Customer Reviews

Rebus

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

With wonderfully complex plots and recurring characters, Rebus is an absolutely first-rate crime drama based on the novels by Scottish author Iain Rankin. Though set in Edinburgh, it is not the charming, picturesque, historic old city as seen by the casual visitor that we are privy to; rather, the viewer is taken on a journey through the dark, gritty, cankerous underbelly of what, on the surface, is one of Britain's loveliest old cities. This is a series peopled by characters who are all too human, and it holds back no punches in its realistic portrayal of the criminal world.

Detective Inspector John Rebus (John Hannah (McCallum)) is one of the most curious, indeed fascinating, DIs I've come across. He's a competent and committed police officer, but a flawed human being with his own set of personal demons with which he must contend. He's a deep, multi-faceted character for whom nothing is black and white, and he's not immune to making serious errors in judgement, to lying in order to achieve his objective, or to experiencing the temptation of a "pact with the devil." He often makes decisions which shock the viewer, for we know that, even though we may understand his motivation, they are decisions which would never be condoned by the police. Indeed, is it any wonder he drinks a little too much and has more than a little trouble sleeping? Nor are we surprised to find that he has more than a little trouble forming and holding on to relationships with women.

Rebus is a wonderfully rich, dynamic, and interesting character, and I personally felt that John Hannah did a superb job in bringing him to life. I don't know why Hannah left the series or if he did any more series after this one, but I do know that I prefer these episodes and Hannah's portrayal much more than the recent pair of episodes wherein Ken Stott has taken over the title role (I just didn't warm to the character as portrayed by Stott).

The set consists of four 100-minute episodes and a very interesting dvd extra on the making of the series, which features informative comments about the nature of the series and the character of Rebus by both John Hannah and Iain Rankin.

In conclusion, this is a series I recommend unhesitatingly to fans of British mysteries and crime drama in general. There may be less in the way of comic relief, but I would still say that if you enjoy shows like A Touch of Frost or Delziel and Pascoe, chances are you'll really enjoy this one.

Highly recommended!

I was thrilled to see John Hannah as Rebus on BBCAmerica after reading all the books in the series. So I was glad to see the four episodes finally available on DVD. The next two episodes were done by another actor, Ken Stott, but John Hannah will always be Rebus to me.

Loving the character and the writing style, I read every available Rankin Rebus novel-- checking out screenplay was inevitable. At first expecting to meet the buffoonish brother-in-law co-star from the Mummy, I was delighted to meet Rankin's John Rebus, AKA John Hannah. If you like the Rebus novels, then you'll enjoy these Rebus movies. One caveat: if you're new to Rebus, you might wish first to read the novel upon which the screenplay is based, avoiding potential confusion created by the quick pace, Rankin's complex plots, or the Scottish accents. Enjoy!

I'm a big british mystery fan...From Touch of Frost, Inspector Lynley, Inspector Allen and so on...I thought Scottish Det. Inspector Rebus looked like a good charactor...I wasn't disappointed...I really enjoyed the stories and the actors did a great job portraying the charactors...I looked forward to the next dvd release of Rebus...

Great introduction to Ian Rankins character brought to life. For many people who have a problem with British accents this may be in places had to decipher but once you get into the cadence (rhythm) of the speach it flows quickly. Many will remember the lead actor as the smart mouth side kick from The Mummy, but this was his second BBC scotland show. the first was Maccallum. Both I think are highly rated!

Like others who have reviewed this DVD I have read all of Ian Rankin's work, and enjoyed them mightily. Rebus is one of my favorite crime/mystery creations, right up there with Andy Dalziel, Miss Marple and Thomas Lynley, so when I saw a video version was finally available in the States I was ecstatic.

The storyline is fairly true to the books, and the grittiness of the Edinburgh setting is a wonderful change from some of the more homogenized crime stories - this *feels* real.

I only have two issues with this dramatization, and one is not uncommon with any attempt to turn a rich, complicated and full-length novel into a two hour program: because the time they have available on the screen is so short EVERY plot twist and piece of evidence always connects up serially, and, in the end, seems unlikely. This is not confined to the Rebus stories, clearly, as many other dramatizations have the same trouble (specifically the Elizabeth George "Inspector Lynley Mysteries.") It merely leaves me feeling a bit short-changed, after having enjoyed these novels so much, to blast through them at speed, and be left feeling just a bit cheated.

My other issue with this DVD was the casting of Hannah in the title role. Perhaps it is just me, but I found him an odd choice, and lacking the age, depression and simple world-weariness which is so much a part of the literary Rebus. As I said, perhaps this is merely my problem, and I cannot separate him from his previous comedy roles, but I am looking forward to seeing the next DVDs, and whomever they might have cast in his place.

I wouldn't have missed this DVD, and I enjoyed seeing Rebus come to life, but it did not live up to my very high expectations of the novels involved.

There is nothing like a good British mystery. The Rebus series of mysteries is full of twists and surprises. Rebus is very believable and homespun and quirky. Great watching for a cold evening.

Here are the similarities between Ian Rankin's John Rebus and the character as portrayed by John Hannah:

1) They're both Scotsmen.
2) ...Well actually there are no more similarities.

Don't get me wrong, Hannah's a terrific actor, I've always enjoyed him, but he's simply not the John Rebus I've come to know through Rankin's superb crime series. He's not tough enough, angry enough, drunk enough, sad enough and -- perhaps most importantly -- certainly not funny enough. None of Rankin's dry, stinging wit is anywhere in evidence here. And I have to agree with the prior reviewer who said that the stories move way too fast, cramming too much plot into too little time. At least they got Cafferty right, he's pretty much as I imagined him. (Although just think what Brian Cox could do with the role!) I'm off to check out the later Rebus series. At least from the packaging that actor looks more the part.

This is based on the first two stories, Black and Blue, and The Hanging Garden. I haven't read the books and haven't seen the other actor in the part, so this is a very direct, first-impression response.

It's GREAT!

Yes, the pace is fast, and perhaps the plot lines are a little tightly woven, but heck, these are crime thrillers set in the real down-and dirty Scottish underworld. Not the crime world of Poirot or Agatha Christie, and not the Scotland of Braveheart - think Trainspotting as a background, but more violent. And the casual brutality is no myth. A street kid in Oban described to me his approach to fighting - "Ah gie's him twa-three guid headers in the mooth, and then as he gings doon Ah pits the boot in."

According to some reviewers, D.I. Rebus is not quite as complex or conflicted as he is in the books, but he's complex and conflicted enough for me.

I can't get over the attitude of some reviewers to the Scottish accents. OK, I understand they can be difficult for Americans, but work a little, replay some bits now and again, you'll get it. It wasn't made for you initially, so dismissive comments like "unintelligible at times" are way off the mark.

What is amazing about this production is that even though many of the story elements are changed, the strength of each story is preserved in it's essence. I have read most of this series and over time come to love the character of Rebus. He is truly a 'real' person, with all the foibles and warts of each of us. He is terrible at interpersonal relationships, and is at his best when he is doing everything in his power, not to show emotion.

Though he did not write the screenplays, Ian Rankin was very much involved in the making of these teleplays (see the secion on the Making of Rebus for his comments), and you can see his deft touch in the minor changes that are made. Siobhan Clark is supposed to be attractive, in her late twenties, with an Scots/English accent; the actress who plays her is none of these. Brian Holmes is nowhere to be found, and neither is Dr Patience Aikens. But the actors who plays Big Ger Cafferty and the 'Weasel' are spot on.

Hannah as Rebus is able to show a great understanding of the character, who is as grey and tough as his home city. My only complaint is that he is a little young for the aging Rebus who should be in his late forties. A minor complaint. Another is the plethora of Scots accents; it's hard enough trying to guess what some of the words mean, without trying to figure out what people are saying. But, I guess they wanted authenticity since it was made for Scottish TV, and didn't care what us Yanks understood. Ya think I can get a version with subtitles!