 List Price: $29.98
Lowest Price: $22.98 
Product Description: Can you believe what your superiors tell you -- even if you are the British Ambassador to America? In this high octane action-packed conspiracy thriller a terrifying plot is played out along the dark corridors of power. When a flight explodes in mid-air over Washington D.C. the British Embassy finds itself enveloped in a diplomatic catastrophe. What happens next is a cat's cradle of tangled affinities and conflicting interests told through interlinking stories that unfold as British Ambassador Mark Brydon slowly realizes that he is being played by an invisible puppeteer with great power.Running Time: 420 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS UPC: 794051285225 Manufacturer No: E2852 Amazon.com: Leave it to British TV to deliver the slickest, most intense take on terrorism on U.S. soil (with apologies to 24, of course). The State Within is a BBC production of the highest order, tense, dense, and absolutely riveting. The miniseries starts with a bang--actually, a horribly realistic explosion of a U.S. airliner bound for London, and the production values are every bit as detailed and impressive as any big-screen action film. Chunks of plane and passengers fall along the freeway outside Dulles airport in Washington, creating havoc and collateral damage in a truly visceral fashion. And then the real action begins. Our hero is Sir Mark Brydon, British ambassador to Washington, played with sangfroid by Jason Isaacs (slightly reminiscent of Daniel Craig as James Bond). Sir Mark has not only an international crisis on his hands, but quickly learns treachery, deceit, and murder lurk within the governments he's learned to trust. The plot is complex but extremely satisfying, far superior than most mass-market thrillers released in theaters in the U.S. Especially delicious is a small but key role as the U.S. Secretary of Defense by Cagney & Lacey's Sharon Gless, whose eyes glitter like shards of ice. Savor The State Within, but be prepared to be rattled the next time you go to the airport--or try to go to sleep. --A.T. Hurley Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-08-02
BORING
This was not necessarily bad, just nothing special. I love BBC series/mini series so I was very excited about this, but did not even bother to watch the second disc. I agree with another reviewer that the first 10-15 minutes are filmed in a very jerky style, almost unwatchable, but luckily that does not last long. I think it was just to add to the chaos of what is being portrayed. Also, found the story lines are kind of all over the place. If you are looking for a good mini series, try "State of Play" which is excellent. Rating: 
Date: 2008-05-25
The State Of Suspense!
This was A great mini-series! I ablsolutely LOVE BBC productions and they didn't let me down with this one. Very well written and acted. You go along for the ride as you watch Sir Mark try to figure out who the bad guys are. I don't usually write in on these things but I felt this DVD deserves it. It does NOT disappoint! Rating:
Date: 2008-05-11
Gripping
This is a gripping story with excellent acting. All the actors are superb, even down to the minor characters.
I love the topical storyline, the twists, the high production values, everything. And I'd love to see a sequel with the same characters. Rating: 
Date: 2008-03-10
Fine Political Thriller
While this lightning-paced, well-acted political thriller made for BBC America has one or two "believability" holes (the most prominent being a U.S. governor ordering the roundup of Muslims in Virginia, just because they ARE Muslims), overall it presents what some of us may suspect is a depressingly accurate description of behind-the-scenes "realpolitik" among major powers battling for hegemony in the oil-rich Middle East, with few moral inhibitions (make that NO moral inhibitions) about how they achieve their goal.
"The State Within" is a thinly disguised portrayal of the events of 9/11 combined with a few lesser-known ones surrounding British and American covert operations in the Iraq/Uzbekistan region, and how these events led up to and made possible the invasion of Iraq - not for humanitarian reasons, but for coldly cynical strategic purposes centering on corporate opportunity and access to oil. I wish I could say the scenario is ludicrous, but, unfortunately, it will probably resonate all too realistically in the aftermath of 9/11 and the Bush/Cheney invasion of Iraq. For Iraq/Uzbekistan read the plot's "Tyrgyzstan"; for Halliburton, read its "Armitage"; and for Dick Cheney, former Halliburton CEO, read its "Lynne Warner", former CEO of "Armitage" and now the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
On a beautiful day, a passenger jet explodes over the Beltway in Washington, DC, killing all aboard, as well as many on the ground. Caught on the ground in the middle of the incident is the U.S. ambassador from the Court of St. James, Sir Mark Brydon (Jason Isaacs, more familiar to American audiences as Malfoy, Sr., in the Harry Potter films). Brydon quickly senses that there is more to this dreadful incident than raw terrorism. As official and unofficial information flows in about the the event, its tentacles reach out to include British paramilitary groups operating in "Tyrgyzstan", a former paramilitary now on death-row, private corporate entities whose financial interests would be well-served by utilizing the terrorist attack for "regime change", and, of course, the interests of the US Department of Defense. The picture that forms as the pieces come together is so heinously, murderously venal, that the cost to the conscience becomes too much even for Brydon's seasoned diplomat.
The many layers of this plot make it necessary to pay attention throughout, so this isn't something to accompany a Saturday afternoon nap. It moves along extremely quickly, riding, for the most part, a tightly woven script and excellent performances, starting with Mr. Isaacs as a man whose essentially decent core is challenged beyond capacity by the latest "compromise" required by international diplomacy. Isaacs, with his distinctive voice, piercing eyes, and intelligent persona, is excellent, conveying Brydon's transition from habitual conformity to dogged resistance. Sharon Gless gives Lynne Warner, the corrupt Secretary of Defense, a familiar ruthless arrogance dressed up as "patriotism"; Ben Daniels, the noted British stage actor, is intense as Brydon's aide, Nicholas Brocklehurst, whose loyalties are murky until the last chapter; and special mention must go to the moving performance of Lennie James as Luke Gardner, the death-row British ex-paramilitary, paying dearly for witnessing inconvenient truths. Alex Jennings (the villainous Lord Mark of "Wings of the Dove") is sympathetic as James Sinclair, deeply involved in the rebel movement against strong man "Usman" of Tyrgyzstan, and father of Brydon's godson. Eva Birthwhistle is earnestly courageous as British human rights acitivist Jane Lavery, whose struggle to save Gardner from execution puts her too close to what he knows.
I enjoyed this series immensely. It may not be "Lawrence of Arabia" or "All the President's Men", and say what you will about its one or two holes, this is quality television viewing, and this reviewer sat up well past midnight on a weeknight to watch it through, unable to turn it off. It may not be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, but it's bloody close enough to make you wonder glumly exactly what it is about "civilization" that's so civilized. Rating:
Date: 2008-03-05
Smart, fast-paced, gripping fun!
There are so many layers to this mini-series that, as you start talking about one plot thread, you can't help but revealing the others. The main plot involves Sir Mark Bryden, British ambassador to the US (played by Jason Isaacs, very powerful and realistic), and his staff when they are thrown into a major incident - the massive mid-air explosion of a British passenger jet after take-off from Washington DC...and then it gets really exciting with a hard as nails U.S. Secretary of Defense (played wonderfully by Sharon Gless of Cagney & Lacey and Queer as Folk). She is a take charge, ruthless and politically adept player. There is the tension between the U.S. and the U.K. when it is revealed that a British Muslim detonated the bomb, a British national on death row in Florida, a secret training camp for paid mercenaries, corporately funded hitmen, attempts on Sir Mark's life. If you are a fan of MI-5 or Alias, add this one to your collection-it ROCKS! |
