Federal Men (Collectors Set)

Reviewed By Jason S. Lockard

Federal Men also known as Treasury Men in Action; this is a classic TV lovers dream come true. Federal Men is a TV crime drama series that was broadcast for five seasons from 1950 through 1955. The series centers on a squad of agents of the U.S. Treasury Department headed by "The Chief" played by Walter Greaza, and now, Film Chest brings a select group of these episodes to DVD in a new, three-disc set.

This crime series opened with "The Chief" who, from his Washington D.C. office, would set up that week's story. There were no other series regulars as different casts of agents went after such criminals as tax evaders, bootleggers and counterfeiters. Each episode was based on an actual "closed case in the files of the U. S. Federal Government". While many call this series a cheap Dragnet rip-off, I totally disagree. This series has its own charm.

Here are the episodes included in this collection.

Disc 1: Man Outside / Bad Bargain / Black Sheep / Little Tin Box / Man Trap / Gentlemen Cheat

Disc 2: Green Feathers / Buried Treasure / Princely Pauper / Iron Curtain / Man Next Door

Disc 3: Tight Squeeze / Leather Bags / Chartered Chisler / Slippery Eel / Steady Hand

These episodes are presented in there original full screen 4.3 aspect ratio. While the picture quality is not the greatest. There is blemishes in the picture, you have to realize very few TV shows from the 50s have survived in great quality. No bonus features are included, but 16 episodes is pretty good!

As for the packaging, Film Chest Media Group has down a great job. The case is sturdy hard shell case. Every disc come with it's own dedicated disc hub on a flipper tray. I was really impressed with this release.  

If you're a fan of 50s crime series, and want to include another one to your collection, I recommend you pick up a copy of Film Chest's 3 disk set of Federal Men. Go to www.Amazon.com for more details.

Moral Rating: Nothing Offensive
Audience: Family
Genre: Crime Drama
Length: Almost 7 Hours
Released: 2012
DVD Value Rating: A-