Focusing on the adventures of an SAS unit, Ultimate Force was conceived around the character of new-man-on-the-team Jamie Dow, but realised as a star vehicle for Ross Kemp as the clichéd tough-but-caring leader Sgt "Henno" Garvie. Kemp essentially plays a legitimate version of his Eastenders hardman persona, Grant Mitchell, while Jamie--Billy Elliot--Draven wins a lot of hearts as the troubled but sensitive Dow. The two are the focus of this hit ITV series which, harking back to the thick-ear undercover shenanigans of The Professionals, echoes the macho camaraderie,... soap opera character development and explosive action of London's Burning and Soldier, Soldier. By TV standards the set-pieces are bold and bloody, but the stories are routine, from rescuing hostages in the feature-length opener, to tracking a war criminal in the finale. Despite being cowritten by ex-SAS man Chris Ryan, the show regularly stretches credulity, and sometimes, as when demonising anti-globalisation protestors as would-be assassins, displays a tabloid sensibility quite out of step with reality. Ultimate Force is essentially an updated Who Dares Wins; a far better insight into the real SAS is Bravo Two Zero starring Sean Bean, which, not coincidentally, was also directed by Tom Clegg. On the DVD: Ultimate Force is presented with a near flawless anamorphically enhanced picture in the original TV broadcast ratio of 16:9, while for a modern action drama the sound is perfectly capable but less than spectacular stereo. Two DVDs contain the complete first season; a 74 minute introductory episode and five 48-minute regular shows. Other than subtitles for hard-of-hearing the only extra is a standard 17-minute behind-the-scenes featurette shot on location during the making of series 2. --Gary S Dalkin [show more]
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play The complete first season of the hard-hitting military drama starring Ross Kemp as Sergeant Henno Garvie the tough and charismatic leader of Red Troop who with his men puts his life on the line in the name of his country Actors Ross Kemp Jamie Draven Laurence Fox Sendhil Ramamurthy Tom Georgeson & Tony CurranDirector Tom Clegg & Diarmuid LawrenceCertificate 15 years and overYear 2002Screen 169Languages English - Dolby Digital (20) StereoSubtitles English for the hearing impairedDuration 5 hours and 18 minutes (approx)
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