City of Vice - Series 1 [2008] - DVD (Ian McDiarmid, Iain Glen, Nigel Harman, Juliet Aubrey - Dir: )

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Customer Reviews of City of Vice - Series 1 [2008]

whutchin2
Perth, Australia
11th October 2008

Very good with only one fault
This is quite a good historical piece of 18th century London. It attempts to show the city as it really was rather than a polite and idealistic view. I feel that it does modernise the period somewhat with its 'modern' swearing amd mores, but basically it is a good programme that has an authentic feel. My only gripe is with the background music and the monologue at the beginning of every episode. At least the music is kept under control in most episodes, and most scenes are without it - thank goodness. However, in the last episode the sound engineer obviously could stand it no longer and everything is thrown in - bongos, violins, pianos, weird noise and so on. There is no need for this interference with the programme - it especially made an impact on as I had just watched the second series of `The Sandbaggers' which had no intrusions of this kind and was so much more pleasant to watch. Despite this, the programme is well worth buying especially at this low price.

cazzab
uk
30th September 2008

E X C E L L E N T
once again i purchased this off amazon because of customer reviews.
never heard of it before and did'nt even realise it had been transmitted on ch4. very very impressed by the production........... and story.
don't want to spoil any story lines if you hav'nt heard of the bow street runners before.... bit before my time and i'm glad it's 2008!! :-)
i totally enjoyed this and thank all for writing their reviews because if they had'nt i would have missed out on a gem! thanks

Film and Book critic
London, UK.
22nd September 2008

Great
If this is series 1, when will they do Series 2???? I can't wait!!

POTUS
Glasgow
13th May 2008

'London needed a police force'
Im a sucker for 18th Century history. The politics - the culture - the economics. Its the raw energy that is beginning to unleashed as society was changing - changes that brought both good and ill. Nothing illustrates this more than City of Vice.

Vivid and colourful - each episodes bring to life the darker side of 18th Century London. Intermixed with the solving of the cases - there are marvelous graphics that take you through the streets London. The effects themselves are almost like watching an old map rise up in front of you.

The cast are on top form. Watching the Fielding brothers is like reading a Sherlock Holmes book. Brothers standing between 'proper society' and the darkness that lurks around the alley ways and slums of old London. The criminals they encounter are not your garden variety bad guys. Very often the Fieldings despite being repulsed by what they see - are powerless to actually do something. This is vividly illustrated in an episode that looks at the exploitation of children in London. It becomes apparent that many of those who claim to uphold the law - are the first one's to break it.

Those of you have watched the TV series London by Peter Ackroyd will have seen the life that London has pulsed with for most of its history. City of Vice takes you back to the darker side of that same London. You can't help but wonder how much of that darkness remains to the present day.

City of Vice. Its visually brilliant and so atmospheric that at points you could find yourself almost smelling the London air.

ezzekiel333
London UK
13th April 2008

A fine romp!
This series based on the pre-police, The Bow Street runners is both a well acted and enjoyable romp through a squalid, filth infested London.
~The "forensics" of the time are a bit iffy, the acting hammy( you can tell Ian McDermid is having the time of his life) and the accents in some cases variable but strangely this adds to the enjoyment.
The series threatened to become repetitious, a failing of many series but thankfully did not. I gave it four stars because I felt the editing could be improved upon, I kept waiting for adverts to show up in some of the dramatic pauses.
Watch it for CSI back then value!