Wet Job

Kind of a bummer this was the last time we get to see Callan! The whole episode seemed to have been pretty thrown together. You'd think the producers would have gone all out with the writing and bringing back more core characters for this comeback episode. It's not all bad at least. Getting a little bit of Lonely was a treat for sure. The main gripe was the terrible music that hits you over the head at the wrong times in volume and tone of the melody, except for the end part when David is going into the country house. The video production is no better or worse than the colour episodes of the old show. Overall not super, but definitely worth watching if you're a fan of the REALLY great TV show. The 1974 film is a better send off of the character than Wet Job.

There are some technical issues I have with this TV movie but mostly the problem for me is how this story would have been better as a 52 minute episode instead of an 80 minute made for TV movie. The story could of had more subplots going like Callan practicing shooting again and trying to hide the practice or who behind Hunter hatched this scheme in the first place since it was established in the series that Hunter is not entirely in control of The Section. I imagined Hunter lied about Meres on orders from Meres should Callan ask about him and Meres, now in the same role as Bishop in the 4th season of the Series came up with the scheme involving Callan out of spite. There does seem to be a personal motive to use Callan again like this but this Hunter never met him before.

The technical issue I have is the superfluous incidental music. It manages to undercut instead of enhance the impact of each scene. Maybe I was just so used to there being no music at all in most Callan episodes.

There was probably alot of fanfare around this movie when it first came out. The series was hugely popular. It had a fitting end to it but having the creator write about events ten years later must have been intriguing to many including me. The story fits and it wouldn't seem so overly sentimental at times if it weren't for that lousy music.

For fans of the original series of "Callan" this is disappointing. It is of course, fantastic to see Edward Woodward and Russell Hunter working together again but the very poor plot, stiff acting in parts and absolutely terrible incidental music makes this a poor effort overall I think.

Hugh Walters is very good as the new Hunter and George Sewell is also a great addition to this one off. Felicity Harrison plays the new Liz, albeit only for a few minutes. There are very few action scenes in this and is focused mostly on the life of Callan since leaving his old job and the sub-plot surrounding Callan's landlady is actually pretty dire.

Overall, it is worth seeing if you are a Callan and/or Edward Woodward fan, simply to find out what happened to the hero, but don't be surprised if you are disappointed by this episode - a great shame, but it is understandable why this is unlikely to shown again.

Just a note to one of the other reviewers (rev-584-459122), Wet Job is NOT a remake of the original play A Magnum for Schneider, which formed the basis of the Callan movie. This is a sequel to the original popular TV series in which an aging Callan has been forcibly retired from the security services, but is reactivated for yet another job. Though the performances of Edward Woodward and Russell Hunter and some others aren't bad, it's very poorly made with a tenuous plot, frequently incompetent camera-work, and irritating incidental music. Having watched it when it was first shown and again recently on DVD I suspect the production was hurried and with a smaller budget than it should have had.

This one off does not have the grit of the TV series but Russell Hunter and Edward Woodward are on their usual fantastic form. Unlike some some reviewers I think it is well written and filmed. However, the music is truly awful. Maybe it is just an early 1980s thing but it is more like the music to a trashy sit com - and it grates. I also really dislike the posh accents of many of the actors and the affectations. Worst Hunter ever is an understatement. The quiet authority of the previous Hunters is missing and replaced by a preening, spiteful jerk who even in the class ridden system of the 1980s would never be appointed to such a position. The sets are a little sparse and like a lot of 1980s sets, wobble a bit. I remember really looking forward to this when it was announced but never saw it when first broadcast. In 2025 I wonder what this would look like with modern production values.