Customer Reviews:
 Question about the DVD Boxset January 27, 2008
Marie-laure Salomon (Paris, France)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Unfortunately, this DVD boxset hasen't been released in France.
Do the DVDs contain foreign subtitles, at least english for the hearing impaired ?
Thanks for your answer
 Closer to TV heaven than it's possible to get now January 2, 2007
M. C. Cresswell
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Having viewed all 3 of these series on DVD now there are such obvious differences between them. Series one was the shaky start, technically and dramatically; series two was bedding in the characters and the mindlessly enjoyable blowing up of the streets of London; this third and final series was a confident and accomplished action drama in its own right.
The points to really stand this one out are:
This finally becomes Makepeace's series as much as Dempsey's. The drama, lines and action often tip in her favour, even against his harsh countering - they're still battling each other as much as the criminals. In particular, the episode Extreme Prejudice sees the sparks fly between them, and their professional relationship all but dissolves, with Dempsey throwing Makepeace around a police cell, and her angry retaliatory threat. Finally she gets to square up to him in a way that she wasn't able to in the other 2 series. Maybe something to do with their off-screen relationship? Or her growing confidence? Any road, it makes for great viewing.
Technically the show holds its own, with the acting, production and (most importantly) editing all tight - although the inadvertant appearance of the production assistant on his hands and knees shutting the door behind our two heroes in the Prizefighter episode is unforgiveable!
There's something odd about this series, as has been pointed out, erring as it does on the side of light relief, albeit in a heavy-handed way, rather than go for all out drama (the aforementioned Prizefighter could be easily forgotten; Mantrap could be done less for laughs), and the comedy-style incidental music in a number of episodes becomes a distraction. But I guess they had their reasons.
Finally, Ray Smith as Spikings seems to have lost some of his bite. He also looks a bit frail. Perhaps this was a foreshadowing of his untimely demise some 5 years after this last series?
In any case, the final episode, Guardian Angel, will leave you with a lump in your throat. The end of an era, fabulous drama, and the final admission by the two protagonists of their undeniable need for each other. Great stuff.
 Cut off in it's prime! November 30, 2006
N. REES (UK)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
By Series 3 Dempsey & Makepeace was starting to show real depth - series 1 had some of the most hilarious police storylines ever broadcast on TV (sword fights in stately homes, fist fights while parachuting to earth, a ludicrously inauthentic drug-trafficking travestite... it goes on!), and series 2 went all out on the action (how many gunfights can you squeeze into an hour??), but it was sad to see this show end on this, series 3, some 20 years ago just as it seemed to be really finding it's feet...
By these final 10 episodes Dempsey had toned down his American bravado somewhat, and Makepeace was no longer simply the 'Saturday night totty' on ITV; we not only saw darker and more serious storylines - particularly the last handful of this final series - but also saw the real characters developing, and most importantly Makepeace finally seeming to be the truly excellent detective she was always meant to be (rather than simply Dempsey's decoration). Glynis Barber herself wrongly remembers that "Makepeace never ever saved Dempsey, it was always the other way around", but from the very first pilot episode where she guns down the hitman about to chop off Dempsey's head in the hotel kitchen (!) to the final episode on this series 3 boxset where *again* she guns down the hitman (this time in a pub!) who is about to blow Dempsey's head off, Barber remembers things completely the opposite of what really happened in the show (has she ever watched it back, we wonder?) - Makepeace saves the day, and saves Dempsey, with frequent regularity. There's much talk about D&M being very mysoginistic, but this was the 80's, but looking back at it now Makepeace was a very powerful character for it's time, remarkably cold (hardly the giggling bimbo) and often very calculating. Tokenistic, initially, but in the context of these sorts of 80's cop shows, she was always as casually violent and gun-toting as the next *man*.
No-one can ever accuse this show of taking itself too seriously, and elements of it are shameful (most notably some of the 'guest' stars, many of the plotlines, and some terrible continuity) but it was magnificent fun to watch every Saturday night, and I for one remember it extremely fondly. Considering it was one of the highest rating shows in the 80's, its also pretty scandalous that we are only now, 20 years later, seeing a full release, albeit of Granada's daytime 'edits' with well over half the episodes over the 3 series' being heavily edited, with this third boxset being wrongly labelled 'Complete & Uncut'. Still great though, and every 80's cop show fan HAS to have this series!!
With Glynis Barber about to appear as a detective again for the first time since Dempsey & Makepeace - albeit only slumming it in Emmerdale this Christmas - maybe there'll be a demand to bring back the "crime fighting duo"... okay, okay, with Glynis in her 50's and Brandon knocking on pensioner-age, the premise for a new version may have to be reworked slightly, but they do both look amazing for their respective ages!! I for one vote bring it back, 'cos it was itself criminal the way it was cut off in it's prime the first time around.
Charlie Five, over and out.
The final series October 26, 2006
D. Evans
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
In 1986 Dempsey and Makepeace returned for its third and final series. Despite generating the kind of audiences that would probably today see the programme being on air for most of the year, makers London Weekend television instead opted to put their money into a new fire drama London's Burning, following the success of Jack Rosential's one off television play about firefighters in the English capital city.
In contrast to series two - easily the best of the series made, the the third outing of Dempsey and Makepeace contains some of the weakest episodes. In particular Jericho Scam and The Prizefighter. The violence of the previous season has also been toned down and the humour has been increased. In The Prizefighter there is an attempt to inject some humour with a storyline about the boss Spiking on the trail of his wife's mini metro. This proves to be unfunny and with the added comedy music as teh car is chased, it embarassing to watch. The stronger episodes feature the return of Dempsey's nemesis, Keith Lyneman and in a very different type of episode, the duo are on the trail of a serial killer who is murdering women.
The two part opening episode The Burning is excellent, and features Dempsey's corrupt former New York Police boss Coltrane finally catching up with him. Although eagle eyes viewers may spot that this is not the man seen in the original episode. There is a great opening scene set in the bleak London docklands.
The final episode, directed by Michael Brandon is also very good. Brandon actually got to direct after a pettion from the crew. Here Makepeace resigns and a new female colleague played by Kate O'Mara is introduced.
This is certainly a dvd worth purchasing.
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