JustinCleveland
Senior HTF Member
Studio: Paramount Home Video
Year: 1994
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Discs: 7, 23 episodes
Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese
MSRP: $28.98
Street Date: 23 January, 2007
The Show:
After a night of carousing the bar scene, I sat with a friend watching the late-night Sportscenter. Out of nowhere, he turns to me nonchalantly and asks, “Did you hear Chuck Norris died?” I hadn’t been in touch for a few days, so the news came as a surprise to me. “Yeah,” he continued. “But Death is afraid to tell him.” The legend of Chuck Norris is a pervasive one. Most amazing is that an entire generation know him only as Walker, Texas Ranger and are completely unaware that he was at one time on par with Stalone and the Governator as an action film draw.
That is not to minimize the positive qualities of the television program, it is just a different product and came as a shock to people who knew him only as the butt-kicking star of “The Delta Force” and “Missing in Action.” Each episode of “Walker, Texas Ranger” is a self-contained story that wraps up with a moral message, reminiscent of Norris’ character in the animated “Karate Kommandos.” The program follows the varied adventures of Cordell Walker (Norris), a former Marine who acts more like a sheriff in the Old West than his counterparts on contemporary cop shows like “NYPD” or “CSI.” There are rarely mysteries on “Walker,” rather there are villains in need of punishment and it is up to Walker and his merry band of law enforcement to mete due justice.
Walker will also risk his life in service of those who are in need of his protection. Whether that be a young child trapped within a car (“’Til Death Do Us Part”) or a group of Native Americans who are being wronged by the theft of precious artifacts that represent a significant connection to their heritage (“On Sacred Ground”).
Joining Walker on his quest are his partner, ex-Dallas Cowboy running back Jimmy Trivette (Clarence Gilyard, Jr.) and his confidant C.D. Parker (Noble Willingham) and District Attorney Alex Cahill (Sheree Wilson). The dynamic is familiar; Parker's experience sheds new light on a situation. Wilson is the girl-next-door, grown up and the flirtatious love interest who humanizes the otherwise stoic Walker.
There is a sense of charm to the show; an innocence and morality that is often missing from most television. It’s not a great program, certainly, but is entertaining despite its predictability. In a way, the show feels like an amalgamation of “Matlock” and “Dragnet,” in how it operates with a black-and-white morality and presumptions of absolutes. The very first episode of the second season starts with an escaped bank robber who all but laughs maniacally and a black family being the brunt of overt and obvious racism. Little in life is as simple as it is presented in “Walker, Texas Ranger” but the show works despite its lack of an ambiguous moarlity. A lot of this is thanks to the fact that this is a well-crafted program, cinematic in its construction with lots of location work (as opposed to sets), tracking shots, and the use of close-ups.
Would I watch “Walker” if I weren’t reviewing it? Likely not. But I do appreciate its appeal and can recommend it to fans of Westerns and law-enforcement programs. The brief bits of comedy help broaden the show’s appeal.
3 out of 5 stars.
Video:
Presented in its original 4:3 aspect ratio, the transfer is exactly what you would expect from a television program that is over a decade old. The program looks like it was shot on video, and there are no scratches or blemishes to be found, however it looks like it was shot on a medium that wasn’t meant to be seen in high definition. It looks better than it has on television re-runs; however the limitations of the source are obvious. There aren’t any bad flares, and the colors don’t particularly pop, nor is it razor-sharp (in fact it is extremely soft with a lot of grain), but it is a clean transfer that reflects the original broadcast.
3 out of 5 stars.
Audio:
There are a surprising variety of language options available, including English, Spanish, and Portuguese with matching subtitles. The English Dolby Surround is dynamically flat, but crystal clear. There isn’t a hiss, and everything is understandable. It is a solid transfer, but nothing spectacular.
3 out of 5 stars.
Extras:
There are no extras, save some previews at the beginning of the first disc for other Paramount TV-on-DVD products like the CSI brand and “The 4400.”
0 out of 5 stars.
Overall:
Walker is a variation on a familiar theme, and an amalgamation and updating of the male adolescent law-enforcement and cowboy fantasy with a butt-kicking protagonist. Although it is over-simplified, the show has great appeal and I know it has an audience that will enjoy its charms.
3 out of 5 stars.
