 3rd Season on DVD.  This is the complete 3rd season of the hit television show which airs weekly on TNT.  Again, as with Being Human I was thrown into the review mix without knowing what the show would be about, so I had to go back into the Netflix queue and request the first two seasons on DVD to better acquaint myself with Leverage. The other buzzwords that I was hearing prior to watching Leverage was that it was an American remake of the British television show Hu$tle. I adore that show.  There was only one way to find out and that was by tackling the Leverage series all at once.  Here’s our review for Leverage The 3rd Season.  Enjoy.  

Film 

Leverage is s television show about a group of criminals who have teamed up to battle the forces of evil.  They’re criminals fighting criminals.  Each one has a specialty:

Nathan Ford (Timothy Hutton) is the “mastermind” of the group.  He was a fromer insurance investigator who was betrayed by the very company he worked for when his son was denied medical coverage by the company and subsequently died.

Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman) is a beautiful “grifter” who specializes in the “acquisition” of fine arts and crafts.  She’s British and has mastered various accents throughout her many years as a grifter.  She has some history with Nathan that dates back a few years.

Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane) is known as “The Hitter” which means he’s the muscle and weapons expert of the group.  He’s a master of firearms, but dislikes them.  Eliot is also an accomplished hand-to-hand martial artist.  He is also very good at gathering “recon” from the opposite sex.  Don’t mess with Eliot.

Hardison (Aldis Hodge) is the computer wizard of the gang.  An accomplished master hacker there is no system too secure for his expertise.  In addition to being a wiz behind the keyboard, Hardison is also very savvy when it comes to disguises and improvisation.  There were times when watching the show that I honestly thought his dialogue was mostly ad-libbed.  He’s hysterical.

Parker (Beth Riesgraf) is a thief.  A hot, deadly, stealthy thief who will put a fork in your chest at a moment’s notice.  It’s not her fault for being a social zero.  Parker was raised in many foster homes, so she comes off as the more mentally unstable of the group.  What she lacks in social skills she more than makes up for with her thievery prowess.  Parker is not afraid of heights.  Did I mention that she will stab you?

You can obviously see that I am a fan of Leverage. Why wouldn’t I be?  It’s well written, well acted, and well directed.  I’m getting a case of deja-vu now.  Seriously, For being a regular cable television show there are many fancy set pieces and stunts.  Sure, the cgi can get a bit dodgy sometimes, but they go for the gold nonetheless.

Cast chemistry is also why the show succeeds.  They’re awesome when they’re apart, and they’re awesome when they’re all together.  The pop-culture and homages never stop coming, and there are quite a few that had me in stitches.  Besides having those comedic flourishes it is an action-high-tech-packed show.   I give Leverage The 3rd Season a DVD recommendation for purchase.  Make sure you rent or buy the first two seasons before getting into this one.

Video 

Leverage The 3rd Season on DVD is presented in 480p (upscaled to 1080p on my set), and looks quite decent.  Considering itss standard definition roots it looks really good especially when there is a mission overseas or where they’re in an exotic environment.  Colors pop as do outrageous outfits everyone once in a while.  Grain is there and it can get pretty splotchy at times, but it’s not too bad.  Edge enhancement is there, but it’s not wildly intrusive.  This is a DVD after all. 

Audio 

Leverage The 3rd Season is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1.  For a television series like this a 5.1 audio track is a definite must!  Bullets whiz by, the cool and whitty dialogue comes through without problems.  The LFE handles explosions an rumbles no sweat.  The surround channels do their job nicely when handling the ambient sound effects or background chatter.  I enjoyed the audio on this release. 

Special Features 

Leverage The 3rd Season has a mighty nice heaping of extras that are actually of quality and not so much filler.  We’ve got conversations with two new writers, what does a Producer do on a project, deleted scenes, and much more.  They went all out for this release.

• On set with Colton & Aboud: The New Writers of Leverage
• Leverage: What Does a Producer Do?
• Inside the Leverage Writers’ Room
• Deleted Scenes
• Behind the Scenes Season 3 Gag Reel
• Audio Commentary On Each Episode

Final Thoughts 

Yes, yes, Leverage The 3rd Season is a winner as is the entire show in general.  The casting is spot on and you can tell that everyone is having a lot of fun.  I did not feel that Leverage copied Hu$tle, even though the premise is almost the same.  It gets a pass, because Leverage stands on its own.  Go forth and get some Leverage.

Order Leverage The 3rd Season on DVD!