Without a Trace-Complete First Season (2002)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Audio Commentary-Filmmakers - Pilot Deleted Scenes-Missing Evidence Featurette-Making Of-The Motive Featurette-Fingerprints
Rating
Year Of Production	2002
Running Time	952:42 (Case: 930)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Dual Sided Multi Disc Set (4)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4,5	Directed By	Rob Bailey David Barrett Charles Correll Mel Damski
Studio Distributor	Warner Home Video	Starring	Anthony LaPaglia Poppy Montgomery Marianne Jean-Baptiste Enrique Murciano Eric Close
Case	?
RPI	$89.95	Music	Reinhold Heil Johnny Klimek Peter Manning Robinson

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English Spanish Dutch English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    When a person goes missing the clock starts ticking, with 48 hours to find that person. The first 48 hours are the most important - after that the chances of finding the missing person are virtually gone.

    Without a Trace is a drama following a group of F.B.I. agents who solve recently reported cases of missing persons. From kidnappings to runaways, the group, led by Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia), follow clues as to the reasons for the disappearances of these people. They use special profiling techniques to work out who these missing people really were and reconstruct their day of disappearance hour by hour, hopefully getting them one step closer to finding those who cannot be found.

    Anthony LaPaglia is yet another Australian actor making a big impact in Hollywood. Sadly, this talented actor did not get the recognition he deserved with some of his earlier movies, such as Mixed Nuts, Empire Records, The Client and So I Married an Axe Murderer. After a few years of middling roles, his career was revived with several smash hits right here in Australia. Looking for Alibrandi was just the start, with Lantana and The Bank in my opinion his best movies. After these movies, nothing could stand in LaPaglia's way with his next big step landing him a role in this Jerry Bruckheimer smash.

    Little had I realised that the lead actress is another Australian furthering her career. Poppy Montgomery was virtually unknown to me until I looked her up at imdb.com to find out that she was in Dead Man on Campus, an unoriginal yet funny college comedy. Montgomery's performance is memorable in this show, standing out as the leading lady.

    An episode guide is below. A synopsis for each episode has been left out, mainly due to the nature of the show, which would lead to somewhat repetitive descriptions. All that can be said is that each episode is as good as the one preceding it, with no duds at all.

Disc 1 Side A

1. Pilot 39:36

2. Birthday Boy 40:12

3. He Saw, She Saw 40:10

Disc 1 Side B

4. Between The Cracks 41:53

5. Suspect 42:38

6. Silent Partner 39:46

Disc 2 Side A

7. Snatch Back 40:47

8. Little Big Man 40:17

9. In Extremis 40:15

Disc 2 Side B

10. Midnight Sun 41:11

11. Maple Street 41:37

12. Underground Railroad 42:11

Disc 3 Side A

13. Hang Onto Me 43:05

14. The Friendly Skies 42:16

15. There Goes The Bride 42:35

Disc 3 Side B

16. Clare De Lune 39:51

17. Kam Li 41:46

18. The Source 40:37

Disc 4 Side A

19. Victory For Humanity 41:52

20. No Mas 42:32

21. Are You Now, Or Have You Ever Been? 42:28

Disc 4 Side B

22. Fallout, Part 1 42:11

23. Fallout, Part 2 42:56

    From information I have found online, the season finale 'Fallout' is a director's cut, with some scenes not in the broadcast version.

Video

    The video is presented in the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is 16x9 enhanced.

    The image is sharp throughout and shadow detail is excellent. There is no evidence of edge enhancement.

    Colour is amazing, with accurate flesh tones and other vibrant colours looking wonderful.

    Chroma noise is evident in quite a few scenes, where there are large areas of the one colour in the background. While it is noticeable throughout, I find it quite an appealing artefact, with the background standing out and yet not overpowering the foreground.

    All discs are dual layered (as well as dual sided). Each disc side has a data size hovering around the 5Gb mark. On each side, the first two episodes are on the first layer, with the third episode on the other layer. There is no layer change evident in any episode, with it going unnoticed between episodes. There is nothing to interrupt your viewing pleasure, except for the fact that another episode could easily have fitted onto each disc.

    The available subtitles are English, Spanish, Dutch and English for the Hearing Impaired.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Audio is available in English and Spanish, both Dolby Digital 2.0 surround encoded at 192kbps. The soundtrack is one of the best 2.0 tracks I have ever come across.

    Dialogue is the key here, with it being easy to understand and in sync.

    The music for Without a Trace comes from three composers. Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek were part of a band together, while also writing the score for movies such as Deck Dogz and Run Lola Run. The third composer is Peter Manning Robinson. The trio score individual episodes, with each better than the next.

    The surrounds come into play frequently, with an enveloping music soundtrack as well as the sound of passing cars and background chatter.

    The subwoofer is utilized frequently throughout each episode, with some deep bass supporting the music, as well as some of the other action.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Main Menu Introduction

Main Menu Audio & Animation

Audio Commentary

    Not dull, but only worthwhile listening to once. Fortunately, there is only the one episode with a commentary - any more would be difficult to take.

Deleted Scenes

    These deleted scenes are presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full screen. They are accessed by selecting a fingerprint icon next to the episode name (where available).

1. Pilot 5:50

4. Between The Cracks 0:23

5. Suspect 5:58

9. In Extremis 1:27

10. Midnight Sun 1:25

12. Underground Railroad 1:02

13. Hang Onto Me 1:43

14. The Friendly Skies 1:54

20. No Mas 0:44

21. Are You Now, Or Have You Ever Been? 1:40

Featurette - Fingerprints 10:09

    I didn't realise this series was filmed in Los Angeles. The effort required to make the scenes look and feel like they were filmed in New York is quite interesting to find out about. Dolby Digital 2.0 192kbps audio.

Featurette - The Motive 15:06

    Stock standard interviews and behind-the-scenes information on how the show was brought together, how they kept it realistic, and the highlights of the series. 4x3 fullscreen, Dolby Digital 2.0 192kbps audio.

    This release appears to be similar across regions. Buy on price.

    An excellent first series, which has expanded its fan base over the years. With the success of C.S.I., audiences are lapping up Jerry Bruckheimer productions, with this being one of his best creations.

    Without a Trace is essential television viewing.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall