DVD Review: 'Secret Agent AKA Danger Man Complete Collection'

"They've given you a number and taken away your name...."

The year was 1965. CBS-TV in the USA launched a new series, Secret Agent, that had already been running successfully in the U.K. as Danger Man. Patrick McGoohan starred as John Drake, a spy more about wits than guns and slick moves (though he had both when truly needed). Around the same time, McGoohan had captivated viewers of Disney's Wonderful World of Color with his portrayal as the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. Following Secret Agent, he went on to create the still-acclaimed series The Prisoner.

 Danger Man launched a year prior to another excellent British spy series that would also hit American shores, The Avengers, and a couple of years before the big screen arrival of Sean Connery as 007.  The initial UK episodes were a half-hour, with John Drake a N.A.T.O. agent, said to be American (McGoohan’s attemped an accent of sort and times, but it somewhat disappears eventually).

The show was actually almost canceled in Britain after three years, but the Bond craze gave it new life, This led to a longer 50-minute episodes, an hour with commercials statesidem plus something of a makeover as Drake became a British Special Security Agent for MI9 and the American accent issues vanished.

In both short and long form versions, the tales are taut and well-woven. The half-hour stories are compact, though generally lack the more expansive mystery and thriller elements of the longer shows.  McGoohan's acting is straight-ahead as Drake takes on undercover roles of various kinds.  There are no Bond puns and such, but there is wit and it's quite sharp. He's cocky, yes, but no womanizing, either, one should note.

Among the particularly notable episodes are "View From the Villa," one of the half-hour stories shot in Portmeirion, Wales, where McGoohan would stage The Prisoner a few years later and "Colony 3,“  from the hour-long era, a story of a spy retirment locale that would inspire the trappings of the The Prisoner.

All 86 episodes of Danger Man/Secret Agent are collected in this new edition complete series set from A&E. They're presented in the original black-and-white television broadcast order, from the original programs that aired only in the U.K. as Danger Man to the 47 episodes of Secret Agent that were seen internationally, including the two-part series finale "Koroshi" and "Shinda Shima" filmed in color. 

Bonus features include: A Patrick McGoohan Biography/Filmography; Complete Full-Length Original U.S. Opening featuring the “Secret Agent Man” theme song performed by Johnny Rivers; and Photo galleries. 

This was and still is one of the greatest spy series in television history a precursor to shows such as Alias, 24 and others, even the current TV series Nikita.  The overall black-and-white look gives things a noir feel as well and while some period things and sitatutions may be dated, Secret Agent/Danger Man is an enthralling collection and for those unfamilar with the series, waiting to be discovered.  Of course, it’ll likely lead you to the Complete Prisoner. And that’s a good thing. A very good thing, indeed. Be seeing you.

For a limited time, enter to win a copy of this amazing collection from That Writer Guy and also Buzzine.com. Follow both on Twitter - Twitter.com/thatwriterguy, Twitter.com/buzzine and tweet or re-tweet this review.