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99 to 1 AKA 99-1: The Complete Series Two (TV)
R2 - United Kingdom - Network Review written by and copyright: Paul Lewis (23rd August 2011). |
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The Show
 99-1 (Zenith, 1995): The Complete Second Series 
In this second series of 99-1 (Zenith, 1995), Leslie Grantham returns as Mick Raynor, a disgraced former detective who is now a member of a special unit of undercover policeman. The first series saw Raynor facing expulsion from the police over his handling of a case in which he was accused of falsifying statements in order to ensure that an armed robber was convicted, until he was recruited by Commander Oakwood (Robert Stephens), the ‘handler’ of a special unit of undercover policemen – the identities of which are known only to Oakwood. This second series opens with Oakwood dying in hospital, threatening to take the secrets of his unit (and the identities of the men working for him) to his grave, thus leaving men like Raynor high and dry and without support – effectively abandoning them to their undercover identities. However, a new commander, Stone (Frances Tomelty), is charged with taking over control of the unit, and she persuades Oakwood to part with his secrets before he dies.  
Crosscut with the scenes of Oakwood in the hospital that open the first episode of this second series (‘Stone’) is a daring robbery on a secure vault, in which two men use explosives to blast through a sewer into the saferoom, escaping with bags full of diamonds and jewellery. Many of the diamonds belong to McCarthy (Danny Webb), an underworld figure with whom Raynor crossed swords in series one. Exploding with rage, McCarthy reveals that the diamonds represented all of his assets. Unaware that Raynor is an undercover copper, McCarthy tracks Raynor down and enlists his services in recovering the diamonds. As the series progresses, life for Raynor becomes increasingly complicated as he is framed for the death of a former friend and, when Raynor’s friend Liz Hulley (Adie Allen) arrests McCarthy, threatened with death. The series is riddled with clichés associated with films noirs and neo-noir films: as this second series opens, isolated rogue cop Raynor is living in isolation near a beach, like one of Michael Mann’s anti-heroes (for example, Will Graham in Manhunter, 1986). He displays a disregard for authority, angrily questioning one superior at the end of the third episode (‘How many colleagues have you lost? How many have you seen lying on a slab, shot to buggery?’, Raynor asks) and telling him, ‘I may be an ex-copper, that’s one thing that probably stays with you [….] If it was gold bullion, I wouldn’t give a toss, but I’ve got my conscience to live with. That’s what was in it for me. And if you’re going to charge me, charge me with helping you out, charge me with putting my life on the line. Go on, do it’. Out on the proverbial limb, Raynor is also a magnet for violence: in episode one, McCarthy visits Liz’s home looking for Raynor. ‘He’s in danger’, McCarthy asserts. ‘What sort of danger?’, Liz asks. ‘His sort’, McCarthy responds.  
The opening titles sequence goes to great lengths to paint Grantham’s character as a lone/rogue cop in the vein of Dana Andrews’ Mark Dixon in Otto Preminger’s Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950). Shot in high-contrast monochrome that self-consciously riffs on the iconography of classic films noirs, the titles sequence opens with a close-up of Grantham opening a door, chiaroscuro lighting falling across his face; then we are presented with a canted angle long shot of Grantham walking, hands in pockets, in front of a disused building; a canted angle medium shot of Grantham throwing away his warrant card, like Clint Eastwood’s Harry Callahan at the end of Dirty Harry (Don Siegel, 1971); and a low-angle shot of Grantham symbolically descending some stairs. These images are accompanied on the soundtrack by a morose trumpet-based theme.  
Disc One: 1. ‘Stone’ (50:42) 2. ‘Dice’ (49:35) 3. ‘Shooting Party’ (50:10) 4. ‘Kidnap’ (51:01) Disc Two: 5. ‘A Game of Two Halves’ (50:39) 6. ‘The Lost Ones’ (50:54) 7. ‘Quiet Storm’ (50:57) 8. ‘Getting Wise’ (50:42) Please also see our review of the first series.
Video
The series is presented in its original broadcast screen ratio of 1.33:1. Shot on film, the episodes look consistently handsome here, with little wear and tear. The original break bumpers are intact. 
Audio
Audio is presented via a clear two-channel stereo track. There are no subtitles.
Extras
None.
Overall
99-1 is a pastiche of the recognisable elements of films noirs and neo-noir films: the rogue, isolated cop with no family of his own who has to return from self-imposed exile in order to confront his past; the battles with authority; the high-contrast monochrome titles sequence; the hardboiled dialogue (‘Some remedies are more dangerous than the disease’, Stone is told at one point; ‘All I know about Oakwood’s operation are the scars I got from it’, Raynor tells Stone when she finally catches up with him). However, it’s more than a little fun to watch, largely thanks to Grantham’s deadpan performance: he can spit out Raynor’s hard-bitten one-liners with an incredible amount of venom, finding himself in increasingly sticky situations. Episode three, ‘Shooting Party’, in which Raynor finds himself entrenched with a group of deranged Falklands War veterans who keep severed ears as souvenirs of their wartime experiences (‘Now these are real trophies’, Raynor is told about the gruesome collection), is a particular highlight: in this episode, a machine gun is fired at Raynor as part of a ‘trust game’ (‘Trust is a rare and beautiful thing’, he is told; ‘Very impressive gunplay’, he retorts dryly). 99-1 may not be a top tier crime drama to rival the likes of ITV’s contemporaneous show Cracker (Granada, 1993-6, 2006). However, it’s an enjoyable, action-packed show which has much to offer. Its presentation on this DVD is good, although sadly there is no contextual material. For more information, please visit the homepage of Network DVD. This review has been kindly sponsored by: 
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