Save money on a top-notch trio of gritty dramas
354259
I was riveted by these powerful and superbly acted films, each of which explores the subject of male violence, both latent and manifest. In "American History X" (1998), Edward Norton plays a neo-Nazi gang leader consumed by race hatred; after he is imprisoned for an appalling crime, he becomes determined that his impressionable younger brother (Edward Furlong) not suffer the same fate. In David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence" (2005), a seemingly mild-mannered man played by Viggo Mortensen must come to terms with a dark past when an ominous visitor (Ed Harris) forces his wife (Maria Bello) to question his identity. "True Romance" (1993), written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott, gives us Christian Slater as a low-key, daydreaming loser who falls headlong into a world of homicidal thugs after he marries a blonde prostitute (Patricia Arquette) with a vicious pimp (Gary Oldman); also featured in the great ensemble cast are Val Kilmer, Dennis Hopper, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Tom Sizemore, Chris Penn, and others. These three Blu-rays feature improved picture and sound, several enlightening extras (commentaries, documentaries, deleted scenes, and more), a compact case, and a low, low price. This is a great value!
210575
I bought all 5 seasons, one at a time and in order, from Amazon, which did offer them much cheaper than in stores. The price is lower now than what I paid!!! There is also a newer packaging with a different cover for about $20, less than half of what I paid when this originally came out.

The shows are great, the remastered picture and sound is good, and there's many special features. Season 1 even came with a book about the entire seasons, including reviews of every episode --- I enjoyed that.

The best seasons are 1, 2 and 3. Seasons 4 & 5 each have some great episodes, but fewer than the first 3 seasons. Season 4 had one-hour episodes (while the other seasons had half hour episodes) and it's the weakest season by far.

If you loved this show but aren't sure about spending the money, get the first 3 seasons only. If you want it all, get the definitive collection with all 5 seasons together and save a lot of money.
1412380
I've been watching a lot of Chuck Norris movies lately. My imagination seems to be going through a fantasy period and these movies provide fine high entertainment. I bought a set that has exactly these same four movies, but under a different cover. I found it in the bargain bin at Wall-Mart. Usually, four-packs such as this have one or two movies that I don't particularly care for, but all of these four were first rate. If you want my preferences, "Missing in Action" and "Delta Force 2"  would be at the top followed closely by "Code of Silence" and with "Hero and the Terror" lagging a bit into fourth. I'd consider all to be first-rate action movies.

Chuck Norris is, well, Chuck Norris in all four movies. Violence, explosions, gunfire, gore and martial arts fill the action in every movie, although "Hero and the Terror" is at a somewhat slower speed. The body counts are high. The movies are well produced and proceed rapidly. Just sit down, relax and watch it unfold. There's no time to think about it. If you don't like a lot of violence and mayhem, then these aren't your kinda movies. Go watch "Mary Poppins" or something like that. If you like a lot of fighting, gunfire, explosions, destruction and mayhem, you've found the right highly entertaining four-pack of movies. All of the movies are individually reviewed by me and by many others. I gave "Missing in Action" and Delta Force 2" five stars and "Code of Silence" and "Hero and the Terror" four stars. If you're more curious about any of the individual movies, I'd suggest looking them up.

Gary Peterson
2945363
this show is great.  the collection IS a stack of dvds in a larger than average case, but catch it on sale and it's completely worth it in time saved in avoiding commercials alone.
1627105
Numb3rs is an awesome show with a stellar cast:  Rob Morrow ("Northern Exposure", "The Whole Truth"), Judd Hirsch ("Taxi", "Independence Day"), David Krumholtz ("Partners" and lots of character roles), Peter MacNicol ("Ally McBeal", "24", "Grey's Anatomy", and even dozens of animation voicings).

This show takes a unique perspective on crime dramas.  Don Eppes (Rob Morrow) leads an FBI team headquartered in Los Angeles.  One part "rough and tumble" and one part thoughtful detective, he initially dislikes having to involve his brother, Dr. Charlie Eppes (David Krumholtz), a math genius professor at nearby "CalSci", in a case.  Math to the rescue.  A new crime-fighting dynamic duo (with plenty of help) is born.

The show's producers found a wonderful mix of action/adventure, drama, and the show's math backdrop.  At least once in each show, we are treated to Dr. Eppes' explanation of how he applied math to help solve the problem.  He uses comparisons, common life situations, and even the occasional story to enlighten us without making us feel lectured or foolish.  The graphics interjected by the show's producers while he talks adds to the affect, though I wonder how the poor FBI agents survive without them!

The interaction and relationships among the characters adds to the show's appeal.  These brothers are, well, brothers--loving, supportive, and also competitive.  Parental flavor is added by both dad (Alan Eppes played by Judd Hirsch) and Charlie's mentor and friend, physicist Dr. Larry Fleinhardt (Peter MacNichol).  Love interests show interest here and there, as required for all TV.

This is a fun show and fairly kid friendly, though parents should remember that violent crimes are a common foundation for story lines.
535533
I loved this story even though in 1963 when the real robbery happened in England I was in HS and oblivious. Nor did I read Rob Ryan's or Andrew Cook's books which were used for this adaptation. Books and TV are different, and the makers of this 2013 "The Great Train Robbery" have done well. You get 2 episodes. "A" is about the robbery itself as viewed through the eyes of the bandits. "B" is the police investigation as seen through their eyes. One continuing story, but 2 perspectives--what a unique way to tell this modern Robin Hood story, as the press liked to push it. Except, they didn't give to the poor, the loot was for themselves.

SDH Subtitles are provided, 1.5 hours for each episode
"A"- A Robber's Tale - Primary character is Bruce (Luke Evans) the gang's leader. All gang members are well played and great characters, each with a role and quirks. That's what is great about the writing. These are not portrayed as stereotype gangsters, just ordinary men who unfortunately take to lawlessness. One is a grocer, one a florist, fathers, etc. They all have flaws, their undoing. They steal 2,631,784 pounds (=41 million today or USA $66.6 million). A HUGE heist. "Too much," as the leader stated. There is action at the end, during the actual robbery, but most of the episode is the mental prep and plot of the robbery job. Period detail in both episodes is fantastic, as the 60s truly looked. I immediately recognized Martin Compston playing a gang member from a recently acquired DVD "Line of Duty" where he's a cop. Added is 47 min. of cast interview bonus.

"B" - A Copper's Tale - Scotland Yard sends in the Flying Squad lead by DCS Butler (Jim Broadbent) tagged as "One Day" to make fast work of this high media case. He becomes obsessed, causing conflict with 2nd command DI Williams (Robert Glenister). The task force has 3 tasks: piece together WHAT happened; by WHOM?; WHERE is the cash? It's good TV drama. More action in this 2nd episode. There may be some license taken with facts, those available via Internet, but sit back and truly enjoy this dramatic version of Bad Guys-Good Guys, and perhaps like me find yourself rooting for them all.
Added is 67 min. of cast interview bonus, as fun as the episode.

It is ALMOST a documentary, actually lots more fun than a documentary.
4616547
This is one of those Cops Drama that hit all the right notes
It's close to Flawless very edgy and organic
If you wanna know how clueless and downright Stupid the Program Department over NBC is They bought this Property showed a handful of episodes didn't understand what it was and Shelved it then after a few weeks just Canceled it (Without even airing the reaming episodes)
Thank God TNT knew how special Southland was and quickly swooped in and bought the rights
Aired the complete 1st Season less edited then Started to film Season Two
On TNT it last 4 years
The 5th and Final Year IMO hard to watch Cause it has so much strange stuff going on (It's like they wanted the Series to go Out like FX's The Shield) lots of odd story elements No good Happy ending it ends on such a Horrid down beat It was kind of a slap in the face to all the fans that followed Southland over from NBC

If you love Gritty real Cop Series Like Law&Order C.I. , Homicide: Life on the Streets, The Wire, The Closer/Major Crimes,  Detroit 187,  Murder In The First, Chicago PD, Graceland  you'll fall in love with this
You gotta Check this out
The Best way to Collect this series is season by season this Box Set isn't really a box set you'll get the complete season Lumped together in a box  (You can get Season One (Super Cheap $10.00 or less) Season 2-4 You'll pay the most for but, if you look around you can find it pretty cheap now Season 5 is also very cheap $10.00 or less I'm pretty sure various Wal Marts are selling some of these seasons super cheap near the DVD's/BR's Aisle with other Police procedural crime dramas
The Series as a whole is close to Perfect Despite the very odd "downer" Final Season  9.8/10
3058442
A wonderful change of pace in British Drama. London--Fleet Street shown in it's news days, when the street was teeming with reporters and photographers scurrying after the scoop. Each episode is a different story with a surprise ending. The news team observed is the gossip page: "Lytton's Diary". It takes about a half dozen reporters to publish the daily page of gossip and Lytton (Peter Bowles) is their leader.

Several guest stars are included like: Edward Hardwicke (Sherlock Holmes); John Hallman (The Pallisers-truly great series); Mel Martin (Love for Lydia); & Trevor Peacock (Vicar of Dibley).

The series having originally run in 1985-86 gives it a bit of a period feel. Fun. A newsroom teeming with electric typewriters and 2-tone (green/gray) dial phones. Afro-blond hair for a do. Also, due to age, the picture sometimes appears a bit over-exposed (an 80's film quirk I've seen before) so I cut back a 1/4 star as a result. Actually, outdoor scenes looks like London fog, smoke in the many pub sets, and oh, the shower scene. After getting involved in the interesting stories, it is forgotten. The absence of subtitles earned a decrease by just 1/4 star. It's helpful for us older folks, but we still enjoyed this series, without script. That leave "Lytton's DIARY" a SOLID 4 1/2 stars for almost ten hours of viewing (12 episodes).

You may experience some disappointment at the end of the last episode when you realize you have just watch the COMPLETE COLLECTION of "Lytton's Diary". You will want more.

Episode details for those that like more:
1 Rabid Dingo:Shock Horror--Lytton seeks 'mud' to fling & write about an Aussie Tycoon buying up a newspaper. By chance, Lytton gets a step ahead.
2 Daddy's Girls--Bankers, daughters, producers and Lytton makes an interesting mix. Without scruples, Lytton gets a scoop.
3 The Lady in the Mask--Something is needed to get the Lytton's Diary column from lukewarm to hot. A lady in a mask--otherwise very nude--seems to have potential. The DVD box did warn of nudity.
4 Tricks of the Trade--A Middle East and shady politics deal cooks. Can Lytton cover the story without the 'Daily News' getting burned? Happy Birthday, Lytton.
5 The Silly Season--Swedish actress & her tell-all-kiss-all manuscript gets Lytton puckered for a juicy one--a story. Then it really gets hot and interesting.
6 Come Uppance--Lytton may have gotten in over his head in the pursuit of a story dealing with skinhead violence.
7 The Ends and the Means--A prominent politician's suicide poses questions for Lytton since he was also a friend. Why? Because of whom? Fanny? There's a cheeky clue.
8 Rules of Engagement--A tennis cad is news beat for a new beautiful reporter while Lytton takes on Judge lock-em-away-Latham, exposed in a questionable photo.
9 The Ancien Regime--A hot French actress & a dictator give plenty for Lytton to ponder. "Daily News" ups the ante.
10 The Miracle Man--Lytton has everyone trying to tell him how to write. He seeks his own council and pursues a healing evangelist. Amen?
11 National Hero--New-trends editor & Diary reporter means run the other direction for Lytton. Rivalry in gossip escalates between the News & the Post.
12 What a Wonderful World--Murder, corruption, & sabotage make good gossip column material when it happens at a beauty pageant. Will the printer's union quash the scoop?

The episodes are like mysteries, but it's reporters looking for clues, not cops.
Of course there is some insider reporter romance.
3995665
One usually goes into these type of double-(or triple-)feature disks with extremely low expectations. These disks are usually bought in anticipation that the movies will be laughably bad. Sometimes one of the movies will turn out be kinda' good, but if that's the case it's a sure bet that the other features on the disk won't even rise up to so-bad-it's-good standards. That's why this "Drive-In Double Feature" from Dark Sky is so unique: BOTH featured movies, while not great by any stretch, are much better than anyone would ever expect.

Little time is wasted putting the Niagra-set SEARCH & DESTROY (1979) in motion. Four Vietnam vets who served together are being targeted by a killer, with one vet killed off during the opening credits and the body of another found shortly thereafter. Remaining vets Perry King and Don Stroud are considered suspects--that is until the killer (Jong Su Park) opens fire on them as they get off a Niagara Falls tour boat. George Kennedy is the police chief who wants to wrap up the case quickly lest the killer scares away tourists. As he explains to King: "These people prefer to watch violence on TV. Dammit, we don't have time for another war!" I've read other reviews that have noted "Search & Destroy" doesn't have enough narrative to sustain its 90 minute run time, and I agree. There's a lot of padding here, with chase scenes that go on much longer than they should. A better tack might have been to spend a little more time developing King's and Stroud's characters at the beginning before putting them in the killer's sights. Nevertheless, director William Fruet gives us a pretty clear picture of King's and Stroud's hardscrabble existences before the pair become targets. Performances are fine all around (King is especially good here), though the extras in the last act seemed to forget they were supposed to react to the action as no one is at all fazed by King brandishing an assault rifle as he runs down a crowded main street. Tisa Farrow makes little impression as King's girlfriend, but the only reason her part exists at all is to provide the killer with another potential victim.

Though  far cheesier and less focused in its storytelling, THE GLOVE (also 1979) is another pleasant surprise. Ostensibly the about bounty hunter John Saxon's search for a blues guitarist/ex-con (played by Rosie Grier) who is beating prison employees to bloody pulps with a riot glove, the movie spends more time on the trials of Saxon's day-to-day life. In fact, the pursuit of Grier seems to be forgotten for much of the movie as Saxon goes after other bail jumpers and thieves, including an embezzling secretary played by Joan Blondell(!) and a homosexual check bouncer played (for laughs, naturally) by Nicholas Worth. When Saxon isn't trying to get some cash to keep bill collectors (and his ex-wife) at bay, he's losing all his earnings at a rigged poker game or trying to romance Joanna Cassidy. The movie is past the half-way mark before Saxon resumes hunting for the gloved villain. And yet as unfocused as the storytelling is, I found "The Glove" to be quite engaging. Often a supporting player, Saxon really shines in the lead role, his performance alone almost reason enough to check this out. Props also go to Grier, his acting much improved over his terrible performance in the terrible (but fun) "The Thing with Two Heads."  "The Glove" was actor Ross Hagen's directorial debut, and considering he went on to direct such unwatchable dreck as "Click: The Calendar Girl Killer" and "Reel Horror," it just might be the best movie he ever directed.

Extras--including ads for 1950s and `60s era snack bars featuring some of the most unappetizing hot dogs and sandwiches ever seen  and "prevues" for such movies as "The One-Armed Executioner," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Last Hunter"--complete the "Drive-In Experience," but that's just icing on the cake. "Search & Destroy" and "The Glove" provide enough entertainment value on their own.
4854704
Having a front row seat for many, many evenings of great theater has never been so easy. Kino---the company that releases and re-releases great flicks at (usually) high prices---has issued the entire American Film Theatre (AFT) collection in one 15-disc thin-case box set. But that's not all: Originally released in three individual sets in 2003 at a total cost of $329.95, this set is a mere $199.95---that's suggested retail, and still cheaper than choice seats to Young Frankenstein.
AFT was the vision of producer Ely Landau, who was determined to make high-quality drama and comedies starring top talent. Through its years of AFT's existence (1973-75), AFT films were shown in selected theatres, and only for members who bought an annual subscription.
What do you get for the money? A complete list of films, cast members and accompanying bonus features would take up too much space, so I've swallowed hard and chosen only a few to highlight . . . a very tough task indeed. If you consider these appetizers. Image the full course (and desserts!): The Iceman Cometh, starring Lee Marvin, Fredric March, Jeff Bridges and Robert Ryan;  Three Sisters, starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright; A Delic ate Balance, starring Katharine Hepburn and Paul Scofield and Rhinoceros, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder.
What's a bit unsettling is that such an amazing set is getting all but dismissed by its very distributor. The press release for The American Film Theatre: The Complete Collection is riddled with embarrassing and insulting typos: It's Fredric March, not "Frederick", it's Jacques Brel, not "Jacques Brell;" it's Kurt Weill, not "Kurt Weilll;" it's Katharine Hepburn, not "Katherine Hepburn;" it's "Philadelphia, Here I Come," not "Philadephia, Here I Come;" Maximilian Schell, not Maximillian Schell; it's John Osborne, not "John Osbourne;" and it's Jacques Brel and Elly Stone starring in Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, not Melba Moore and Brock Peters (who do star in the set's Lost in the Stars.)
Thank goodness the lack of proofing doesn't take away from the proof that this collection is top-notch.
3350969
Buddy Ebsen as Barnaby Jones was one of a number of stellar actors known for their roles in comedy series in their earlier careers, that went on to become crime fighters in their later years. Known as the patriarch, Jed Clampett, on Beverly Hillbillies, he then went on to star as Barnaby Jones for another 8 years.
Other famous actors were Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor on The Andy Griffith show, starred as Ben Matlock, an attorney for another 9 years.
Then there was Jack Klugman, who played Oscar on The Odd Couple, went on to become Dr R Quincy, M.E. for another 8 years.
Dick Van Dyke, after his own sitcom with Mary Tyler Moore, went on to become Dr Mark Sloan in Diagnosis Murder for another 8 seasons.
Tom Bosley, father in Happy Days went on to become Father Dowling in Father Dowling Mysteries for another 3 years.
Robert Young as Jim Anderson on Father Knows Best, became Marcus Welby, M.D. for another 7 years.
And last but not least, Peter Falk, who had comedic roles in films such as The In-laws, was probably the most famous crime solver of all, as homicide detective Columbo, for over 10 years. He originally started with dark brown hair, that slowly became more grey in the later seasons.
As for myself, now that I am a senior, as I look in the mirror, I notice a few more grey/silver hairs every day, as for my heroics, they still come every once in awhile  on the tennis courts,

Now for The Barnaby Jones box set: -
This is a fairly good interesting series, if you are a fan of Columbo, you will enjoy this set. These are clever crime stories, usually set up in the opening of the show, similar to Columbo.  One major difference is in the conclusion of the episodes, Columbo usually caught the culprit and solved the crime in the last 2 minutes of each show, Barnaby Jones usually captures the culprit in the last 2 minutes, but they usually try to shoot him and he often ends up shooting them instead, but in the arm.
If you don't want to purchase the whole set, you can get individual seasons, they sell for around $30 each. Season 1 has the best video, remastered, but there are only 13 episodes. Seasons 2 -8 average 24 episodes each, and the picture quality, though not  remastered, is definitely quite acceptable ( much better than the recent release of Star Trek, The Next Genereation), however, most of the episodes are edited, they clock in at around 46 minutes each, about 4  5 minutes are missing, the beginnings of Act 1 thru Act 4 , a Quinn Martin trademark, are not there. As Buddy Ebsen began to age, Mark Shera as J.R. was introduced as a regular character in season 5, so his role began to reduce. So if you're in this series mainly for Buddy Ebsen, then the first 4 seasons would be considered to be the best.
1633714
Instead of breaking down the review into four parts, one for each film, let me just list WHY you should buy this set.  The Japanese method of movie making is to put MORE money into the sequels, to keep the characters, to try to link the plots so there is continuity between movies.  They use the same actors for the same characters, they try to get the best writers and the experienced directors.  In other words, the movies get better.
And you can tell.  There is lots of humor but also they are playing with the art of the colored film.  New opening scenes, camera angels, blood spraying sword slashes - we finally see blood in this set.  The music, the story lines, the settings are all well thought out, crafted, and made with care.  The wind blowing dust across the streets, the busy crowds in the background, the feeling that the story is happening in the real world and not some stage.
Movies 5 to 8 total about 5 hours and 39 minutes, with some extras in the form of trailers and some photo stills.
3861814
To my knowledge this is the biggest round up of western movies available in one place.  At 250 movies for the Amazon price of $65, (Its higher or lower now, but that's what I paid at the time), you're looking at just over 25 cents per movie.  Not a bad deal even if it comes out that you actually only find two thirds of them worth it.  Unfortunately that math has turned out to be correct.  A good third of the movies in this collection are extremely old oaters from the 1930s that run an average of less than 60 minutes.  They are neither very entertaining, nor of very good quality. Even if you're a fan of that early era of westerns, its my opinion you will be disappointed in any event due to the inferior quality. Most of the early ones are very dark and hard to see even with the brightness turned all the way up on your TV set.  They may be old, but they are definitely NOT remastered in any way.  Very dark and very blurry.  However considering that the vast majority of movies hail from the late 50s through the late 70s,(and are of much better viewing quality), I still recommend saddling up with this collection.  It is definitely making the long winter here go by much more enjoyably....
1945039
I hesitated for a long time to purchase this set, because so many reviewers mentioned problems with DVDs freezing and skipping.  Finally, I took a chance when an Amazon-affiliated merchant was selling a brand-new set very cheaply; I figured that if even two of the films I wanted (those being impossible or very expensive to get separately) would play without skipping, I would get my money's worth and wouldn't have to return the set.  I was pleasantly surprised.  All 8 DVDs have played without freezing or skipping on my Toshiba DVD/VCR combo player.  The special features as well as the films all play perfectly.

The films are all nicely cleaned up for DVD, and all of them are the full length listed on the IMDb, except for The Paradine Case, which is 114 minutes rather than 125 minutes.  Whether there is a longer DVD or VHS version of the Paradine Case in existence, I do not know (and would welcome comments about it).  The full version of The Lodger (100 minutes) is particularly appreciated, as up until this edition I don't think one was available.

The special features are mostly excellent.  There is a fair bit of repetition in the themes and ideas discussed in the commentaries, which is to be expected as all the films discussed are by Hitchcock and so discussions of his technique, personal anecdotes, etc. tend to crop up more than once.  There are some wonderful interviews with Hitchcock and other special short features, stills, posters, trailers, etc.

The "Big 4" -- Rebecca, Spellbound, Notorious, and The Paradine Case -- are deserving of their high reputation (though I think The Paradine Case is often underrated, and Notorious overrated); however, the pleasant surprise on this set is that the lesser-known films are excellent as well, in some cases arguably as good or better than the more famous ones.  The Lodger requires the usual adjustment needed for silent films before it can be appreciated; but once one allows oneself into the silent frame of mind, it repays viewing, and as the commentary shows, is just as artistically careful as Hitchcock's later works.  Sabotage is grim but excellent; Young and Innocent combines lightness with seriousness in an engaging way; and Lifeboat is a masterpiece, perhaps the best film in the whole collection.

The packaging is handsome, and unique.  The DVDs are usually rather tightly tucked into cardboard sleeves inside a fancy color booklet, and some people have worried that they could be scratched in trying to pry them out, but if you work them out carefully, that doesn't happen.  The opposite problem is more of a concern; some of the DVDs are loose in their sleeves when the package arrives (perhaps due to shipping movements), and if you happen to open the booklet upside down, the loose ones could fall onto the floor.  So make sure you have the booklet right-side up when you open it.  (Which means you should be careful the way you slide it out of the hard plastic case that surrounds it.)

If you get a working set of DVDs with this collection, and you don't already own any of these films, even $100 would be a reasonable price (only $12.50 per film, including great extras).  But of course, I cannot guarantee that others will be as lucky as I was with perfect DVDs, and I don't think this item is being manufactured any longer, so replacing the whole set will not be possible if there is a problem.  One would have to buy individual DVDs to replace defective ones.  But that might not be a bad idea, if one gets a good deal on the set.  Some of the films cannot be found anywhere else, or cost a fortune to buy by themselves; if those ones don't skip or freeze, they alone make the set worth having.
2649034
For the price that you pay for these two movies, there is really nothing you can complain about.

Both movies are part of a genre that requires you to suspend disbelief.  They're really mild fantasy films for adults.  Whether you're watching Blame It On Rio or The Woman In Red, the theme is generally the same: a married man cheats with a luscious woman.  The plots of both movies work because the cast supports them.  Of course, the two women are attractive and this makes the movie at least half way convincing and worthwhile.  Kelly LeBrock still looks gorgeous now!

Both movies are stored on a dual-layer DVD and you simply select the movie you want to view from the disc's only menu.  There are no scene selection menus at all.  But like I mentioned earlier, you can't complain for the price.  Hence, the full 5-star rating.
4335777
Good comedies are hard to find; glad to get a good value and save space with these three in one package.
4797945
If 4 is even a slight upgrade from 2 or 3, then you'll have a good, keepable movie. 2 has pretty good fighting scenes, but the storyline and characters kind of sucked a little. 3 is better than 2 all around; it is equal or better than 2, as far as the fighting scenes go, but the storyline is incredible and the characters mesh well together. 3 is definitely worth the cost and, if 4 is as good as 3 or a little bit better than 2, then this double feature is a gold mine. I haven't seen 1 or 4, but 3 is worth it! Even though I haven't seen 1 or 4, this Philip Rhee is ubertalented and you'll feel cheated--if you like martial art films--that he wasn't in more films and ballyhooed like Seagal and Van Damme. He's definitely as gifted as any other fighter(maybe equal or very close with Van Damme) since Bruce Lee. You have to check out examples of his ability and skill. I did not even know there was a 4th movie, until I was googling it. People are giving it a good review and I plan on checking this one out when I get a chance.