The Brokenwood Mysteries: Series 2

directed by Mike Smith, Murray Keane, Josh Frizzell
New Zealand 2015

Touted as New Zealand's answer to MIDSOMER MURDERS, THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES trades village fêtes for cheese rolls as four-times divorced, country & western music-loving city officer Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea, THE TRUTH ABOUT DEMONS) turns up in the North Island town of Brokenwood to take over as senior detective while trying to start a winery on the side on land better suited to potatoes. As with the aforementioned MIDSOMER MURDERS and other small-town procedurals, dirty laundry and skeletons in the closet could do with some airing out to expose culprits and the motives which sometimes are rooted in the past; and a mix of humor and country and folk rock music selections from local North Island artists including Tami Neilson and Delaney Davidson. Shepherd and Sims are also joined by young Detective Constable Sam Breen (POWER RANGERS' Nic Sampson), humorless Russian pathologist Gina (Cristina Serban Ionda, FILTHY RICH), and half-Maori Jared Morehu (Pana Hema Taylor, THE DEAD LANDS) – who operates on the fringes and proves a resource for local knowledge – in four feature-length cases including the long list of suspects in the brutal murder of the rugby coach of a team with a fifty-game losing streak – sidelining Breen who is on the team – dealing with eccentric and temperamental actors when Horatio drops dead on stage from poisoning for real in a local theatre production of HAMLET starring Jared, go fishing for evidence when a severed hand shows up in a crawdad trap belonging to the feuding Keely family, and the murder of Shepherd's favorite country singer.

Eric Cotenas

Theatrical Release: 27 September 2015 - 18 October 2015

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Acorn Media - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Also available on Blu-ray in the US:
Distribution	Acorn Media Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	5:51:54 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.4 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
Subtitles	English HoH, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Acorn Media Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: Disc One: • Episodes (with 'Play All' option; 2:56:12) • - 2.1: 'Leather and Lace' (16:9; 1:28:15) • - 2.2: 'To Die or Not to Die' (16:9; 1:28:03) • Series Two Behind the Scenes (16:9; 3:03) • Picture Gallery (16:9; 1:00) Disc Two: • Episodes (with 'Play All' option; 2:55:42) • - 2.3: 'Catch of the Day' (16:9; 1:27:15) • - 2.4: 'Blood Pink' (16:9; 1:28:36) DVD Release Date: August 14th, 2017 Amaray Chapters 34

Comments

Season two of THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES is split across two dual-layer DVDs with a mid-range bitrate. The series was shot and recolored digitally, and look good for the most part with an intentionally warm bias and lens flares sometimes inhibiting sharpness and detail. The production probably looks superior on Acorn's American Blu-ray (which also splits the four episodes onto two Blu-rays while their DVD edition splits them over four discs). The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track boasts clear dialogue and effects, as well as an enveloping use of country & western source music along with a mix of traditional suspense and twangy action cues. Optional English HoH subtitles are included. The only extras are a featurette and gallery.

- Eric Cotenas

DVD Menus

Screen Captures

DVD Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

Also available on Blu-ray in the US:

Distribution

Acorn Media

Region 2 - PAL

Search DVDBeaver

S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Hit Counter

DONATIONS Keep DVDBeaver alive:

CLICK PayPal logo to donate!

Gary Tooze

Thank You!