Cracker: Series 1

I am writing to address concerns that the DVD set is not complete. This is the *entire* first series as it aired in the U.S. I watched when it was shown on A&E in the early 90s. I taped it on my VCR (I still have the tapes) - finally I have the DVDs and they aren't missing a thing! The Cracker series is amazing. Please don't miss out because of other reviews saying this DVD series in not complete. The menus on the DVDs are a little confusing, but the episode "One Day a Lemming Will Fly" does *not* end with the suspect being brought into the station - that is only the Part I of the episode/disc and if you continue watching after the credits for Part I, Part II will start! And yes, the transfer could have used a little more effort but the show is so engaging and the acting is so good that I didn't think about it once after the initial credits rolled. I patiently (or somewhat patiently...) await for April when Series III will arrive.

Dis not finish the first episode. Too rough for me.

I watched the “Cracker” series in the 90’s, so I was glad to find the series still in print. Robbie Coltrane plays a brilliant but flawed psychologist who solves gruesome crimes for the British police. His narcissism, addictions, and self-loathing add to the intrigue, but make his character hard to watch at times.

I can only give 3 stars to this series as it really really is in desperate need of Subtitles Most of the actors dialogue is lost by either the bad quality of the makers audio or mumbles. If this series was on HBO I assume ones TV could have had CC and got used by viewers. While the acting is great, and yes you can still get the the story line and make sense, a 4 Star series would never make the viewer/DVD buyer work so had for understanding! I have viewed most of the first two seasons, have the third ordered, and I would encourage buying Cracker & viewing it, as it far better than most series on American TV, the above shortcoming is very serious. A shame such a good series has this problem!!

I have a little trouble discernibg the verbal parlays of these characters at first but after an episode or two I fall right in with the psychological and humorous tone of this talk heavy cop series starrying Robbie Coltraine as an addiction addled criminal psychologist whose abrasive approach cracks the case and the criminals. Fat, rude and drunk all the time, Fitz is a memorable protagonist because he simply antagonizes everyone in his orbit. What resonates is how right he is even when he is wrong. For example over dinner with friends who also teache at the university, Fitz rags a coleague because she hires help with the house and kids for a few bucks an hour while earning ten times this teaching women's studies courses. The hypocrisy is blatant, but you do not blame her for tossing her drink in his face or his wife who storms out and leaves him again. Be patient. It takes a couple episodes to appreciate this fine cast, the solid writing and the unique angle this copper series utilizes to engage an audience expecting the usual, which this ain't.

if this is the one i bought here in the states and it sounds like it is, then it is edited and missing most of the shows. For example "Someday a Lemming Will Fly" ends with the teacher being brought in to the police station. It implies his guilt. If you want the whole, complete 10 disc season UK amazon has it but you need a DVD player or a computer that can play region 2.

I've been a fan since I saw his Goldeneye appearance. If you like his mild (and intelligible) Scottish, wit, insight and a look inside a very dreary England, then you shant be disappointed. Cracker's creator McGovern has the plots' perp either identified or not in the opening crime. I think it work both ways since the dialogue has a good pace and the other actors are very convincing. It's almost as good as being near someone who is in London, to know him and how Fitz solves it. Very gritty atmosphere, like Guy Ritchie's London but with realism.

"Cracker" may be just another in a long line of British crime dramas that were very popular in the early 90's, but "Cracker" stands out as one of the sharpest, wittiest, and most intelligently written of them all. I would say it is even better than "Prime Suspect", which is another personal favorite. Robbie Coltrane plays his most memorable part as Fitz, a criminal psychologist who has an uncanny ability of getting into the minds of his subjects, and getting under the skin of anyone who knows him. His is an overweight, alcoholic compulsive who gambles, chain smokes, and cheats on his wife. This is balanced out by his brilliance and articulate nature. The series follows him as he helps a group of police inspectors solve various murders, while he copes with the problems in his own life. To call the series riveting is an understatement, it is bloody brilliant. The episodes in the first season are "The Mad Woman in the Attic", where a young woman is found murdered on a train, and the only suspect has amnesia. This is one of the best episodes. The next one is "To Say I Love You", a Bonnie & Clyde story where two young lovers go on a murder spree. And the last episode is "One Day A Lemming Will Fly", where a young boy is murdered and the only suspect is the boy's English teacher, who is also believed to be homosexual. All episodes are 2 hours long, so you can expect to spend a good 6 hours with this DVD set. The quality of the episodes is where the perks of this set ends. If the quality of the DVD package was the sole consideration, I would recommend this to nobody. For starters, the episodes are presented in 4:3 full frame, not widescreen like most other TV shows transferred to DVD tend to have. The credits are cut off from the screen, and the transfer quality suffers from apparently have no mastering at all done. I am hard pressed to find any differences between this DVD transfer and the old VHS tapes I have. Secondly, there are no extras, save for a Robbie Coltrane biography. With a show as good as "Cracker", commentaries, featurettes, and interviews would be in order. Am I the only one who thinks so? The only reason why I am recommending this DVD set is because it is the only time "Cracker" has seen the light of day on DVD, and the VHS tapes are long out of print. Personally, I am able to look beyond the lousy DVD package and appreciate the episodes themselves, but for people wanting more, you will be disappointed.