Wet Job

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.

Looking at the reviews and comments there is a fact that seems to have slipped people's minds.

Wet Job is a remake of the original TV play "A Magnum for Schneider" that introduced us to the original Character of Callan.

As remakes go it's not bad and if you're feeling philosophical a nice close to the character.

That said like a lot of made for TV movies tastes have changed, production values improved.

But as a piece of nostalgia and a good introduction to Callan, and the very gritty 70s cold war spy Drama it's well worth a look.

Admittedly if Mission Impossible is more your thing then you're likely to be disappointed :D

"Callan: Wet Job," was supposed to have led to another T.V series. Luckily, this didn't happen due to the poor ratings this episode received. The plot is dull, confusing and uneventful. The only scenes worth seeing, are those with Callan and Lonely. It is worth it to see these legendary characters together one last time after all the years that had elapsed. The chemistry of Edward Woodward and Russell Hunter is still in evidence as Lonely secures Callan another gun. When asked if he needs any further help, Callan pauses for a couple of seconds and answers in the negative. He urges Lonely to leave his shop immediately and that is it. Lonely walks off into the distance and we see the final curtain come down on one of British television's leading partnerships. There isn't any action or incident to speak of, just a meandering story.

This is a one-off "reunion" play made some 9 years after the end of the series "Callan". Edward Woodward and Russell Hunter from the original show appear, along with George Sewell as the guest star. The creator of Callan, James Mitchell, is credited as the script writer.

This production looks like a student job from some early 80's film school, with the directors 14 year old brother responsible for the music. I am not exaggerating. The production values are so poor, they are way below the average standards of 1981 British television. The script is weak and contains some embarrassingly clumsy dialogue. The original novel was written by James Mitchell, yet i suscpect he never wrote the awful screenplay for this. After all, his scripts are of a different class. The screenplay for the movie "Callan" he wrote just 7 years earlier is great. Well, maybe he wrote this sick or busy or something. The direction is clumsy and the music deserves a special mention as one of the worst soundtracks ever.

I feel sorry for the stars. Woodward and Sewell sleepwalk through the film, Hunter at least tries his best. His scenes with Woodward sometimes actually work, and they are the only reason for watching this lackluster turkey. The actors playing the new Hunter and his replacement-Meres are utterly forgettable. The original Meres is written off with a clumsy joke.

I am sorry if i sound pessimistic and dreary, I wanted to like this, but this really is an extremely poor movie. I would like to know the full story behind this failure. What on earth was going on with Mitchell? I recommend all friends of the Callan series to consider the final episode from 1972 to be the end to the saga. Skip this.

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.