Product Description

The realism of Law & Order. The science of CSI. A sensibility all its own.

"I’m not a policeman, OK? Y’know what I do? I look after the dead."
So says Dominic Da Vinci, a controversial, charismatic big city coroner. And in Da Vinci’s job, the dead always cry out for justice.

A richly talented ensemble cast joins award-winning actor Nicholas Campbell in this critically acclaimed crime series. Working with police and pathologists while fighting bureaucratic resistance, coroner Da Vinci relies on high-tech forensic science and old-fashioned shoe leather to illuminate the murky world in which men and women commit murder. With this complete first season—comprising 13 thrilling episodes—you can savor the delicately nuanced drama of Da Vinci’s Inquest from the very beginning.

DVD FEATURES INCLUDE trailer and cast filmographies.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18111 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-02-27
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 611 minutes

Amazon.com
The crackling Canadian police procedural Da Vinci's Inquest combines the best elements of popular U.S. police procedurals like CSI, Crossing Jordan, and Law & Order--with a little throwback to Quincy for good measure. What makes Da Vinci's Inquest so compelling is the performance of lead actor Nicholas Campbell, a cop turned coroner who tells anyone who'll listen, and lots of people who won't, that his job is to represent and look after the dead. Season 1, which debuted in 1998, follows Campbell's Dominic Da Vinci through the gritty side of Vancouver, navigating serial murders as well as extreme dysfunction in his own life. The focus on Da Vinci's personal life--his tumbles off the wagon, the torture of his ex-wife's involvement with a colleague--gives the series more heart than most blood-and-guts crime series. The show and Campbell have won several Gemini Awards (the Canadian Emmys) for the nuance and intellect that keep viewers engaged, even as they sense ominous turns of events about to unfold. Mystery fans can't ask for more. --A.T. Hurley

East Valley Tribune, March 2, 2007
4 Stars - once you start watching, you will be hooked.

CrimeSpree Cinema, May/June 2007
This well written drama is one of the best police shows I have seen in years. Simply fantastic!

Customer Reviews

Claims of "censorship" are off the mark; this is the version to get!
I'll admit my bias upfront. I like this show, and I like what Acorn Media does on DVD. Still, being a skeptic by nature, I did my homework regarding the claims that Acorn's release of "Da Vinci's Inquest" Season One was somehow edited from the Canadian versions. What I found was that the Canadian version that some people are praising (as if it held the cure to cancer) actually clocks in SHORTER than Acorn's release.

I can't speak to where A. Wharton got the 423 minute time quoted in his/her (erroneous) review, but whatever the source was it was clearly wrong. The Canadian version lists a run-time of under 600 minutes, while the copy of the Acorn release I'm looking at clocks in at 611 minutes. That's nearly one minute per episode. Again if any version of the program is cut (or "censored" as some maintain), it would clearly seem to be Canadian one that's missing something.

Another thing that seems to be missing from the Canadian release is closed-captioning. Speaking for myself, a few too many rock concerts in high-school have done a number on my hearing, and I love captioning.

As to the show itself, the reviewer who compared it to "Homicide" really hit the mark. Dominic Da Vinci's comment that he "[speaks] for the dead" very much echoes the attitude of the detectives on "Homicide." Indeed, Da Vinci strikes me as what "Homicide" would have been like had the medical examiner been the main character rather than primarily a supporting role.

Shows like "Law & Order" are entertaining enough, but programs like "Homicide" and "Da Vinci..." go a step beyond that. Where "Law & Order" seldom stretches beyond the generic police procedural drama, "Da Vinci..." makes you feel like you've stepped into a world that is completely concrete. You know that these characters had a life before the episode started and (assuming they're not the victim) will have one that goes on after. This show is something special.

Definitely NOT censored
Please be assured that the Acorn Media DVD of Da Vinci's Inquest has most definitely NOT been censored. It is 611 minutes long and is the UNCUT version.

Can anyone give a specific example of a scene from the program that has something censored in it?

A masterpiece of crime & forensics dramas.
Da Vinci's Inquest is the most prestigious representant of Canadian TV shows, along with Cold Squad. It spans on seven seasons, each one of 13 episodes, plus a one-season spin-off.

This Vancouver-based crime & forensics drama has everything : an experimented casting, intriguing storylines (with arcs spanning on several seasons for some !) and efficient direction.
It is also to be noted that DVI was, and still is, an obvious inspiration for shows such as CSI or Crossing Jordan.

If you don't know that show and are still hesitating whether of not to buy this DVD set, buy it NOW, you won't regret it.