AULD ACQUAINTANCE
In case this notice finds any readers in America, I am reviewing only the two DVD's constituting `volume one' of the Taggart series issued by Clear Vision in the UK. They contain one feature-length film apiece, Killer and Dead Ringer respectively. They are absolutely superb, and a sad memorial to Mark McManus, who left us all too early before his 60th birthday. The series named after the lead part that he took in it continued (and may not even have stopped yet) under the same name, and that has to be quite a tribute. Younger fans of the later episodes may have wondered occasionally at the title Taggart, nobody's on-screen name any more, but although there are still first-class stories occasionally I think they will appreciate the difference if they see these two films and why the series still goes under the name that it does.
Jim Taggart is a tough 70's Glasgow cop carrying more chips than he has shoulders to carry them on. Like any good TV series, the plots and situations...
Mark McManus
Absolutely fantastic series, with Mark MCManus being why. It is so sad that he died bac in l994. The series continued but it wasn't quite the same without him
Simply the best
The legendary Taggart series lives up to its reputation. Excellent in all respects: acting, direction, location, plot.
Truly fine entertainment that blends modern police procedural with classic mystery - you'll keep guessing who the killer is right up to the end - and just a dash of horror - mild by 2013 standards, but startling when it first appeared in the 1980's.
Just as New York City was the fifth main character of "Sex and the City," so Glasgow and its magnificent architecture are key to the success of Taggart.
Americans should be warned however that part of Taggart's "keeping it real" is real Scottish accents, which is undoubtedly why unlike "Morse" and "A Touch of Frost" "Taggart" wasn't shown in the US during its original run.. After an episode or two, the ear is adjusted to recognize "dune" as not a sand formation, but the opposite of "up."
The mood is set by Maggie Bell's magnificent blues...
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