Once an insurance agent, Nathan Ford (Timothy Hutton) is now haunted by the death of his young son to a disease his company wouldn’t pay to cure. He finds himself leading a team of variously talented criminals, including grifter Sophie (Gina Bellman), muscle Eliot (Christian Kane), hacker Harrison (Aldis Hodge), and thief Parker (Beth Riesgraf), on assorted cons to make the bad guys pay and return some power to the good guys.

CRITIQUE

The heist genre is one that occupies a unique place. Aside from the action inherent in the completion of a con, there can also be elements of drama, humor, or even romance included in the story. Recent successes like the Ocean’s Eleven franchise as well as classics like the Audrey Hepburn charmer How To Steal A Million illustrate this. Now the small screen has an addition to this genre for audiences to enjoy. Leverage has the production values and quality of story that would entertain even on a movie screen, and the performances are wonderful as well.

The pilot of Leverage does a lot in less than an hour. Nate Ford is introduced sitting at a bar, which hints at the dependence on alcohol he increasingly exhibits over the course of the season, and the loss of his son is referred to early on, which establishes his character a bit. Humorous flashbacks into the past of Parker, Hardison, and Eliot introduce them as Nate‘s first client hires them. Their initial job is an enjoyable piece of action, and then comes the double-cross.

The team realizes they need a fresh face to pull off the con to get their money and Nate leads them to Sophie, who’s hilariously bad at acting legitimately but perfect at acting when breaking the law. The intricate scheme that follows is typical of the series’ plots throughout this first season and is a lot of fun to watch, especially because of the cool “reveal” shots of how exactly they accomplish it all.

As the season progresses the excitement of each job the team pulls is always high, but the audience also gets to enjoy the Nate and Sophie interaction, which is very subtle, as well as the adorable and less-subtle Parker and Hardison subplot. The teases of Eliot’s past are intriguing and the action sequences of the series are successful, too. The locations, costuming, and music also cohere in an extremely effective way.

Most of all, though, this series is a showcase for great acting. Timothy Hutton proves each episode why he’s won an Oscar, and these five people really spark off each other. Aldis Hodge is particularly funny.

Leverage cultivates a desire to see its second season through the entertaining stories and performances of the first.

THE VIDEO

Leverage is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and the show consistently feels like a mini-movie. The preservation of the original broadcast’s color and picture is without fault.

THE AUDIO

Leverage is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround. It’s fine for what it is. There are no other language tracks offered and no subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

Audio Commentary on Every Episode: It’s somewhat rare for television shows on DVD to receive tracks for all episodes, but here it is, and it’s nice to see. Various people like Devlin, creator Rogers, and other producers, writers, and directors join for tracks and they are great ones. There is plenty of information in each one, along with the clear camaraderie of people who like working together. Some of my favorite bits are Devlin describing how all sorts of camera techniques were included in the pilot’s opening minutes to introduce how the series would be shot all season, and when we learn things like the fact that all of Hardison’s solo scenes in an office in “The Mile-High Job” were shot at one time. Fans should definitely listen to these.

Deleted Scenes: Nine episodes have extra scenes included here. They are often extended versions of scenes that are already in the episodes but some are quite good. One features Parker remembering a funny, pseudo-romantic moment! Watch these scenes, you won’t be disappointed.

Leverage Behind the Scenes: Lots of interviews and on-set footage make up this extra. Each character gets their own discussion and the most interesting part is when the series’ professional thief technical advisor, Apollo Robbins, talks about training the actors in pick-pocketing. This is one of the best extras here.

Anatomy of a Stunt Fight: This is a very brief on-set doc in which Kane and Clayne Crawford talk about the choreography and rehearsal for the fight scene in the season finale. It’s interesting to see how the actors really throw themselves into rehearsal, so its cool to watch this once.

The Cameras of Leverage: Actually a bit of filler, this extremely short doc just shows the various cameras the production for the series uses. Film geeks might like this but most viewers can skip it.

Leverage Gets Renewed: Cameras capture the fun as producer Devlin gathers the cast (some via computer video connections) to reveal to them that the show has been picked up for a second season. The reactions of all the actors is great to see, really happy and excited.

Beth Riesgraf’s Crazy Actress Spoof: The actress who plays Parker takes part in a hilarious staged meeting with the writers and producers of the show to discuss her character for the upcoming season. This was filmed for iF Magazine, and it is truly funny. Some of the ideas: Parker becomes part shark and carries a weapon like a curling iron because her core body temperature is, in Riesgraf’s words, “like Mars.” Definitely watch this.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Captivating stories and performances give Leverage its high entertainment value, as do the theatrical-caliber production values. The first season of this television show accomplishes the task of whetting the audience’s appetite for the second. The wide array of extra features are excellent, a particularly notable feat for television on DVD. Nearly everyone will enjoy Leverage and should rent or buy this DVD set to prepare for next season.