20th Century Fox | 2009 | 1115 mins | Not rated
In the face of the 2007-2008 Writer’s Guild of America Strike, the seventh season of 24 was delayed. The series was off the air for over 19 months. After a lackluster sixth year, season seven came back with renewed energy, fun action sequences and the return of some favorite characters and the addition of some interesting new ones.
The first clue that season seven would mark a rebirth of sorts for the show was the air of a feature-length TV movie, titled 24: Redemption, which takes place nearly four years after season six and served as a launch pad for the storyline that unfolded during the seventh season. Redemption followed Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland), through the fictional African country of Sangala. Jack had trouble avoiding “invitations” to return home–in this case, a subpoena to appear before the Senate to answer charges concerning questionable actions carried out by the now defunct CTU. Instead of going home, Jack used his time to help an old buddy with missionary work. As is often the case when Jack’s around, things didn’t go smoothly; two young boys from the local school went missing after being ambushed by militia recruits under the order of General Benjamin Juma (Tony Todd), an infamous Sangalan dictator. General Juma wanted to recruit all the young boys he could, so it suddenly became Jack’s job to help ferry the boys to safety. Back in the United States, President-elect Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) was getting set for her inauguration but the situation in Africa raised serious concerns about a conspiracy within the American government, possibly at the hands of Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight) As a result, Jack is forced back to the United States to face his fate.
Day seven marked the first full season of 24 not in Los Angeles and the change was a refreshing one. Instead, Jack and company were moved to Washington D.C. That decision allowed for a Jack Bauer/White House storyline for the first time, with Jack seen several times in the White House with the President.
As Jack is being questioned in front of a senate committee by Senator Blaine Mayer (Kurtwood Smith), he is taken away by order of the FBI’s Washington, D.C. branch. Escorted by Agent Renee Walker (Annie Wersching), Jack is enlisted to help prevent a possible terrorist attack, being carried out by with the help of Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), Jack’s former co-worker presumed dead after the events of Season five. Walker and Bauer, under the command of regional director Larry Moss (Jeffrey Nordling), soon discover that a kidnapped security expert has been forced to develop a CIP device and in the wrong hands, it could create a national emergency. It appears that General Juma is the major motivating force behind the planned attack but his second in command is the one actually leading the attack on American soil. With dozens of corrupt U.S. government officials on their payroll, Jack and his crew have a difficult and dangerous job to do.
A bunch of fan favorite 24 characters returned for Season 7, including Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub), Bill Buchanan (James Morrison), Aaron Pierce (Glenn Morshower) and Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard). While the story regarding how Tony is still alive requires one to suspend disbelief, in retrospect the reasoning for his actions throughout the season (apparently on the side of the terrorists at one point and on the good guys’s side at another) is well thought out, dramatic and understandable.
The best return of a character was Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer. Her storylines in the past have been nothing to write home about. However, in season seven she made two solid appearances. The first was an emotional reunion with her dad and the second saw her become a fearless heroine of sorts; perhaps she is a chip off the old block!
A number of other characters that were introduced in 24: Redemption also became key players in Day 7. The White House intrigue this season centered on President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones), her husband Henry (Colm Feore) and their daughter Olivia (Sprague Grayden). While First Husband Henry mostly bumbles around and gets himself into trouble and Olivia goes from evil manipulator to panicked self-doubter.
The strongest storyline of Season 7 featured one of the best villains 24 has ever had: Jonas Hodges. Portrayed by Jon Voight, Hodges seems to stay one step ahead of everyone. Voight manages to take some pretty cheesy dialogue (e.g., “Stress is the fertilizer of creativity. Let’s play some darts!”) and turn the lines into a fun, yet creepy performance. Hodges is over the top at times, but creative and willing to stop at nothing to execute his plan.
Sutherland is, as solid as ever: his character continues to struggle with doing what’s necessary for the situation at hand, even if it means a sacrifice for the greater good. The use of torture is a recurring theme on 24, especially during the last few seasons and it’s a gray area that will undoubtedly divide audiences who feel passionately about the subject. Still, here it’s often painted as a means to an end: Bauer feels that such tight-lipped terrorists do not play by the same rules, so a more forceful approach is needed to stop them. However, it’s not always an easy decision for other characters to accept.
In the end, the location change gave 24 a much needed breath of fresh air and next seasons move to New York City should serve to do the same.
As with past seasons, 24: Season Seven has been presented in its original 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and looks fantastic. This anamorphic transfer preserves the series’ stylized color palette, while only the darkest of scenes tend to be a bit on the murky side. Digital problems aren’t an issue at all, though compression artifacts can be spotted during certain fast-paced sequences. Overall, it’s a solid effort.
The audio is presented in an energetic Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround mix (also available in Spanish 2.0 Surround), boasting immersive action sequences and subtle atmospheric touches during quieter moments. Dialogue sounds clean and clear, but the strong dynamic range ensures that explosions and gunfire also pack quite a punch. Optional English, Spanish and French subtitles are provided during the main feature but none of the bonus materials.
Each disc has a slate of special features:
• Disc 1 includes The Music of 24 (13:04), which features a performance by The Tenerife Film Orchestra & Choir of Santa Cruz. Led by series composer Sean Callery, this “music video” features live footage and scenes from recent seasons and a few spoilers, so be careful. Two Audio Commentaries are also included on this disc; 8:00-9:00am features producer Jon Cassar and actor Carlos Bernard, while 10:00-11:00 am features producers Manny Coto and Brannon Braga, also with Bernard.
• Disc 2 includes one Audio Commentary during 12:00-1:00pm, with producer/director Jon Cassar and actress Annie Wersching.
• Disc 3 continues the Audio Commentaries with three more: 4:00-5:00pm features producer David Fury and actor Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Ike Dubaku); 5:00-6:00pm features producers Manny Coto and Brannon Braga with actress Annie Wersching; and 7:00-8:00pm features producer/director Brad Turner and actor Tony Todd (General Juma).
• Disc 4 includes two Audio Commentaries: 8:00-9:00pm features producer/director Brad Turner, composer Sean Callery and actor James Morrison (former CTU head Bill Buchanan), while 9:00-10:00pm features producers Evan Katz and Juan Carlos Coto with actress Annie Wersching and actor Bob Guntun (Presidential advisor Ethan Kanin).
• Disc 5 leads off with Hour 19: The Ambush (12:47), a brief featurette regarding a scene from the explosive 2:00-3:00am hour. Featuring participation from DP Rodney Charters, special effects supervisor Stan Blackwell, special effects coordinator Scott Blackwell and director Michael Klick. We’re also treated to another Audio Commentary during the 1:00-2:00am episode, featuring producer Howard Gordon with actors Carlos Bernard and Jeffrey Nordling (Larry Moss).
• Disc 6 closes things out with three more Audio Commentaries: 5:00-6:00am features producer Evan Katz, actress Mary Lynn Rajskub and actor Glenn Morshower (Agent Aaron Pierce); 6:00-7:00am features producers David Fury and Alex Gansa, also with Morshower; and 7:00-8:00am features producers Howard Gordon and Jon Cassar. Also here is a collection of Deleted Scenes (14 clips, 25:38 total) with optional commentary by producers Stephen Kronesh and Paul Gado, which present a few minor character moments and abandoned sub-plots. Our last extra is 24-7: The Untold Story (15:49), a behind-the-scenes featurette with key members of the cast and crew. It goes into detail about production difficulties (mostly brought upon by delays, including the writers’ strike) and the pressure of re-inventing the series after Season six.
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