Product Details

• Actors: Robbie Coltrane, Geraldine Somerville, Kieran O'Brien, Barbara Flynn, Lorcan Cranitch
• Directors: Charles McDougall, Jean Stewart, Julian Jarrold, Michael Winterbottom, Richard Standeven
• Writers: Jimmy McGovern
• Format: AC-3, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Hbo Home Video
• DVD Release Date: February 24, 2004
• Run Time: 468 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000X2EU6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,062 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Cracker - Series 2" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Cracker: Series 1 was fine--a terrific premiere and two interesting sequels introduced freelance police psychologist Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald (Robbie Coltrane) and his family and colleagues—but series 2 is unexpectedly and vastly superior. The three miniseries included on these discs are exemplary thrillers (even better than the first trio), but the real leap forward is in the stories' deepening complexity and fascinating intertwining of Fitz's strained relationships and work.

"To Be a Somebody" begins where series 1 left off. Fitz and his wife, Judith (Barbara Flynn), and two kids are living together again, but the rotund profiler--still juggling multiple addictions to booze, gambling, nicotine, and overall self-destructiveness--is on a new, downward spiral. His name is also mud with Detective Chief Inspector Bilborough (Christopher Eccleston) and would-be lover and police detective Jane "Panhandle" Penhaligon (Geraldine Somerville). But a series of class-anger killings by a psychotic welder-turned-skinhead pulls Fitz into a case so disastrous that every major and minor character is profoundly affected. Portraying the murderer, Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting) is brilliant, as terrifying and sympathetic as Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle.

The emotional and dramatic fallout of "To Be Somebody" carries over to "The Big Crunch," in which Fitz's relationship with Jane intensifies while he pursues a religious cult that may be responsible for a girl's abduction. The final story, "Men Should Weep," concerns an investigation into an unnerving string of rapes by a masked, mutilated cab driver. More startling is a link between these crimes and eruptive events in the lives of Fitz, Judith, Jane, and thickheaded, thorn-in-the-side copper Jimmy Beck (Lorcan Cranitch). A breathtaking climax and shocking, cliffhanger ending make "Men Should Weep" a must-see for thriller fans. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

2003 - Granada / HBO Video - CRACKER : Series 2 - (1998) - 3 Disc DVD Set - Disc 1: To Be A Somebody / Disc 2: The Big Crunch / Disc 3: Men Should Weep - Run Time: 468 Minutes - Color - Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - New - Mint in Package - Limited Edition - Collectible

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marriage, Life, and Whiskey - all on the rocks., December 30, 2003

By 

phimseto (Chestnut Hill, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracker - Series 2 (DVD)

File "Cracker" series two under that rare category of "Great Television Seasons of All-Time."

The second season of Cracker picks up a short while after the events of series one. On the personal front, Fitz and his wife are still coping with their marriage issues while at the same time he deals with a rather put-out Jane Penhaligon and the affair that wasn't. On the professional front, the gambling debts weigh a little heavier as Fitz finds his police work curbed courtesy of a standing grudge between himself and DCI Bilborough over their last case together.

Into these lives come three extraordinary stories and a cast of characters that will irreversibly change the course of events in Fitz's world. The first story, "To Be A Somebody", is considered the strongest of all three seasons. It features a tour de force performance by Robert Carlyle of "Trainspotting" fame in a teleplay that discourses vitriolically on themes of immigration, family, and class warfare. The second story, "The Big Crunch", features Jim Carter (Brassed Off) and Samantha Morton (Minority Report) in a melancholy tale of greys in the decidedly black and white world of organized religion. The final story of the season, "Men Should Weep" offers no denouement and no respite, a powerful and personal story that will leave you waiting breathlessly for the release of series three.

Through all the tales of crime and punishment, the story of Fitz and his life is interweaved. The beauty of the show, indeed its greatest strength, is in how seemlessly that story is told and how it manages to compliment the overarching plot of each episode. "Cracker" is as good as television gets, and season two is the very best of a great series.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fitz Review, December 15, 2010

By 

the horse's mouth - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cracker - Series 2 (DVD)

This is one of the best series television has ever produced. Dr. "Fitz" Fitzgerald (Robbie Coltrane) is as reprehensible and great psychologist as ever in this terrific 2nd series. All 3 stories are well played and well written. Some terrific performances by future star character actors, Robert Carlyle and Samantha Morton. I think the standout is the first story of three episodes, "To be a Somebody". Robert Carlyle is outstanding in this, arguably, the best episode of the series.

As far as the DVD set is concerned, it's nicely boxed, but if looking for extras, you won't find any. Nonetheless, anyone with an interest in British TV, you can't go wrong with this fantastic series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Unsung Hero in Crime Series, January 7, 2010

By 

R. Squires "Becky loves books" (Alexandria VA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cracker - Series 2 (DVD)

This series, featuring a dyspeptic, choleric psychiatrist played by Robbie Coltrane, is absolutely fabulous. Highly recommended!