Burn Notice: Season One
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Movie Reviews of Burn Notice: Season One
Movie Review: When He Gets Burned We Get A Great Show
Summary: 5 Stars
Burn Notice is truly one of the most pleaseant suprises I have found. I have never seen the show, but friends of mine were fairly adamant about me getting the DVDs and got them for for as a gift. They said I would love it. And they were right.
The plot is generally simple, Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) is a spy who gets "burned" one day, meaning he was no longer a spy or useful, and summarily dumped in Miami. Of course when you get dumped in the spy business you have nothing, no past, no money, nothing. And it is from this point on the story really starts.
He needs a way to survive and falls into picking up some odds and ends as jobs, which of course all tie into his expertise as a spy. Missing people, people in peril, gun runners, whatever, with the common theme there are good people who need his help. He also is trying to find out who burned him and maybe a way back into the spy business.
He is helped along by his best friend Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell) and his ex "trigger happy" girlfriend, Fiona Glenanne ("Fi" Gabrielle Anwar). Together they pool together their talents to effectively set up scenarios that work out to be "stings" to help people. From Sam's acting exploits in the context of the stings, Fi's rather amusing fascination with guns and explosions and Michel's cynical and highly humorous voice overs for many things, it really is pretty much non stop out and out entertaining. A perfect blend of tounge in cheek humor with action.
Sharon Gless plays Michael's mother, and she is also a highlight every time she is on screen, and her back and forth with Michael, including fositing some jobs on him, works well.
All in all just an extremely enjoyable show and each episode seems to fly by. There are explosions and gunfire, though most violence is implied as oppossed to seen. Sex is also more implied and double entendre more than anything. Sort of a throwback show in many respects.
Think of a combination of The Sting meets Mission Impossible meets Magnum meets a couple of other shows, thrown into a blender and coming out as a unique show on its own.
Well done and highly recommended.
Movie Review: Action, humor, and a Good Guy who is actually Good
Summary: 5 Stars
The best part of this show, in my opinion, is that the "Good Guy" is actually a good guy. He has ethics, and in doing the right thing avoids doing the wrong thing. Let me explain what I mean.
Pick an action hero, pretty much any will do, and they are the good guy, right? Well, sort of. If the "Bad Girl," the one who just killed some innocent person, throws herself at our hero, he'll do the honorable thing and have sex with her, and then turn her in. Wait, honorable?
Or our hero will engage in a high speed chase through city streets and residential neighborhoods, with no regard for the potential loss of innocent life. Hey guys, there is a reason the police don't do high speed chases, and it is an ethical one.
Or our hero, trying to get away from police who are chasing him, will execute some cool driving maneuver that results in half the police fleet crashing and flipping spectacularly and, often, in slow motion. Wait, what happens when the 911 calls go out tomorrow?
Or the hero is an ex-CIA man who wipes out a dozen agents because some nutball at the top wants him terminated and he wants to live. Hard to root for one of our guys killing, um, our guys.
And so on.
Burn Notice takes a different tack. The hero tries to do the right thing at all times, and, when he cant' he admits it and still does the most ethical thing he can. This is refreshing.
For example, the female lead throws herself at him, and he keeps throwing her back because she's a trigger happy bomber. Not many men, hero or otherwise, would through her back. At one point he has to get rid of a drug dealer who has pulled a gun on him before, so he shoots the guy in the leg, and gives him antiseptic and a bandage so he won't walk with a limp after it heals. He steals a car because he has no option, but the voice over says he he will have it back by 5 PM, and he keeps his mother from smoking in it and stinking it up because it isn't his car.
This may all seem trivial, but it sets the show and the hero apart from so many others. It gives the show character and depth, and adds to the fun.
Highly recommended.
Movie Review: Highly entertaining
Summary: 5 Stars
Having watched every episode of Burn Notice, my wife and I, along with several friends and family members, are completely hooked.
In a way this show reminds me of another series we thoroughly enjoyed 20 years ago, Stingray. Although Stingray was completely under the radar, and Michael is always blip number one, there are still similarities. Michael's skill at going undercover and improvising a role comes to mind. Also, Stingray's stories were a trade in 'favors', and Michael and friends often help someone as a favor, or for only expenses. Both had secretive but evidently quite successful histories in secret ops.
One of the things I enjoy most about Burn Notice are the little 'spy tips' that grace every show. Some of them make sense, some are utter nonsense, and some of them I'm not too sure about, but they're all fun.
Another thing I like about it is the way in which the 'bad guys' often come to grief in very satisfying, often funny ways. The late 2nd season episode where Michael foils a bank robbery is hilarious.
Whether it makes sense all the time or not, obviously the writers of this show care, and are putting a good effort into each script. That makes up for any sins and makes for a quite entertaining show.
Season One obviously contains the "origin story" in the pilot, which is a big advantage. However, this series is remarkably consistent throughout its run, and all the episodes are of very consistent quality as well. Although there have been a few stand out shows that I particularly enjoyed, I can't really think of any "stinkers" that I had to overlook. USA Network just keeps coming out with many of the most entertaining shows on TV over the last few years, and Burn Notice is part of that group.
Movie Review: "Duct tape makes you smart" ~~ The Westen Wisdom
Summary: 5 Stars
Michael Westen, with his distinctive droll humor and mellow charm is an endlessly fun character. His way of being placidly befuddled by all things female is a great counter to his spy smarts. Donovan fits the role so perfectly it is as though the series was written for him.
The plots are light and fast blends of stuff - CIA operative spy stuff, Miami lowlife stuff, romantic stuff, family stuff, and other stuff. Fi is perfectly Fi - her pretty, petite, and generally nearly naked self, loving to blow things up and so very eager to shoot anything that moves. Michael takes Fi home to have dinner with mom, and Fi turns into the sweet and innocent "girl next door" - laugh out loud funny. The somewhat slovenly and slightly alcoholic Sam, a womanizer (but not in the typical misogynistic way) adds just the right presence. Madeline round out the fine core quartet.
Only one thing marred my otherwise unqualified enthusiasm for Burn Notice. Mom Madeline's chain smoking. Watching someone smoke is about the same as watching someone barf - flat out nauseating. And it generates two obvious flaws in the character -- Madeline's beautiful complexion and her sparkling white teeth -- no chain-smoker has either of those. Not that the series is meant to be realistic - no appeal in that! But if Madeline were scripted with an interesting addiction or predilection, rather than this dull and repulsive one, the role could have been enhanced. So many opportunities lost!
As one of the other reviewers noted, Michael is eminently quotable: "Duct tape makes you smart." Ahhh ...... The Westen Wisdom.
Movie Review: Great show
Summary: 5 Stars
Most TV these days is not worth even switching past with the remote, it is so bad. I have stopped even looking for good shows unless something catches my attention in another way.
I got turned on to this at Netflix and was blown away. This is the best TV show I have seen for a long, long time. Mix Miami Vice, Macguyver, the Bourne movies and add a touch of noir detective voice over, and you get the idea. The blend is fresh, exciting, enjoyable to watch, well written, shot, and acted. There is a great blend of drama, action, and comedy, and the writers manage to throw in plot twists and multiple story arcs which keep one guessing, yet do not feel contrived.
The characters seem real and believable. The mix and chemistry are great, and the development of characters and long term arcs is very well handled at all levels. Good job to everyone involved in this. In this day and age, it is not easy to create and maintain a good show like this.
Highly recommended. I am going to buy seasons 1 and 2, and am waiting anxiously for season 3.
UPDATE July 4, 2010:
I have now purchased the first three seasons and watched them all. The quality holds up nicely and the show remains really good. I am getting to see the 4th season on Hulu, and will buy it when it is out on DVD. The 4th season started out a bit slow, but seems to be getting back on track. Unless the quality of the show tanks, I will remain a fan and buy the series as it is available on DVD.