It’s rather surprisingly then to discover Rescue Me
is a Big Mac-sized bite of entertainment. Well-written, funny,
dramatic, tense, emotional, heck – it’s just brilliant.
Somewhere between (another of his recent frightful films) Double Whammy
and shopping this series to the network, Denis Leary discovered his
creative bone. The light bulb resulted in being one of today’s
finest series. Set in a New York firehouse, Post-911, Rescue Me
is an ensemble effort about the different chaps that hold the hoses
– near and away from fires, if you get my drift – and their
day-to-day troubles at work and at home. Leary plays Tommy Gavin, a
reckless and rather downcast lifer that’s recently separated from
his wife (Andrea Roth), and is combating his love of alcohol. Amid
seeing ‘dead people’ – he sees the ghosts of those he
couldn’t save, as well as his cousin, who perished in 9/11
– he goes after his wife’s new smarmy boyfriend, begins an
affair with his late cousin’s oversexed widow, and seemingly
slowly disintegrates. Fixing more on the guys in the firehouse than the fires they actually fight, Rescue Me
is captivating entertainment. The performances are superb (Leary has
finally found a character that fits!), the characters are wonderful,
and the dialogue is just magnificent – some of it will have you
laughing under your breath for the rest of the week. Don’t miss this wildly entertaining series on DVD. DVD
Extras Sony has put together a rather impressive DVD package for the show’s
first season. On top of an excellent looking picture and sound
permutation, there’s a slew of featurettes – all very complete, and
witty too! – A consignment of bloopers, and a couple of commentary
tracks. Conclusion:
Movie 90% Extras: 70% 
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