The Persuaders: Set 1 (1971)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Series Created by Robert S. Baker
Starring Tony Curtis, Roger Moore, and Laurence Naismith

Features:

• Running audio commentary with actor Moore, producer Robert S. Baker, and executive in charge of production Johnny Goodman on the Pilot Episode "Overture"
  
• Roger Moore and Tony Curtis Biographies
  
• Photo Gallery
  
• Astin Martin Photo Gallery
  

Released by: A&E Home Video
Rating: NR (suitable for all audiences)
Region: 1
Anamorphic: N/A; episodes appear in their original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Roger Moore and Tony Curtis fans will want to own it, otherwise, its a definite rental

Lord Brett Sinclair (Moore) and Danny Wilde (Curtis) are eccentric jet-setting playboys who somehow manage to find themselves behind the eight ball time and time again. It seems that a man by the name of Judge Fulton (Naismith) has recruited them to do a couple of odd jobs for him and what starts out as a pissing contest between the two eventually turns into a friendship that will get them out of plenty of sticky situations.

What a great series! Curtis and Moore are work seamlessly to create the ultimate buddy show. Since this show was produced in the early 70s, it really worked with the underlying ideal that these types of characters should be filthy stinking rich and also surrounded by amazingly beautiful women (or at least women with amazingly beautiful bodies). The difference was that these guys did not work for British Secret Service or the CIA (although, you can see where Moore created the debonair persona that became his James Bond of the 80s). These two guys just happened to be a couple of dudes who either worked very hard to earn their money or were born into it. Either way, they weren't afraid to throw it around and use it to help them solve the mysteries that they encountered.

Even better, this is really where the Macgyver ideal came from. Regardless of the situation, these guys could use whatever was around them to help them get out of it...and they didn't even carry guns. In fact, there were only a couple of times in this entire DVD set that I can remember seeing a gun in one of their hands. Oh yeah, they have great cars and they are not afraid to use them. Sure, the soundtrack is a little cheesy and the clothing is just now coming back into style, but this show still works over thirty years later.

The DVD set is one of the better ones to come out of the A&E Home Video collection. For starters, they went to the trouble to get a couple of the people involved with this show together to record a commentary track. Moore spearheads this track with the help of producer Robert S. Baker, and executive in charge of production Johnny Goodman. Granted, these guys are recollecting memories that are over three decades old, but they don't have any trouble sharing a great deal of their experiences. This track, which occurs on the pilot episode, can be a bit dry at times, but it is well worth listening to.

There is only one other feature that could be considered "unique" to this show: there is a short photo gallery of Moore getting together with a couple of guys who restored an Astin Martin just like the one his character drove. What it amounts to is a bunch of aging guys standing around a shiny yellow car. Other than that, there is a photo gallery of stills from the show and a short biography of the two main stars. The only thing that is obviously missing from this list of bonus features is the lack of Tony Curtis' input. It's just a shame that they couldn't get him involved in putting these together. After all, his input on the Some Like It Hot special edition DVD is not to be missed.

All in all, this show you should check out. If you are a fan of either of its two stars, you will want to own it. Everyone else will want to rent it before shelling down the clams to put it on their shelf.