Customer Reviews

Man in a Suitcase

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Highly enjoyable spy/detective series made in 1967/68, featuring Richard Bradford as John McGill, ex-CIA agent forced to resign and now freelances as a pricey, globetrotting private detective.

Another fine series from the ITC Television Network, responsible for shows like "The Prisoner" and "Gideon's Way," this is a gritty, realistic and exciting set of episodes well-written with fast-moving plots and never short on action.

Bradford plays McGill with a degree of toughness and a laconic ease so well that he seems to be perfectly cast for the role. Trained at the NY Actor's Studio, Bradford was a Method actor and claimed Brando as his inspiration; in fact, Bradford had a supporting role with the Academy Award winning actor in the controversial film, "The Chase" (1966), directed by Arthur Penn. Supporting players, all fine character actors from ITC's stable, like Donald Houston, Angela Browne, and Judy Geeson, raise the bar of this rarely seen, but popular, detective series.

Compared to 'Danger Man's" John Drake, McGill is the antihero--a man for hire, keen and distrustful of others, with an eye for the ladies, but a man not without scruples. Shot in color, the series is markedly violent and in the fisticuffs McGill often finds himself in, the blood flows freely. But there is more: the stories and assignments McGill takes on are interesting as they are unusual at times. The international locales also add a bit of flair in contrast to the typical "Mannix" episode that was limited to that metropolis called Los Angeles.

This Network DVD set should be held up as a model of what all DVD sets should aspire to: pristine transfers from the original print (so clean they look as if they were shot yesterday), tons of extras including trailers, foreign titles, bumpers, behind-the-scene stills, a Richard Bradford interview (today, a mere shadow of the lean, handsome actor he was 40 years ago!), a full-color booklet, and more.

The set is available thru Amazon UK, but you will need a multi-region DVD player to view these Region 2 encoded discs. Nonetheless, "Man in a Suitcase" is a tight and shut case to hours of viewing enjoyment. And if the incidental music in "Man in a Suitcase" seems awfully familiar to that of 'The Prisoner" it should be--both were composed by Ron Grainer.

A superior 1960s TV show. Though it was only on 1 season, it left a lasting impression on me. Watching this DVD collection brought back memories and a surprise on how violent it was! McGill had to be the only hero that was shot or beat up every week and left trails of blood behind him. The extras are good, too. Loaded with voice commentaries on many episodes. On top of this, the set I purchased was All Region DVD compatible. Highly recommended for fans of 1960s television and spy thrillers.

Man In A Suitcase was my favorite series as a teenager and, without a doubt, Richard Bradford was easily my favorite actor. This DVD offering is a high-tech success. Audio and visual contents are excellent. There are several extra features, such as commentary by Richard Bradford and accompanying history of the filming of the series. Some of the episodes, naturally, are only mediocre, but Bradford carries the day every time. He compensates for any other inadequacies. Frequently, there are accomplished actors as guest stars, which adds to the enjoyment. All in all, I would say, this is an excellent value for the discriminating viewer.

I remember this series from when it was first shown on television and loved it then. But I was ten years old, and let that be my excuse. I agree with everyone that Richard Bradford's acting is first class, but I also agree with Richard Bradford that this is a series marred by very poor story-lines and lousy performances from the majority of the remaining cast. Apparently, the mood on the set was lousy, too. Otherwise, the camerawork, the picture quality and the whole presentation of this box set is excellent. It's all a great shame because it could have been so much better with some really good script writing, but this is most certainly not the equivalent of The Prisoner, as some would like you to believe. Still, it's almost worth watching for the sake of Bradford's performances alone and the whole atmosphere of those times.

Unfortunatly, I was misled in the false pretention that this set was "All Regions" as opposed to the others that were all Region 2. It's really disapointing to buy something that says ALL REGION and IT IS NOT. I loved that TV Series who show a character with a more abrupt profile and who wasn't into womanizing. But again, let's be honest here, Make sure "All Regions" really means what it says. And by the this whole schemes about "Regions" today is ridicululous! Why did the business did that? With the internet today anybody can order from all over the world. So I don't understand why this policy is still in forceMan in a Suitcase