Video > DVD > Genres > Action & Adventure > Crime

	buying more than one thing? add to bookbag(uses Multi-Item Price Optimization™) ...or intereact!

24 - Season Four
Actors: Kiefer Sutherland, Carlos Bernard, Reiko Aylesworth, Kim Raver, and Mary Lynn Rajskub
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Retail Price (not our price): $69.98
Release Date: 2005-12-06
Theatrical Release Date: 2005-11-06
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Run Time: 1052 minutes
Format: Array
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Discs: 7


Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
Oh boy. Here we go again! Just another exciting day in the life of 24 super-agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). The season kicks off with a deadly terrorist strike resulting in the kidnapping of his new boss, the U.S. Secretary of Defense James Heller (William Devane). Although a fired, ex-employee of the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU), it is no surprise who is going to shift into full gear to bring the terrorists to justice. However, it doesn't take the super-agent long to discover the kidnapping of his boss is part of a much larger plan, master-minded by Habib Marvan (Arnold Vosloh) the middle eastern terrorist cell leader the US government has been trying to track down for years. Considered by many to be the best season of the first four, 24 - Season 4 is a definite departure from the first three seasons. First, the cast is almost entirely new. Second, the pacing of each episode does not seem as frantic. There appears to be a shift from the reliance on plot-shifting cliff hangers (which in some ways dragged down the quality of Season 3), to a focus on complex, over-arcing, multiple storylines, albeit very violent. What may be missing in superficial action clichés is definitely compensated for in a richer plot. That's not to say the show has slowed down; it's still amped up beyond anything else on TV, but compared to the previous seasons, 24 has gotten a lot smarter, and in turn, better. --Rob Bracco

2) Description
Emmy nominated for Best Drama series, 24 Season 4 is considered by fans and critics to be the best season yet. Starring Keifer Sutherland in his Emmy nominated role as Jack Bauer, 24 Season 4 received the highest broadcast ratings of the series' 4 year history. The loaded 7-disk set includes a ground-breaking extra, shot on location during Season 5 production, which bridges Season 4 with Season 5 and gives clues about what is to come. 24 Season 4 on DVD is the only place to follow every moment of suspense, mystery and action of this worldwide smash hit television show!

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) Never disappionting   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
I feel this is one of the all time best TV series ever created. I am always amazed on how intriguing and well-crafted all the episodes tend to be. You never feel like the writing, acting & direction is ever just going through the motions. Season 4 is no exception. Although it's not the best season of 24, it is certainly very good. Always leaving you wanting more and on the edge of your seat. The deleted scenes are unnecessary and I recommend you skip them all together when you're watching an episode for the first time. There was good reason for editing them out. The kind of ruin some scenes all-together.

2) Absurd. Total suspension of disbelief required.   [Rating: 2 out of 5]
Beware - spoilers below.Curiously, 24 is a show that suffers on DVD (but I prefer watching any show in this format, without waiting for weeks and being capable of deciding when to watch them). Why does it suffer? Because the concept of real time action is seriuosly hurt when we watch the episodes back to back wihtout the week-long intervals. The plot holes and absurdity of it all became much more clear to the viewer.Anyway, Season Four reached the bottom of the barrel in the plot recordind the defense contractor company. Man, that was the most ludicrous history they ever wrote in 24... In order to not get cuaght and to not have bad publicity overt heir business, the company's directors are capable of having squads and more squads of hired killers and decide to use them to kil Federal agents and torture a civilian and, after this fails, tehy decide to use an eltromagnetic bomb to destroy all computers and electronic devices around, once again in front of the federal agent (bauer). Both course of action would not only incriminate the company and generate bad publicity (which was what they were trying to avoid in the first place)but would terminate the company forever and put al the board of director in jail forever!!! This was, I repeat, one of the most absurd plots in all 24 seasons and in all modern TV shows!

3) ADDICTIVE!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Amazingly entertaining! I admit I became a fan because I had to wait 2 weeks for DirectTV to be installed and had no choice but to watch DVD's. I picked up Season 2 and became hooked. Then came Season 1,3,4 & 5. For 2 weeks I was addicted to this exciting show. I can't wait for the new season!

4) 24 Goes Over the Top (and not in a good way)   [Rating: 3 out of 5]
***** Acting**** Directing**** DVD Extras* Plot24 is a great show but even great shows have their bad seasons. To enjoy this show you must suspend all disbelief. The season begins with an train crash. It turns out that someone on the train has a device that can comprimise every nuclear power plant in the nation.Jack Bauer has been forced out of CTU and now works for the Secretary of Defense and is sleeping with his daughter, Audrey. The Secretary sends Jack to CTU while he deals with his renagade son. While at his son's he and his daughter are kidnapped by terrorists and put on trial. Trial and his execution are to be broadcast on the internet.Jack is pressed into service. Using his renegade style, he rescues his boss and girlfriend. But it turns out, that the kidnapping was just a cover. The terrorists were behind the train bombing and used the intert surge to hack into the nuclear power plant computers and use the override device to melt down the power plants.Jack finds out that one of the terrorists worked on the device at the defense contractor. Jack and Audrey's husband, Paul, go to the defense contractor to see if they can get a thread on the terrorists. The defense contractor agrees to cooperate but decide that it is not in their best interest. Once Paul finds something, not only does the contractor send assassins in to kill Jack and Paul but mount an EMP that wipes out all electrical devices for 8 square miles.Jack escapes with the information unscathed but Paul is shot pushing Jack out of the way.One nuclear plant melts down in California but eventually, CTU is able to save the other 107. But this was a cover too. The real target was Air Force One. The terrorists have arranged to have a mercenary steal a stealth bomber to shoot down Air Force One. CTU uncovers this in time but cannot stop the stealth bomber and Air Force One is shot down. The good news is the President is safe but hurt. The bad news is that this is attack was a cover too. The terrorists were after the Nuclear Football, a briefcase that can detonate all the US's nuclear bombs.Oh, and did I mention that the terrorist just happened to steal a one of the largest nuclear warheads. Now Jack must find the terrorist behind the attacks to stop the detonation. Cloe gets a lead on someone involved with the latest attack which leads to a Chinese nuclear scientist. But he is at the Chinese consulate and they will not give him up. So Jack is authorized to kidnap him. During the kidnapping the consulate gets killed by friendly fire.Now this is just the highlights. I didn't mention that Tony is out of jail and Michelle has left him but they are forced to work together in this crisis. Or that the Vice President proves to be incompetent and blows the arrest of the lead terrorist.For all this to happen, the US intellegence would have to be incompetent. This is five major attacks that all have to happen in order for everything to happen. That is everyone but Jack has to be incompetent.Lets start with the train. These are not government agents but employees of the a very powerful company with vast resources. But this does not make sense, with a device so important, the company would use one of its corporate jets or helicopters, not a public train (that is so 50's!)Next, the kidnapping and trial of the Secretary happened within a few hours. In the morning when most people would be at work or school. Therefore, all this internet activity would be unlikely. It takes time for an event like this to happen.And then, a company my try to hide illegal activity but to fry every electrical device within miles. But this would be hard to cover and the law suits from this would sink any company. Let alone the criminal charges.Well enough of the over the top writing.I do have to say that the acting in this is five star. Keifer is great as usual but Cloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) comes to life in this episode. Alberta Walker is the lastest casualty as the new head of CTU. Alberta is great but Erin Driscoll is no Madeline (La Femme Nikita). Carlos Bernard and Rieko Aylesworth make the best out the mush they are given and prove that good actors can rise above mediocre writing. (Actually, everytime I see Rieko in any show (from SVU to ER), I realize that she is a hidden gem!)If you are a die hard fan of 24 then buy this set, if you are a casual admirer then buy if you get a great deal.Basically, a great cast in an absurd plot.DVD EXTRAS:As usual, the extras are really great including the Season 4 and Season 5 prequels (Or bridge). But it would be better to put these great extras where they belong. At the beginning of Disc 1 and the end of Disc 6, so they flow with what we are watching.I love watching deleted scenes and this has a lot of them. And they are great. I also love having director commentary and usually watch them twice (once with commentary and then without). But with this many scenes it would take over 2 hours to do this. In future, I would suggest that Cassar just give a brief explanation before each scene - and also have a Play All option.Also, they have the 24 minutesodes. A promo that is totally seperate from the series but is linked to the initial plot line. (Based on unnessecary Chinese plotline and this. I get a feeling that Keifer was in contract negotiations and the producers were testing this guy as a possible replacement.)Also included are feaurettes on the series and aspects of the series. As usual, these are outstanding.

5) Uneven quality undermines this wild ride   [Rating: 3 out of 5]
Season 4 begins with Jack Bauer working for the Secretary of Defense, James Heller. We have a new president in the form of John Keeler and most of the faces in CTU are also new. In addition, Jack has a new girlfriend in the form of Audrey Raines, daughter to Jack's boss. Jack, Audrey, and Heller are visiting L.A. when terrorist activity begins to heat up in a way that involves them very directly. Needless to say, it doesn't take long for Jack to be thrust back into action to stop the bad guys. Normally, I write reviews that offer a bit more info on the plot, but with this show I'm not comfortable doing that. Too much of the punch that 24 has to offer comes from all the twists and turns of the story and giving those away is not fair to new viewers.As mentioned, there are many new faces in the cast this season and most of them work pretty well. Curtis Manning makes a good no-nonsense agent with a solid presence. Erin Driscoll is the new head of CTU Los Angeles and looks like a moronic bureaucrat in the first couple of episodes but then mercifully starts to act in a much more competent fashion. In addition to all the new faces, a few old friends return as the season progresses. A surprise absence was Kim Bauer, for which I was highly grateful. Probably the worst character depiction was Chloe O'Brian. She was quirky and abrasive in 24 - Season Three but I liked her for the most part. This season, she is just rude and condescending every time she opens her mouth no matter what the situation is. It's so over the top that it really doesn't make any sense at all and is just irritating to watch. Without giving away specifics, the plot is another case of very mixed quality ideas. The first half to two-thirds of the season is relatively tight and holds up well but then it stumbles badly. You start seeing things like a terrorist driving a jeep on a deserted road in the desert and yet a CTU helicopter can't find him. A company is afraid that computer records might make them look bad so they take actions that would be guaranteed to land the executives in jail for life and get the corporation shut down forever. A man is badly wounded and instead of taking him to a hospital, they take him to the little clinic at CTU. All of these things are contrivances to make things harder for Jack either immediately or later on, but they are so poorly conceived that they badly undermine the credibility of the show as you watch it.Trying to give 24-Season 4 a rating in stars is difficult because the season fluctuates so wildly in quality almost from minute to minute. At it's best, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. At it's worst, you'll roll your eyes and grind your teeth as yet another arbitrary obstacle is thrown in Jack's way that makes no sense whatsoever. The soap opera that occurs between various characters also gets very tiresome. After watching the first four seasons on DVD (I've never watched the show on TV) I can say that more and more plot elements are getting recycled and the magic is starting to wear off for me. I may buy the next season at some point, but I'm ready for some time off after watching this one. I would recommend this only to people who really loved the first three seasons and are hungry for more.