Customer Reviews

Secret Agent (aka Danger Man) - The Complete Collection Megaset 2007

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Don't get the other megaset confused with this one - this is the real deal. Every episode of the series is on the DVD set, not just half! The quality is great and rather compact since they used the thin cases.

Danger Man is a compelling, interesting and complex spy show that consciously strives for realism at every possible level. Varied locals, dangerous opposition and a dynamic lead all combine to create a show where, as one of the episode titles claims, "Parallel Lines Sometimes Meet."

This comprehensive set contains all four seasons of the show Danger Man; the first season of half-hour shows and the second, third and fourth seasons of the hour-long shows. (The fourth season consists of only two episodes, both filmed in color)

The main character in the show is a man named Drake, John Drake. In the first season (half-hour episodes) he is an Irish American agent employed by NATO to tackle their `messy jobs.' In the later seasons (hour-long episodes) he has lost his slightly American accent and now works for the British Government in Special Branch, M9 specifically. Though John Drake's character remains intact through changes between the first and later seasons, there is obvious character development that takes place over the first to second season hiatus.

John Drake, as he appears in the first season of half-hour episodes, is a young, cool, efficient agent. He is bold, quick thinking and moves fast--he has to. The time constraints of the show limit any excess time or trouble. The shows are fairly uncomplicated, but for the most part quite interesting. Drake is very involved in the repercussions of his work and regularly confronts his superiors with the possible consequences of his orders. Drake has a much more personal voice in these episodes, as occasional voice-overs allow us to get inside his head and understand what he is seeing. In this first series, Drake is perhaps a little heartless in his dealings and is always very, very impatient with others' incompetence or mistakes. There is no margin for error in his own work, he allows for no margin in the work of those he meets.

In the later series, the expanded hour-long episodes grant us more intricate episodes. Where the first season had speed and intensity on their side, these next seasons have depth, complexity and suspense. In these later seasons, Drake is more sympathetic and more fallible. He also seems to have reached a little more maturity when it comes to failings in his fellow agents. It has not, however, given him any more respect for his superiors--he still harasses them regularly, particularly in the later episodes.
One of Drakes most appealing and enigmatical traits is his strict moral code. He has what might be called a "knight in shining armor" complex, as Drake seems incapable of ignoring a plea for help. Another peculiar habit is his aversion to violence. When it comes to tight situations, Drake will first try to talk his way out, then try to sneak out and finally, if there is no other way, he will use (usually weaponless) force. Even though it is frequently demonstrated that he is an excellent shot, Drake actually carries a gun in only a few episodes and fires a weapon at someone in even fewer. He would rather disarm and hold his opponent at bay or use his sizable fists to render his opponent harmless.

His relationships with women also fall under the category of his unusual morality. Though he is obviously very attractive to most of the women who appear in the show, he either coldly rebuffs or dryly discourages their attempts in all but a few instances. His most intimate sign of favor is a courteous kiss on the cheek for a few greatly admired ladies. His respect for women as thinking, feeling people rather than objects of desire makes his interactions with them far more interesting than that of a "love `em and leave `em" style hero so common in the spy genre.

Interesting and dynamic, Danger Man is as real as TV spy shows get. The gadgets are believable, the action is complex and the stories are compelling. The show has aged well, with very few of the `campy' moments that typically plague other television shows of the period. Its moral, relentless hero and its realistic plotlines make Danger Man a must-see TV show for anyone interested in spies, politics or human nature.

The audio and video quality of the Secret Agent/Danger Man megaset is outstanding and A&E home video should be commended for their efforts. The Black & White video transfer contains some minor blemishes here and there, but overall the picture quality is excellent. The 2.0 sound is clear and consistent throughout the episodes. The set consists of 18 single sided discs in individual slim cases with great artwork and detail. You get every episode of the Secret Agent / Danger Man series in broadcast order, including the two final episodes of the show in color. If you like characters like James Bond and the "Saint" than John Drake as Secret Agent / Danger Man may be for you. DVD Features and Episodes of the set are listed below:

DVD Features:

* Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
* All 86 episodes in original broadcast order on 18 discs in Thinpaks, including: the original season that aired only in the U.K. as Danger Man, the 47 episodes of Secret Agent that aired internationally, and the two color series-finale episodes
* Patrick McGoohan biography/filmography
* Complete full-length original U.S. opening featuring "Secret Agent Man" sung by Johnny Rivers
* Photo gallery

DVD Episodes:

View From the Villa / Time to Kill / Josetta / The Blue Veil / The Lovers / The Girl in the Pink Pyjamas / Position of Trust / The Lonely Chair / The Sanctuary / An Affair of State / The Key / The Sisters / The Prisoner / The Traitor / Colonel Rodriguez / The Island / Find and Return / The Girl Who Liked G.I.s / Name, Date and Place / Vacation / The Conspirators / The Honeymooners / The Gallows Tree / The Relaxed Informer / The Brothers / The Journey Ends Halfway / Bury the Dead / Sabotage / The Contessa / The Leak / The Trap / The Actor / Hired Assassin / The Deputy Coyannis Story / Find and Destroy / Under the Lake / The Nurse / Dead Man Walks / Deadline / The Battle of the Cameras / A Room in the Basement / Fair Exchange / Fish on the Hook / No Marks for Servility / Yesterday's Enemies / The Professionals / A Date With Doris / The Mirror's New / Colony Three / It's up to the Lady / Whatever Happened to George Foster? / The Galloping Major / The Colonel's Daughter / That's Two of Us Sorry / Such Men Are Dangerous / A Man to Be Trusted / The Affair at Castelevara / Don't Nail Him Yet / The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove / Have a Glass of Wine / You're Not in Any Trouble, Are You? / Sting in the Tail / The Black Book / English Lady Takes Lodgers / Loyalty Always Pays / Are You Going to Be More Permanent? / Parallel Lines Sometimes Meet / A Very Dangerous Game / The Mercenaries / The Outcast / Judgement Day / To Our Best Friend / Say It With Flowers / The Man on the Beach / The Man Who Wouldn't Talk / Someone Is Liable to Get Hurt / Dangerous Secret / I Can Only Offer You Sherry / The Hunting Party / Two Birds With One Bullet / I'm Afraid You Have the Wrong Number / The Man With the Foot / The Paper Chase / Not So Jolly Roger / Koroshi / Shinda Shima /

Although I was very young when this series was first shown in the States and have no memory of watching it, I've been a Patrick McGoohan fan for many years (ever since seeing him in Disney's "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh"). The fact that he was in Danger Man was the primary reason that I purchased it, but remarks from other reviewers regarding the fact that the hero rarely used a gun and didn't spend his time falling in and out of bed with the nearest handy female, was another HUGE selling point. I rarely watch television anymore because I'm so disgusted by the rubbish that's shown, so am always grateful when good televisions series' are brought to DVD. My family and I have watched just about the entire series and have enjoyed the episodes we've seen. Thank you so much for making this available!

I've been waiting decades for a proper reissue of this show which was my all-time favourite when I was a teenager, just as I waited almost as long for the release of Bob Dylan's "Albert Hall" concert from 1966 and even longer for the Superman TV series. The transfer quality of these series is excellent. I'm only a few discs in so far but am still looking forward to the rest.

The John Drake character is an intriguingly quirky one. Most heroes, even today, are either traditional square-jawed empty vessels or ones that have tacked-on characteristics or "issues": wheelchair, shabby coat, fat, obsessive-compulsive, etc.

John Drake was a confident professional with a keen sense of personal honour who was not afraid to ignore his orders if he believed he knew better. Plenty of those types around, yes, but what made Drake different was the way McGoohan made him almost asexual - we never see him in a meaningful and serious clinch (I think, as I haven't re-viewed them all yet) and he has a very precise and staccato way of moving as well as speaking - and that he refused to use a gun. Also, no-one else had a forehead like Patrick McGoohan's. He usually keeps his head down to amplify this attribute which makes him seem more cerebral than physical. John Drake leads with his forehead, not his fists. Despite this he does, of course, always win the traditional end-of-show fist fight. And no other TV star had the confidence, and the will, to give up a successful show (where he made more money than any other UK TV star) to go and make something as different as The Prisoner. Good for him.

All I need now are the remastered Fleischer Popeye cartoons, promised for later this year, and the full run of both Bilko and Get Smart and I can move into old-age happily.

P.S. As a UK resident, I never I understood why the name was changed to "Secret Agent" in the US. Does "Danger Man" mean something bad or stupid in America?

I bought this set rather on impulse. I have a couple of the "Secret Agent" DVD's and love them (having watched, and loved, "The Prisoner" in my teens). So, knowing that those were great, surely Danger Man had to be great too.

And it is, though in a much different way. I'm watching the disks in order, so I'm only a little ways in, but I've enjoyed almost all the stories so far. They're a bit campy, (though less so than the later series) and (as another reviewer noted) sometimes a bit rushed, but generally well written with good production values. Pat McGoohan is always great. The guest actors are a bit more variable (a few dodgy accents, a tendency to put 'dark' make-up on Anglo actors to make them pass for Indians and North Africans)but most do a good job.

It's especially interesting, in the first disk or two, to see how the writers and producers (and actors) gradually settled in, making subtle changes as they went along. (In the first couple of episodes, they seemed to want to avoid setting the stories in any 'real' places, so they simply avoiding naming them -- leading to some bizarre dialogue about 'why are you visiting our country?' and 'where did you learn to speak the langauge of this country?' Eventually they apparently decided to just make up countries, so we get a wide assortment of imaginary Eastern European, Middle Eastern and Latin American locales. (Where, of course, everyone speaks fluent English with accents.)
Looking forward to watching more.

So why only 4 stars? At least one of the episodes is unwatchable, lots of freezing and break-ups. And, while I suppose I shouldn't complain given the price, the complete lack of extras is frustrating. There aren't even any subtitles.

DangerMan set the tone, the quality and the style for everything that followed, be it Bond (which it predates "The name's Drake, John Drake", come on!) or The Man From UNCLE, Mission Impossible etc. Drake did it all first. Accepted it's dated, but still superb, stylish and adept storytelling for its time with the facilities available. The storylines are certainly more compelling than most modern day TV dramas, and the acting certainly so. Also a terrific score by Edwin Astley. This is one of the foundations of TV history. A 'must watch'.

For those of you who didn't buy the 5 disc half hour Danger Man set (I got it for beans from a nice local "Marketplace Client") and the Mega Set of Secret Agent (or the 6 individual sets as I did from elsewhere) now is your chance to get all of John Drake in one box. Buy this and the Prisoner Megaset and you can have all 28 discs of Patrick McGoohan at his best in 2 attractive cases of slim boxes. Until of course when A&E decides to get real esoteric and release this set and Prisoner in the same multi megaset. I better not say anymore before they read this and get ideas.;-)

First of all, I'd wish to send a BIG THANK YOU to the Amazon.com for make my every night dream come true!!!I was looking for this episodes for years!!
I've just received the Secret Agent (aka Danger Man) - The Complete Collection Megaset 2007...and all I can say is:if your a Prisoner addicted, you have to buy this terrific series..
When I was young, back in 60's, I used to watch every episode of this serie with my father and I can remember my loved father always sayin' : ""This actor plays as natural as a real spy....Patrick McGoohan is the right actor in the right series""" ....today, the name of my son is PATRICK..I pick this name from Patrick McGoohan!!!!!'cause you know: Danger Man (John Drake) was the super spy who didn't use a single gun!!!! A MUST HAVE!!!!!

This is great. Amazon's price is very reasonable too. I wish I'd known about this, before I spent $107 on the Australian release of Season 1.
This megaset uses slimline cases to package all 3 seasons, plus the alternate opening sequence (with the "Secret Agent Man" song).
You also get the colour pilots for the unmade season 4 "Koroshi" and "Shinda Shima."
Extras mainly include McGoohan filmography and photographs.
This is the most comprehensive collection of Patrick McGoohan's suave secret agent on DVD. McGoohan is reported to have turned down the James Bond role, in favour of playing this character.
Some consider it a prequel for "The Prisoner."
You can watch it and make up your own mind.
Either way, it's great spy entertainment.