Reviewed by Cassam Looch
Stars Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Amaury Nolasco, Wade Williams, Robert Knepper, Chris Vance,
Robert Vance, Joseph Melendez | Written by Paul Scheuring, Zack Estrin, Nick Santora, Karyn Usher & others
UK certification 15 | UK RRP £39.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 609 minutes | Directed by Nelson McCormick & others
As a (very) late arrival on the Prison Break bandwagon, it’s hard to review season 3 without bringing up the central problem I had with the show…. After the superb opening year, how can the show keep its ‘prison break’ element going once the confines of the guarded walls have been scaled? Well in a sense it doesn’t as we open back inside (this time in a Panamanian hellhole) but as the conspiracy grows so does the scope and reach of the programme.
Following the events at the end of second series of Prison Break, Lincoln Borrows (Dominic Purcell) is exonerated of his alleged crimes while his brother Michael (Wentworth Miller) has been framed by shadowy organisation 'The Company' and is sent to a convict-run establishment in Panama. Michael finds out that The Company sent him to Sona in order to pull off another prison break by freeing Whistler (Chris Vance, All Saints), an inmate who hides in the sewer system of Sona. The thrilling third series of Prison Break sees the show return to the confines of a prison, but a prison much more dangerous than Fox River Penitentiary.
The show can boast two excellent seasons already under its belt, and a host of stars that seem to get universal praise for a number of reasons. The performances here are as good as ever, although I’d argue that some of the surprises that made this must see entertainment are lacking. The shadowy Company element continues to gain mixed reaction as focus shifts all too readily to break-outs and prison drama. On its own however this is completely thrilling and rounded, the shortened length (thanks to the ever-presen writers strike) might actually work in its
favour as it becomes more accessible to newcomers. Fans of the show will no doubt love this latest offering, and there’s enough for newbies to become hooked, but whether the already commissioned season 4 can maintain the
high standards remains unknown.
EXTRAS None, not even a "get out of jail free" card.