The Fixer - Series 1 details
| Format: | 15 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Andrew Buchan, Peter Mullan, Tamzin Outhwaite, Jody Latham, Liz White |
| Directors: | Alrick Riley, John Strickland, Hettie Macdonald |
| Genres: | Drama, Television - British, Crime, Series/Miniseries |
| Studio: | 2 ENTERTAIN VIDEO |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
The Fixer - Series 1 - Disc 1 |
15 Disc 1 | |
The Fixer - Series 1 - Disc 2 |
15 Disc 2 |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 5 hours |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 21 Apr 2008 |
| Main languages: | English |
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Most helpful review
Lets hope ITV fix it for a second series of this absorbing drama
By Northernsky (318 reviews) from Halifax , 20 Apr 2008[Highly rated reviewer]
The Fixer seems to be the latest attempt by ITV to produce the sort of gritty urban drama that the Americans excel at. But it’s not a cop show for which we should be thankful , as home grown cop shows are invariably rubbish and after the American show 'The Wire' everyone else might as well give up because nothing is going to get better than that. Anyway like the brilliant French film 'Nikita' Fixer works on the premise that someone who has committed a crime can be offered a life outside of prison but to in order to do so must work as an assassin for the state.
John Mercer (Andrew Buchan ) is former special forces .After discovering a terrible secret about his aunt and uncle he executes them and is subsequently imprisoned .After five years inside he is suddenly offered a way out by Lenny Douglas (Peter Mullan) who tells him that if he comes to work for him as part of some shadowy secretive government agency he will be allowed to live out of prison. On the plus side this allows him to spend time with his sister Jess (Liz White) who is a single parent. On the down side he must move into a flat he will share with Calum (Jody Latham) Lenny,s errand boy, a mouthy cocky jack the lad whose manner grates on the quiet brooding Mercer. To further complicate things there is disgraced ex-copper Rose (Tamzin Outhwaite) who also works for Lenny . Some of the things she has to do for Lenny are less than salubrious and this riles Mercer as they have a mutual attraction for each other. What really riles Mercer though is the power Lenny has over him . He feels that he is trapped in the same way he was in prison , that Lenny is less than honest with him and that his relationship with his sister makes him vulnerable.
Over the six episodes relationships develop and we gradually learn more about the characters with the initially irritating Calum becoming more sympathetic and it all reaches a head for episode six where Mercer is given a possible way out by one of the men he has been tasked to put to death. The best episode pits Mercer against his predecessor gone rogue . We also learn more about the link between Rose and Lenny.
The Fixer is well written and well acted with Peter Mullan And Jody Latham especially good. Andrew Buchan does the gloomy anti -hero thing well enough while Tamzin Outhwaite actually gets a decent role for a change as the feisty motivated Rose. If anything for me it’s not gritty enough . I’d have like it to be tougher and harder hitting but for a main stream drama it’s still reasonably uncompromising.
The DVD comes with a making of documentary but no commentaries which are always the best way to get behind the scenes and characters further. There is no guarantee that The Fixer will return for a second series at this moment which is a great shame as having got all the character and situational set-ups out of the way the writers could concentrate on Mercer’s role as an enforcer and assassin. So if someone could fix it for The Fixer , unlike Alan Partridge to get a second series that would be tremendous. We need more shows like this not less.- Was this review helpful to you?
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All reviews
(14)Going to review series 1 and 2
By karl28r (6 reviews) from liverpool , 06 Sep 2010This is amazing, since watching can't stay away form ITV dramas, trying to find anything similar.
Great range of characters, great stories, i'll agree with a previous review that it is too short, 6 episodes per series is lame, sometimes i wish we were a little more like the yanks bunging 24 episodes in a boxset.
From the 1st scene to the last you will be hooked,- Was this review helpful to you?
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The Fixer - Series 1
By a customer from Lochgilphead , 05 Dec 2009Firstly, please note that this is a review of the first episode only. Why? That was all I could be bothered to watch. It's not THAT bad but I can find plenty that I'd rather watch. If you're not a fan of the 'bleedin' obvious' you might decide to give this a miss. It's not that you know what's going to happen every step of the way. It's more that whatever happens reminds you of something else you've seen. The characters are, pretty much without exception, predictable stereotypes and someone is responsible for serious miscasting of the main character. He's meant to be 'mean and moody' for most of the time and be capable of cold-blooded murder. Andrew Buchan manfully tries to do this but he looks and sounds much, much too 'nice'. It's as though he's been cast primarily as eye-candy for the ladies. The hard edge which the character should possess is simply not there.
There are plenty of other formulaic series (Silent Witness, CSI) which are highly watchable because their main characters can command your attention and keep it. Here, serious flaws in the way the characters are written and portrayed (fair's fair, Tamzin Outhwaite is surprisingly convincing) stood out so much that I was unable to become 'involved'. If you want to see what ITV is really capable of, watch 'Cracker'.- Was this review helpful to you?
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The fixer forever
By Cazmay (6 reviews) from Didcot , 18 Sep 2009I somehow missed the TV series but now am hooked. I am a fan of Andrew Buchan after seeing him in Jane Eyre as St John Rivers, and am now enjoying the second series. The plot is unusual and and extremely exciting. Cannot wait for the next episode- Was this review helpful to you?
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'Fixer, The - Series 1'
By a customer from Redcar , 20 Jun 2009As good the second time round....
slightly dated but still very watchable- Was this review helpful to you?
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Compelling viewing
By a customer from Stirling , 25 Nov 2008I really enjoyed this. Well written and acted, good cast.
Worth renting for something different. It's not exactly a cop show but still deals with criminals. Love the idea of a shady police unit designed to get rid of the undesirables that the regular cops can't.- Was this review helpful to you?
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