Michael Westen is a trained spy who receives a “burn notice” for an unstated reason & effectively is fired. Penniless, he returns to his hometown in Miami and freelances while trying to find who burned him.
- Audio: English & Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Surround
- Language: Dubbed: English / Subtitled: English, French & Spanish
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen: 1.78:1
Disc 1: 170 Minutes
- Breaking and Entering
- Turn and Burn
- Trust Me
- Comrades
- Special Features TBD
Disc 2: 170 Minutes
- Scatter Point
- Bad Blood
- Rough Seas
- Double Booked
- Bad Blood – Audio commentary with Bronwyn Hughes, Ben Watkins, Rashad Raisani, Matt Nix and Rob Benedek
- Double Booked – Audio commentary with Tim Matheson, Jason Tracey, Craig O’Neill and Matt Nix
- Other features TBD
Disc 3: 174 Minutes
- Good Soldier
- Do No Harm
- Hot Spot
- Seek and Destroy
- Behind the scenes look at the making of episode 210 – Do No Harm
Disc 4: 176 Minutes
- Bad Breaks
- Truth and Reconciliaton
- Sins of Omission
- Lesser Evil
- Audio Commentary with Matt Nix, Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell and Sharon Gless
- Deleted Scenes TBD
- Gag Reel
- Boom Notice Easter Egg
Burn Notice is a canny, clever comedy-thriller show about a covert operative with a heart of gold. Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) is in the middle of a top-secret mission when he discovers he’s been “burned”–basically, fired without warning. After barely extricating himself from danger, he wakes up in Miami, where the government has abandoned him and locked him out of his own bank account. To make ends meet, he takes on private detective jobs (helping an old lady who’s fallen victim to a con artist; rescuing a young girl who’s being tricked into white slavery; helping a mother whose son has been kidnapped by the boy’s father… only it turns out the father is the rightful parent and the “mom” is an assassin sent to kill him–a nice guest star appearance by Lucy Lawless, Xena: Warrior Princess), while trying to figure out who burned him and why. Westen tries to remain clinical in his approach to these problems, but he always ends up protecting the helpless with his sophisticated spy skills. Over the course of the first season, he gradually uncovers a mysterious conspiracy that plans to use his talents for their own nefarious ends. Burn Notice deftly mixes the old and the new. The old: Our hero has a hot ex-girlfriend (Gabrielle Anwar, Scent of a Woman), a goofy sidekick (cult hero Bruce Campbell of the Evil Dead movies), and a meddling mom (Sharon Gless, Cagney & Lacey) who help and hinder him in his investigations, as well as a MacGyver-esque skill for making deadly devices out of common household products. The new: A media-savvy way of deconstructing the tricks and techniques of spies and government agencies, often resulting in smart and highly entertaining plot twists. Donovan, handsome but cheeky, combines a light comic touch with a convincing secret agent cool, and the supporting cast fill their niches with aplomb. Their escapades are pretty breezy and occasionally skirt being glib, but most of the time the show finds an extremely entertaining balance between action, romance, and humor. The extras are few (some montages of characteristic moments from the series, including one of the many bikini-clad girls the Miami locale provides) and the commentaries, rather than covering entire episodes, just discuss a few select scenes from each show. Fortunately, the series itself holds up; imagine a cross between Magnum, P.I. and The Wild Wild West (the classic series, not the insulting Will Smith movie) and you’re on the right track. –Bret Fetzer
Stills from Burn Notice (Click for larger image)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Buy “Burn Notice – Season One” For Only $19.99
May 20, 2008
#1
Donovan’s (plays protagonist Michael) acting is so unequivocally transparent. I can’t believe no one has the huevos to shout this from a mountaintop. Michael’s behavior and reactions under ordinary and special circumstances throughout the show is so blatantly scripted and unconvincing I can’t believe that Donovan matriculated acting school. Not to mention his repetitive and monotonous narrative expose of everything spies think and do, which though wonderfully informative, is up to the neck in pretension and arrogance. Gabrielle Anwar’s acting ability (she plays Fi) is just so sickening I can’t help thinking about slicing my wrists vertically or viciously hurling a cinderblock through my plasma flatscreen. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. Am I the only one who freakin picks up on this?! Bruce Campbell and Sharon Gless, same story. Acting is piss-poor and lacks conviction and reality. This show could be so much more with better actors. Donovan’s character, Michael, is and was no blasted spy. There’s no way he could ever be. I’ve seen better performances from actors in pornography. In fact, Donovan’s even worse than Sean Connery as Bond, and I thought that was unbeatable. Burn Notice is like an attention whore pulling you away from a good time. I shouldn’t have even bothered to write this review, but for the betterment of society, I think people need a wake-up call. There are better actors in the biz. Change the channel.
May 20, 2008
#2
There isn’t a whole lot I can add to the reviews already written by many posters. They are correct, this is a funny original show, however…
I stopped watching after the first 7 or 8 episodes because I just couldn’t stand the endless blaspheme in each and every episode. The writing is so crisp that I have to say I just couldn’t understand why there had to be several uses of GD and the name of Jesus Christ used in vain in every episode. What a shame, I would have liked to continue, but just couldn’t because of this lack of respect toward Christ.
Always wondered why no other gods are blasphemed in movies and TV show. Hmmm… maybe because they are not around to hear it. Oh well, here’s to hoping USA cleans up their act.
May 20, 2008
#3
I don’t get the 5 star reviews. There is nothing original about this show. This guy isn’t a convincing character either. He’s just a little too cool for school if u catch my drift. I have only seen 2 episodes, so it’s possible I missed the good ones. But I doubt it varies much.
May 20, 2008
#4
A little dissapointing really. Slick superficial actiondrama thing with a sugary Miami Vice covering and a tinge of Alias. Ok late night viewing when most of the brain cells have already cut out for the day.
May 20, 2008
#5
I cannot believe the number of four and five-star reviews for this show. It’s everything wrong with television: formulaic scripts that lack anything even remotely resembling originality. The acting is horrible, and I’m a huge Bruce Campbell fan. Sadly, even the Great Ash can’t save this hunk of junk, and it’s clear he knows it; he’s just there for the paycheck. Formula shows seem to dominate today’s landscape (okay, maybe ‘reality’ is number one, but formula is right behind), but this one takes formula to a new low, with one episode completely indistinguishable from the next. It aspires to be Alias but only manages to be a one-man (plus one woman) A-Team/MacGyver ripoff, without the interesting characters, good times and classic charms of those shows. Don’t waste your time.