Leverage - Season 3 - DVD

Content: The team of Leverage Consulting & Associates face a big problem after recent events: their leader Nathan Ford (Timothy Hutton) is in prison. But even worse, he seems to want to stay there. All attempts by genius hacker Alec (Aldis Hodge), weapons expert Eliot (Christian Kane), wily thief and cat burglar Parker (Beth Riesgraf), and actress and con artist Sophie (Gina Bellman) to free Nathan are blocked by him. And as it turns out, he once again has a good reason for doing so...

The third season of Leverage kicks off with an extremely exciting episode, but it's only the prelude to a whole series of successful new cases from the team around modern Robin Hood Nathan Ford. For example, they take on an American entrepreneur whose computer software is instrumental in the merciless surveillance policy in Iran. They must rescue Parker from a predicament the cagey thief maneuvered herself into seemingly for personal reasons. They must expose a diamond smuggling operation dangerous to a small African nation. And the Leverage team also tangles with powerful pharmaceutical companies, corrupt politicians and unscrupulous music producers. A mysterious Italian woman (Clooney ex Elisabetta Canalis) and close ties between Nathan's father and the Russian mafia further ensure that Nathan, Alec, Eliot, Parker and Sophie never really get a moment's peace...<refx>N</x>The third season of Leverage also features a good mix of classic crime elements, humor, and small set pieces of modern heist movies like Steven Soderbergh`s Ocean`s movies. The cases, which are mostly inspired by real events, are exciting and in some cases have a dramaturgical depth that one would not necessarily have expected in an otherwise rather loosely held series. Admittedly, the ideas that the creators juggle here are just as little new as the constellation of characters or the motivations underlying their fight against injustice. But what ultimately makes the series so successful is that it does an excellent job of presenting the already familiar in a way that feels fresh, original and, above all, extremely entertaining. And that's a mission the Leverage team accomplishes brilliantly in nearly every episode.

While there were some lasting changes in Season 2, the creators were again concerned with avoiding dramaturgical stagnation in Season 3. The somewhat more personal cases, the plotline around the felon Damien Moreau or even the mysterious Italian woman should ensure that there is always movement in the otherwise very solid structure of the series. Any form of potential boredom is thus counteracted very effectively. However, that wouldn't have been necessary at all. Because the good stories, the scripts peppered with many nice moments and especially the good chemistry between the characters ensure that the entertainment value of the series generally remains very high.

If you like old-school crime series that mix the tried and true and the modern to a sometimes very fun, sometimes pleasantly exciting whole, you're in good hands with Leverage. If you liked the first two seasons, season 3 is an absolute must. And if you don't know the series yet, you should definitely fill that gap with this box set at the latest. Recommendable!

Picture + Sound: The technical implementation of the series is again in the third season on a good TV level. The picture is very clean, the image sharpness is absolutely satisfactory, especially in the brighter outdoor scenes, and the colors are mixed pleasantly strong. For a TV series, this is more than adequate.

The sound is dominated by the dialogue and music in particular, but every now and then the surround channels also come into play thanks to some sound effects such as gunfire or explosions, which make for pleasant dynamics, especially on the Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Good!

Extras: The box has about 25 minutes of additional material in English without subtitles to offer. On Disc 1, two of the series' new writers visit the set (approx. 2 min.) and the viewer is offered a brief look at the screenwriters' work (approx. 2:26 min.). Disc 2 explains what a producer has to do on the series (approx. 2:35 min.). In addition, there are unreleased scenes to see here (approx. 2:14 min.). On disc 3 the fan gets a worth seeing look behind the scenes (ca. 7:32 min.) and disc 4 rounds up the bonus offer with some nice outtakes (ca. 5:24 min.). All extras are in original English audio only, with no optional subtitles.

Conclusion:The third season of Leverage once again offers an engaging blend of classic crime series and contemporary Ocean`s-style heist comedy with likeable characters and entertaining storylines. The twelve episodes of the third season also offer fans some interesting twists and turns that add momentum to the new adventures of Nathan Ford and his team. A good and entertaining season that is enhanced with nice extras. Absolutely recommended for Leverage fans and all friends of good crime series!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp