The Film
Season three of the FX original series Sons of Anarchy took a bit of a detour in more ways than one. Much of the story revolved around the MC heading to Ireland in search of the kidnapped son of Jackson "Jax" Teller (Charlie Hunnam), while back in the Charming the ATF agents were involved in debacles as big as the real world ATF's "Fast and Furious" fiasco.
Of course, the story of gunrunning bad boy bikers who are anything but charming (despite that being the name of their home town) has never really been one to be taken seriously. The show began as a modern day retelling of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" as Jax faces a showdown with the club's President Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman), the man who may have killed Jax's father and is now married to Jax's mother. The sidetrack to Ireland in season three revealed more of John Teller's mysterious past, not to mention a creepy attraction between Jax and his (unbeknownst to him) half-sister. All this set up that showdown for season four - unless more surreal and implausible events keep this thing dragging out. But regardless, half the fun is getting there and with the Sons that means mayhem is sure to follow. Because, when you ride along with bad boy bikers would you really want it any other way?
The Picture
As with past rides down the road with the MC, season three looks quite find on Blu-ray. The 1080p 1.78:1 presentation is again a step up from the broadcast version. The leather "cut" or vests show the wear and tear of these hard riding guys, while the tattoos once again have that real look them too. Season three has a bit more color thanks to the diversion to Ireland and the greens of the supposed Emerald Island pop out, and serve a good contrast to the mostly earth tones of Charming.
The Sound
Sons of Anarchy is one of those TV series that lets you notice the step up from TV to Blu-ray. This is notable with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, which really brings out the roar of the motorcycles, but also really does a good job of providing the ambient sounds of urban Belfast. This doesn't reach the quality of a feature film at any point but is so much more than what TV provides that it almost makes it worth skipping the TV presentation to wait for the Blu-ray instead.
The Extras
The second season Blu-ray was light on extras, and maybe someone from the MC stopped by and told Fox Home Video to step up the game. This time around there is more in the way of episode commentaries from the cast and the series' creator Kurt Sutter. Other bonus features include a Season 3 to 4 bridge story, a look into the writer's roundtable, a piece on the bike customizer and even a table read. Along with deleted and extended scenes and the gag reel there is quite a bit more to ride away with this year.
Final Thoughts
Creator Kurt Sutter once again took this series of the California motorcycle club in a very different direction, one that involved the winding roads of Ireland and one that looked at loyalty, trust and the truth. It sets it up for a roaring season four.
Product Details
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