Prison Break 4 - The Final Season   Starring: Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Michael Rapaport, Amaury Nolasco, Wade Williams, Robert Knepper, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Sarah Wayne Callies and William Fichtner Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment RRP: £49.99 4213501000 Certificate: 15 Available 06 July 2009

Following their daring escape from the hellish Panamanian prison, ‘brothers on the run’ Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows, discover a fresh determination as they seek retribution against The Company. This shadowy group was responsible for destroying their lives and supposedly killing the woman Michael loves, Dr. Sara Tancredi. Michael's quest for vengeance leads him to Los Angeles, where Sara makes a shocking comeback from the dead. As the two reunite Michael realises to be finally free he must destroy The Company and steal SCYLLA (the organisation’s ‘black book’). With the initial backing of Homeland Security, Michael and his gang commence their ultimate mission as the time has come for justice to finally prevail. Breaking The Company is far from easy and all is not as it seems...

Anyone disappointed with the quality of the episodes in Prison Break's third season (which to be fair were mainly down to the writers strike) will be glad to hear that season four sees the show back on top form with a nail biting collection of episodes.

This time around Homeland Security want Michael to assemble a team that is capable of bringing The Company down. So, Michael rounds up the usual suspects to steal SCYLLA, which they believe is the company's little black book, containing contact details of everyone that works for the Company, as well as all of it's projects (past and future). Of course, Homeland Security can't sanction this mission, so it's strictly off the books. But, if the team succeed, then their criminal history will be wiped clean. However, as always, Michael will have trust issues with everyone he comes into contact with - these include Homeland Security (who may go back on their word once the mission is completed) as well as each member of his team (which is made up of familiar criminals).

The main story arc for this season is made up of two main plot threads. The first sees Michael and his team attempting to obtain the various keys in order to unlock SCYLLA. The second main arc sees our heroes then attempting to track SCYLLA down after it falls into the wrong hands.

There are plenty of twists and turns and there are many old familiar faces that turn up throughout the course of the show.

Extras include audio commentary on ten episodes (or nine if you count the opening two-parter as a single episode); Fade Out: The Final Episode (11 min, 48 sec featurette that looks at how the writers knew this was the last season from the start - which allowed them to conclude everything neatly); The Plan, The Execution and the Bullet (11 min, 04 sec which looks at behind the scenes filming of various scenes as the team try to obtain the colonel's card); and Director's World (12 min, 56 sec look at the director's role). The seventh disc contains a special 2-part episode that fills in the gaps between the end of the show and the "Five Years Later..." segment at the very end of the series.

I have to admit that I was shocked at how moved I was by the conclusion of the series, as well as being moved all over again at the end of the two-parter extra story line. If you've followed Prison Break from the start, then this is an impressive conclusion to the show. This is certainly one box set that's well worth picking up.

9

Darren Rea