It would take more than a nuclear explosion
to stop everyone's favorite
violence-loving lawman! David Rasche returned - along with
co-stars Anne-Marie Martin and
Harrison Page - in the
surprising (because nobody expected
the network to renew it) second season of the
series that Entertainment Weekly
calls "absolutely hilarious." These are the
infamous final episodes
in the "sitcom for people who hate
sitcoms" that remains one of the
most dangerously funny shows in TV
history.
CRITIQUE
The second season of
Sledge Hammer!, from the dangerous yet funny minds of
creator Alan Spencer and the show's writers, fares better than the
first season. Despite taking place five years before last season's
cliffhanger, the stories work pretty well, not to mention they're
consistently funny. The spoofs this time around work better and
seem more original. They include, but are not limited to, riffs on
Vertigo ("Vertical"), Dressed to Kill ("Dressed to
Call") and Robocop ("Hammeroid"). The episode titles are also
funny. Sledge Hammer! is funny in the overall sense,
specifically because David Rasche is
freaking excellent playing the insensitive and violent-prone
Hammer, while Anne-Marie Martin and Harrison Page play great
opposite him.
Disc 1:
A Clockwork Hammer; Big Nazi on Campus; Play it Again, Sledge;
Wild About Hammer; Death of a Few Salesmen
Disc 2:
Vertical; Dressed to Call; Hammer Hits the Rock; Hammeroid; Last
of the Red Hot Vampires
Disc 3:
Sledge in Toyland; Icebreaker; They Call Me Mr. Trunk; Model
Dearest; Sledge, Rattle, 'N' Roll
Disc 4:
Suppose They Gave a War and Sledge Came?; The Secret of My Excess;
It Happed What Night?; Here's To You, Mrs. Hammer
THE VIDEO
Anchor Bay
Entertainment presents
Sledge Hammer in 1.33:1 fullscreen format. The video looks
softer now because the second season was shot in 16mm, but the quality
holds up good enough without being distracting.
THE AUDIO
Anchor Bay
Entertainment presents
Sledge Hammer in English Dolby Digital Stereo. Dialogue is
presented (mostly) clearly as are the sound effects and music. The
front speakers do a fine job and that's all there is. This is
decent quality.
THE EXTRAS
This 4-disc DVD is
stacked with extras like the previous one.
There are four
commentary tracks by creator Alan Spencer on Wild About
Hammer, Last of the Red Hot Vampires, Icebreaker
and Here's To You, Mrs. Hammer (joined by Anne-Marie
Martin). Spencer's comments are interesting and honest, but also
fun.
Two featurettes
follow, Gun Crazy: Memorable Moments with the Cast of Sledge
Hammer! (13:38) in which the cast share their favorite
stories/episodes, and Our Favorite Director: A Tribute to Bill
Bixby (5:52) in which Spencer and the cast remember the
enthusiastic director.
Next is a Q&A piece
with Alan Spencer called Top 10 Questions About Sledge Hammer!.
Two of the questions are whether Spencer thinks the show could air
on TV today and if there will be a movie version.
Also featured is a
Syndication Promo (5:56), a Network Answering Machine
Message (0:57), four TV spots (2:06), a Trivia Game
with 20 questions (test your Hammer knowledge and get something
out of it, too) and a Still Gallery. Lastly there is
DVD-ROM material available on disc four: PDF scripts for
Wild About Hammer and Last of the Red Hot Vampires
(now that's cool!).
FINAL THOUGHTS
Sledge Hammer!
comes highly recommended to fans of the series. The show and
extras are worth every cent!
