Product Details

• Actors: Claire Danes, Damian Lewis
• Format: NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Studio: Showtime
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B005LAJ16I
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #955 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #51 in Movies & TV > DVD > Mystery & Thrillers
• For more information about "Homeland" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Showtime Scores With This Deft Political Thriller Set On U.S. Soil: Smart And Sophisticated Adult Entertainment, December 15, 2011

By 

K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Homeland [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

As 2011 comes to its conclusion, it is no big surprise (for anyone who was watching anyway) that Showtime's "Homeland" is being recognized with major award nominations and critics' group prizes as one of the best programs of the season. Sophisticated, intelligent, complex, and rewarding--I had hoped for a lot from this intriguing and contemporary spin on the Manchurian Candidate theme, but the show served up that and so much more as well. From the executive producers responsible for "24," the show is a stunning and surprisingly realistic drama about family, an incisive look at modern terrorism, a bold political thriller, and a study of obsession all rolled into one gloriously produced entertainment. Add one of television's best ensemble casts, and "Homeland" easily earns its reputation as must-see TV. Showing up on numerous top ten lists, cited by TV Guide as the best show of the year, and getting Golden Globe nominations for Best Drama and for leads Claire Danes and Damian Lewis--this is only the beginning of the recognition and accolades that, I'm sure, will continue (Emmy nominations won't be announced for months).

I won't do a disservice by digging into the specifics and plot points of "Homeland." This is a show that unravels at its own pace, much like a fine novel. Anyone who divulges too much is really just ruining the complexities of the ever-evolving narrative. Danes plays a CIA analyst in Iraq who receives an open-ended warning about a planned attack on American soil by a "turned" POW. When Lewis, as a marine thought dead for eight years, is rescued from an Iraqi military compound and is thrust into the limelight, Danes starts to feel that this vague warning might have real merit. The early episodes play out like a sophisticated game of cat-and-mouse as Danes becomes obsessed with the target of her rogue investigation. The first half of the season, in my opinion, is absolutely riveting as both of the deeply flawed protagonists have their share of issues. By necessity, the show develops a more complicated mythology for its central mystery as the season progresses--but it is never better than when Lewis and Danes are trying to figure one another out.

In addition to the stellar work by Danes and Lewis, the show also features some great supporting roles in the side plots. Morena Baccarin, as Lewis' wife, is a compelling mix of strength and vulnerability. Her world, and that of their two kids, is completely upended by his return and the reformation of the family unit is filled with powerful and poignant moments. Mandy Patinkin scores as Danes' boss and mentor. Danes is suffering from a psychological condition (which, in reality, would be virtually impossible to hide in a top CIA position) and as Patinkin becomes apprised of her condition, it provides some of the best and most heartbreaking work he's done in years. The show expertly uses its cast to blend these elements of drama in with the escalating tensions of the main story thread. And as the episodes move forward, the stakes just keeping ratcheting higher until the ultimate goal is revealed in exciting fashion.

Season One consists of 12 episodes of approximately an hour each with the finale of extended length. While it seems improbable that the show could match the intensity of this season, it has already been approved for another year. It used to be that HBO ruled the roost with premium cable drama, but Showtime keeps narrowing that margin with its expanding roster of smart adult shows. Season One of "Homeland" is easily one of their best efforts to date. After one episode, you'll be hooked. And every time you think you've got things figured out, the show takes another unexpected turn. I really loved this one! KGHarris, 12/11.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blown away by Homeland, incredibly tense and thrilling, January 1, 2012

By 

CaseMoney (Enfield, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homeland (DVD)

2011 was a great year for television, with lots of established shows doing some of their best work ever. But in my view, the best thing going on TV was a new show that quickly ascended to the top of the heap, Showtime's sinister psychological thriller HOMELAND. The central storyline revolves around CIA agent Carrie Mathison, still haunted by the events of 9/11, and her belief that returning war hero Sergeant Nicholas Brody has in fact turned against his country as an al-Qaeda operative.

You know they had to be aiming high with the cast they assembled. The star is Claire Danes, making a long-awaited return to TV after a decade and a half in Hollywood. Given Danes' acting résumé, you might expect her to play a straight-laced CIA agent, but this character is anything but. Her Carrie Mathison is brilliant, fearless, determined, but also reckless, abrasive, unstable, and totally unpredictable. It's a tremendous piece of casting, as we've never seen Claire in a role anything like this, and you'll be stunned at how great she is here. Her performance alone makes Homeland a must-see.

Damian Lewis plays the other lead character: Nicholas Brody, a Marine returning home with a lot of baggage after spending eight years in hell as an al-Qaeda prisoner in Afghanistan. He battles PTSD, struggles to re-integrate with his family who had long assumed he was dead, and.. is Carrie right about him working for al-Qaeda? No matter which way you're leaning, Damian and the writers go a great job of planting seeds of doubt in your head. Lewis brings a world-class performance to this role as the mysterious Brody.

The supporting cast is also stellar. Mandy Patinkin is particularly notable, playing Carrie's mentor, in a role that is less prominent and also more subdued than his usual starring roles. His subtlety is a great contrast to Claire Danes' out of control intensity.

With all these actors in place, along with superlative directing and writing, Homeland becomes a thriller of the highest order. Do note that despite the fact that the show was created by "24" alumni, this is not an action series. It's smarter, more cerebral and more about the characters. This is not to its detriment- Homeland is as exciting and suspenseful as anything you'll see. All I can say is that I was constantly on the edge of my seat, and always left dying to see the next episode.

Season 1 of Homeland gets the highest possible recommendation.

42 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A First Class Start on a New Series, October 3, 2011

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Homeland (DVD)

Episode 1 of the hew series for television HOMELAND has been aired and form the initial episode it appears that this will be an intensely interesting, psychological thriller. All of the ingredients seem to be present - fine writing (Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff), fast paced direction by Michael Cuesta, and a very strong cast including Claire Danes in one of her most challenging roles, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin.

The concept is very much in The public eye at this point - a study of how terrorists are followed and found and how the US Intelligence Service functions. The first episode introduces all of the main characters and fleshes out in a single episode the clues for all of the complicated substories and subplots that the series promises. After eight years absence Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) was thought MIA but is discovered in a filthy cell in Iraq ad brought back to the US in a Marine Victory parade. Brody had been captured with another Marine who was beaten to death and the reasons why Brody survived and his fellow Marine didn't makes CIA agent Carrie Anderson (Claire Danes) suspicious - could Brody have sold out to Iraqi bad guy Abu Nazir (Navid Negahban) and that is how he survived torture and captivity? Anderson is driven to see if her concept is correct, gains the backing of her boss Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin, and successfully fills Brody's house with surveillance equipment so his every move can be observed. The sidebars include the fact that in Brody's absence his wife Jessica (Morena Baccarin) has fallen in love with Brody's best friend, and in the intense questioning and shock of being back home Brody begins to remember events of his capture and imprisonment including the fact that he was the one who beat his fellow Marine to death at the behest of Abu Nasir. Brody's physical condition and body language also give signs that perhaps Anderson's concepts that Brody sold out to Abu Nazir and is plotting an attack on America are viable. The stinger is that Anderson is discovered as being on antipsychotic medication since a young girl - making her contributions to intelligence under suspicion. And so we are left with many possibilities for stories that will play out until this season's run ends in December.

It appears that this is a very strong series, but then some of the premiere shows of other series held great promise only to become ho-hum as the season ended. Let's hope this isn't the case: the three main characters are so strong it would be a shame if their stories became diluted. Grady Harp, October 11