“Just
when you think that there cannot
possibly be any more must-see gritty
American crime drama series, along
comes The Beast — starring none other
than the talented, eclectic actor Patrick
Swayze, well supported by a creditable
cast...” TAKING SOMETIMES TRIED AND TESTED, sometimes new storylines, The
Beast has proved itself to be a resilient and compelling drama that has
earned its stripes as a television series and is now available on DVD.
Patrick Swayze (Ghost, Dirty Dancing, Keeping Mum) plays the deep and
dark FBI undercover operative Charles Barker, who might be a rogue agent or
just a dedicated man who will step over the line in order to win the fight for
justice.
This unorthodox but effective FBI veteran is being investigated by ASAC, but
when Barker's rookie partner Ellis Dove (Travis Fimmel: Television's Tarzan)
is approached and asked to keep an eye on his mentor, he refuses. Ellis believes,
along with many others, that Barker is the best in the business — despite
Barker setting him up and getting him to run seemingly pointless errands.
While acting under cover, Barker gets superbly into character and Ellis benefits
from his tough training. Ellis has just met Rose Lawrence (Lindsay Pulsipher:
June And July), but as he tries to meet her for a date, the job gets
in the way. Barker had already warned him that the stress of the job makes normal
relationships impossible.
When Barker's cell phone rings persistently, Ellis asks who it is. Barker responds:
"You'll find there are things in life you have to protect… the beast eats away
at you and if you're not careful the beast will eat it all and you'll have nothing.
And you are nothing." Even when Barker's sister Lauren comes to him for
help, he appears to be less than sympathetic.
As Barker pushes Dove to immerse himself more deeply into character, rookie
and mentor are tested by cases that pit them against ruthless drug lords, dangerous
arms dealers, corrupt cops, lethal viruses, callous human traffickers who believe
they are beyond the law and deadly assassins for hire. But Dove is also struggling
with his own secret while Barker launches his investigation into a conspiracy
within the Bureau that's protecting a secret cadre of agents operating outside
the law.
A particularly tense episode guest stars Victoria Tennant as jeweller Susan
Redman, whose son Matt (Aidan Traynor) is infected with an unknown virus which
is used to blackmail his mother into stealing millions of dollars worth of jewellery.
Patrick Swayze gives an excellent account of himself in the gritty, well-paced
series The Beast, a hard-hitting crime drama that benefits from an excellent
cast and that never sells itself short. Sadly it appears that there will not
be a second series. A shame, because we felt The Beast was developing
nicely. Patrick turns in a brilliant performance, despite a continuing battle
with pancreatic cancer.
Making his TV series debut, Patrick Swayze stars alongside Travis Fimmel and
Lindsay Pulsipher in The Beast, which also features Kevin J O'Connor
as Harry Conrad, Larry Gilliard Jr (ITVs The Wire) as Ray Beaumont, and
Sticky Fingaz (In Too Deep) in this no-holds-barred crime drama. Featuring
13 pulse-pounding episodes, The Beast is Created and Written by Vincent
Angell and William L Rotko; Music is by W G Snuffy Walden; Director of Photography
is Edward G J Pei and Roy H Wagner; and is Directed by Michael Dinner.
• Patrick Swayze is back and gunning for justice
as unorthodox but effective FBI veteran Charles Barker in The Beast: Season
1, available on DVD from 17 August (2009) courtesy of Sony Pictures Home
Entertainment. RRP: £34.99 | Certificate: 15 | Running Time: Feature: 564 Minutes;
Added Value 27 Minutes. Special features include 13 behind-the-scenes Featurettes.
"Take hope from the heart of man, and you make him a beast of prey" — Marie
Louise de la Ramee
"Patrick Swayze gives an excellent account of himself in the gritty, well-paced
series The Beast, a hard-hitting crime drama that benefits from an excellent
cast and that never sells itself short" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar
“Just
when you think that there cannot