Breaking Bad: Season 4 [Blu-ray] by Bryan Cranston

Much has already been said by other people on the site so there's little to add. The entire concept is unusual but very possible and makes for a fascinating study of the human nature. The acting could not be bettered. There are no weak members of the cast. The metamorphosis of the star character, brilliant Chemistry teacher Walter White, from the loving husband and father and quiet but diligent Chemistry teacher at the local school, to an increasingly hardened master chef of top quality methamphetamine to murderous drug lord is achieved in masterly form by Bryan Cranston. The script is superb and the evolving plot brilliant. This really is TV at its best and it totally eclipses most of what Hollywood produces. The series has a real moral message as Walt destroys his entire family to be what he wants to be regardless of the consequences. Was it really worth it Walt? If there is any complaints at all it concerns the almost farce like end to one key personality and the almost too neatly finessed end to Series 6. Nonetheless, this is superb TV that even the BBC at its very best would struggle to rival. Well done US, this is worth more than 5 stars and proves the US has great script writers and actors to rank alongside the world's best.

''IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS''.... That is what I said after watching the FIRST SERIES.... after the second and third series, I was at a loss for appropriately grandiose adjectives !!!! Lest I mislead you, I have NOT YET SEEN THIS SERIES it only arrived a day or two ago. I'm just saying that if you HAVEN'T seen ANY of these astonishingly creative, innovative and positively SENSATIONAL SERIES... well... RUN !!! DO NOT WALK, TO YOUR NEAREST COMPUTER... AND ORDER THEM... AT ONCE !!!!!!! The characters are finely drawn... THE PLOTS CONTINUE TO KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF !! with a twist and a turn which you were NOT expecting !!! it is EXCITING... MOVING... HILLARIOUS... FRIGHTENING (as in SUSPENSEFUL !!)... and the standard of acting is SUPERLATIVE... and here, I run out of superlatives !! TRUST ME... I only write rave reviews about EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS... and THIS, ladies and gentlemen, IS WELL AND TRULY, EXCEPTIONAL !!! Submitted with the greatest possible pleasure Michelle Williams

I cannot tell a lie. There were times during season 3 when my attention wavered slightly. No chance with season 4. *spoilers ahead* Following Jesse's murder of Gail at the end of season 3, season 4 is entirely dominated by the increasingly tense relationship between crime lord Gus and his unwanted but irreplaceable cooks - Walter and Jesse. The season tracks Jesse's reaction to the murder and the pair's imminent deaths - Aaron Paul has never been better. And the balance of power shifts subtly and delightfully over the course of the season. Walt's journey is brilliantly handled, hugely believable and Cranston is utterly compelling. And while all of this is going on, Hank is recovering from his shooting and is on the scent (and getting closer all the time). Without ever losing sight of plausibility, they keep cranking the handle and it just goes from strength to strength. There is only one reason not to buy season 4 - and that's because season 5 isn't yet available to buy (hasn't even been finished in the US) so your life will be utterly bereft once you get to the final episode. Apart from that, you need Breaking Bad in your life

Seriously one of the best seasons of television I've ever seen and I have seen the Sopranos, the Wire, Mad Men etc. How they can just keep making breaking bad get better and better is beyond me. It was brilliant right from the start but form there each season has got better and better. By season 4 Breaking Bad is a show that is as exciting and pulse-racing as something like 24 or any block-buster action movie and as thoughtful and introspective as the sopranos. Proof that television can, at its best, truly be considered 'art'. Everything in breaking bad is exceptional from the writing, direction and plot however the stand-out praise must go to its two lead-actors, Bryan Cranston (perhaps the greatest actor around at the moment, not just on TV) and Aaron Paul as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. Two characters the started out a comedy odd-couple have become one of the most complex relationships I have ever seen in a work of fiction. Their love/ hate co-dependent relationship is astonishing and breath-taking to watch as the go from killing to save each other to nearly killing each other. Phenomenal TV and I recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it. You are truly missing out if you do not watch this show.

Great series and the season 4 is no different. The Breaking Bad series keeps you guessing right though and is filled with suspense. Great direction, casting and story telling. The price for this DVD set was a steal.

Suppongo che se avete visto le prime stagioni della serie (se siete intenzionati all'acquisto, è ovvio che l'avete fatto), sarete stati impazienti di mettere le mani sulla stagione 4! Che dire? Un'altra stagione impeccabile, tesa e scioccante, in cui Walt White compie il passo definitivo nell'oscurità, scontrandosi con una formidabile nemesi, cercando di sfuggire al cognato della DEA e vivendo un rapporto molto contrastato con il suo socio Jesse! Come sempre recitazione e scrittura sono a dir poco magistrali, ogni cosa, ogni inquadratura è studiata nei minimi particolari! Finale micidiale che ci porta dritti dritti alla quinta -ed ultima - stagione! Come per le altre stagioni, anche la quarta è presentata in una semplice custodia di plastica, coi 4 DVD posizionati in sovrapposizione, 2 per ogni parete. Sulla stampa interna trovate tutte le trame e i credits. Bella e "bad-ass" la cover e in generale lo stile grafico, che ha il grande pregio, nella costina laterale, di essere piuttosto uniforme con le passate tre stagioni (queste sono cose a cui noi collezionisti diamo un occhio). Extra in buon numero e sempre interessanti. Se siete nuovi a Breaking Bad ripescatevi prima le stagioni precedenti, se già amate la serie francamente non c'è bisogno che sia io a consigliarvela!

La edición italiana en DVD contiene audio en Castellano (de España) y está a mejor precio que la española. En cualquier caso, una compra altamente recomendable, de una de las mejores series de televisión de esta década. Enorme Bryan Cranston.

Mit dieser 4ten Staffel hat "Breaking Bad" das (bisherige) Höchstlevel erreicht. Wurde in den voran gegangenen Staffeln das Grundgerüst gelegt, so erfährt dieses jetzt eine (fast komplette) Auflösung. Unglaublich wie hier die Storylines zusammengeführt werden. Schaffen es Walt und Jesse dem "Würgegriff" von Gus zu entkommen. Und wie wird das Problem mit dem mexikanischen Kartell geregelt. Kommt Hank, trotz Rollstuhl, noch hinter die wahre Identität von "Heisenberg". Diese Staffel hat es in sich. Man sitzt vorm TV und glaubt nicht, was man dort sieht. Viele der Szenen sind so genial kultig inszeniert, dass ich nicht selten applaudiert habe. Ich meine Szenen wie: die Kehle, der durchlöcherte Truck, das Ohr, Gales Karaoke-Video, der Teppich, der mexikanische Pool (2x), die Kopfschüsse, der rote Flitzer...BOOM, die Minerale und natürlich der alte Mann im Rollstuhl...einfach nur der Wahnsinn. Highlight sind natürlich auch die Darsteller, welche ihren Rollen immer das Gewisse etwas mitgeben. Man lacht, leidet und zittert mit ihnen. Hinzu kommt ein wirklich toller Soundtrack und die Atmosphäre der Wüste. Weiterhin seien hier die grandiosen Kameraperspektiven und Zeitraffer zu nennen. Die Macher lassen sich dabei immer wieder neue Dinge einfallen...super gemacht. Wer die Serie bis jetzt noch nicht für sich entdeckt hat, sollte spätestens nun "auf den dahin rasenden Zug aufspringen"...es lohnt sich wirklich. Das Bild und der Ton (Deutsch, Englisch DD 5.1) sind wie immer absolut top. Für DVD-Verhältnisse gibt es aus meiner Sicht nichts zu bemängeln. An Extras wird auch wieder eine Menge geboten: - 21 Specials zu allen 13 Folgen (ca 83 min) - Hinter den Kulissen Featurettes (ca 23 min) - Deleted, Extended, Alternate Scenes (ca 25 min) - Gag Reel (ca 5 min) - Gales Karaoke-Video (ca 5 min) - Saul-Werbespots (ca 2 min) Leider ist die Verpackung umso schlechter. Es gibt alle 4 DVDs nur in einer Amaray-Spindel übereinander gestapelt. Der Pappschuber trägt ein festes FSK-Logo. Stört mich als Sammler natürlich umso mehr, aber trotzdem gebe ich die volle Bewertung, da die Staffel einfach so toll ist. Fazit: siehe Überschrift. Die 4te ist dazu aus meiner Sicht wohl auch noch die brutalste Staffel. Es fließt verhältnismäßig viel Blut. Ich persönlich finde, dass die Gewaltexzesse sehr gut positioniert und nicht zu viel des Guten sind. Vor allem im letzten Drittel ist die Spannung enorm und man kann es kaum erwarten die nächste Folge anzusehen. Ich hoffe die 5te Staffel hält das Niveau.

If you can get past the first two episodes, which are a little bit graphic, this is one of the best series ever!