Starring Denis Leary, Mike Lombardi, Daniel Sunjata, James McCaffrey, John Scurti, Jack McGee, Steven Pasquale, Diane Farr, Lenny Clarke, Charles Durning
Written By:
Directed By:
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
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Critically acclaimed drama series, starring Co-Creator Denis Leary, brings to life the stories and lives of New York City Firefighters. The show revolves around Firefighter Tommy Gavin and his crew at Truck Company 62. Go into the firehouse and see how the crew deals with the day in, day out grind of dealing with fires. Plus see how 9/11 still affects the firemen. Another great aspect of the show deals with all the men’s Families and how their lives can be affected by the life of a firefighter. Groundbreaking and intense with a wonderful blend of comedy, Rescue Me is one of the best television shows on right now.

When 9/11 happened, not only did it change the lives of the families involved but for the firefighters who must now cope with the loss of their crew. Tommy Gavin was no different. The pilot episode opens up with Tommy giving a speech to “Probies” or Probationary Firemen, and really lets them have it. He tells them that if its fame and heroism you seek, then this is not for you. Tommy also goes into losing 4 men from his own house on 9/11, including his Cousin Jimmy, and best friend. I guess you can say Tommy hasn’t been the same since that tragic day. Losing a friend, plus dealing with a divorce and sharing custody of his three children, Tommy has almost fallen off the deep end. What is humorous about the situation, Tommy buys a house right across the street from his ex-wife so he can keep an eye of her and the kids. To see the way Tommy acts, he acts like he has a tortured soul, not to mention he has had many problems with alcohol in the past and still continues to battle the addiction.

The entire show is not totally about Denis Leary’s character but the other people of Truck Company 62. Most of the characters were created based off stories from real firefighters that Denis Leary has met through his various fund raisers. Several characters on the show provide the more comedic storylines including Sean Garrity (Steven Pasquale), the nit wit goofball, who is out for woman along with Franco (Daniel Sunjata), the lady killer of the firehouse. They like to exploit the fact they are fireman and that woman in New York love that sort of thing. Franco is more of an equal character in that he has several humorous moments besides the real dramatic issues, like finding out he is a father of a 5 yr old girl. The firehouse also includes probie Mike Silletti (Mike Lombardi) who is not the brightest kid but is still learning the ropes of what it takes to be a fireman. Next, Kenny Shea (John Scurti) is a married man who is just miserable and sometimes find solace in writing poetry about 9/11. Rounding out the house is Chief Jerry Reilly (Jack McGee) who is the typical New Yorker. Bitches about The Jets, his wife and how his balls are busted around the firehouse. He is a respected guy though. A brotherhood is shared amongst the men, until one day their sanctuary is interrupted with a new recruit, a female, played by Diane Farr. She knows she has it tough but her heart is where it should be and the men have to believe she can do the job. They make it hard for her and treat her like shit. Eventually, they come to accept her but still have reservations.

The whole idea about this show started back in the early 90’s when Leary lost a cousin in a fire in Boston. From that point, Leary has been the biggest celebrity to speak about firefighting and to raise money for families who have lost loved ones in fires. Plus, if it wasn’t for Leary’s show, The Job, being canceled on ABC, this show would not have taken off. It’s also real interesting to hear the commentaries on the first and last episodes because Leary and Tolan discuss some of the tips they learned from firefighters like if you a trapped in a fire, find a location where the other guys can look for you or your body. Grim realities each member must face for such an intense job.

The special features on the collection give a great look on how the Denis Leary, Peter Tolan and Jim Serpico work on the show alongside the cast, and crew in a great featurette documentary. It includes interviews with everyone involved in the production as well as how the show and concept was created. You have the option to watch the making of in 4 segments or as one hour long documentary. Don’t forget to check out the 6 minute blooper reel from the cast which was fun to see because for such a dramatic show at times, there is a lot of fun had on the set and it shows in this reel.

If you haven’t checked out this show yet, watch an episode or two and you will be sucked in. Now is the perfect opportunity to watch because the second season has just premiered on FX and you can get right into watching it. Leary and the cast are great, and this is by far Leary’s greatest role.

Features:
-Commentary for first and last episodes with show creators Denis Leary and Peter Tolan
-Blooper Reel
-4 Behind-the-scenes featurettes
-Deleted scenes
-Exclusive sneak peek at Season 2

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround CC

Video:
Widescreen 1.78:1 Color (Anamorphic)

Subtitles:

Favorite Scenes: Guts, Butterfly, Inches, Sanctuary
Rating: NR
Running Time: 594 minutes
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