Executive Producers
Daniel Elias and Boris Lee Krutonog
Cast
Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman
Beth Smith Chapman
Leland Chapman
Tim Chapman
Duane Lee Chapman Jr.
Sam Fontana Narrator
DVD Release Date: September 24, 2007
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 94 Minutes
The Show
By now everyone has probably heard of Dog The Bounty Hunter. Along with his family in Hawaii, they track down criminals that have skipped out on their bails and bring them back to justice. His wife Beth, brother Tim, sons Leland and Duane Lee, and even young daughter Lisa are in the business together with him. They aren’t just normal bounty hunters either as everything they do is in the name of the Lord. Dog’s style is that he will throw you down, cuff you, and tell you “not to f**king move in the name of Jesus Christ.” Believe me; it’s quite phenomenal and amusing all at the same time.
The Chapman crew has caught many hardened fugitives and it will surely continue for many years to come. But in 2003, they captured one that would haunt their lives for years to come. Andrew Luster is the great-grandson of cosmetics millionaire Max Factor, Sr. and an heir to the entire fortune. He had everything going for him and could do whatever he wanted, but the problem is that he did. Luster was known for drugging women and raping them. Capture and convicted on 86 of 87 counts of rape, Luster fled the country while awaiting sentencing. In steps Dog and his crew.
Dog knew that Luster could be anywhere in the world so they were spending every cent they had in order to track him down. People were stationed in different states, Europe, Central America, and numerous other places hoping to simply catch a glimpse of him so he could be captured. Word finally leaked out thanks to Dog and Beth appearing on Rita Cosby’s show that Luster was in Mexico. So they loaded up and went down there to get him, but it would end up costing them dearly.
Once down there, more tips led to Luster’s exact location and he was captured and ready to be brought back to jail in America. But bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico which ended up getting Leland, Tim, and Dog thrown into a Mexican jail. For a week they were behind bars until lawyers got them out on bail and Luster was going away fro a 124 year sentence. Their job was done. Three years later though in 2006, U.S. Marshals would show up at the Chapman household to take the three to jail again for the Luster capture. The case that was such a miraculous catch would seemingly haunt their lives forever.
Dog, Beth, Rita Cosby, and many others give interviews and their thoughts during this special telling the entire story of Luster’s capture all the way to Dog’s second arrest. It truly is amazing seeing how Dog’s faith was so strong that it kept him going through all this. When he was arrested in Mexico; he was not sorry for what he had done because he knew that a horrible person was off the streets and could no longer hurt anyone. But when their arrest happened again in 2006; it affected the whole family.
Beth just seemed overly distraught. Leland was scared to even drive a mile over the speed limit in caution of being busted for something even though he hadn’t done anything. Tim felt ashamed and his pride was hurt. Dog wasn’t even sure that he could arrest anyone ever again because his heart just wasn’t in it. But it would be faith that kept them going and proved to them that their actions were right and they helped a lot of people with what they do.
Dog The Bounty Hunter is a series that I have watched for years and followed along on many of their captures. At first it didn’t seem like a huge deal to me when hearing about their arrest because they had eventually gotten out, etc etc But after watching this special and hearing their words; it occurred to me that they had gone to prison with a great number of people they had put away themselves. That is extremely dangerous and could have been potentially deadly. The year 2006 was a horrible year for the Chapman family, but everything since Luster’s capture in 2003 would be hard for them. It truly is heart-warming seeing a family stick together through such difficult times by relying on the Lord and one another.
The Video
The show is presented in 1.33:1 Full Screen format and looks good. Some of the older footage is rather shoddy looking but it is from old Mexican news footage, and possibly could have been shot with a handheld camera, who knows? But for the most part; it looks as good as any of the show’s episodes do.
The Audio
The show is heard in Dolby Digital Stereo Sound and there are also no problems here. Interviews and narration is heard clearly without any interruption, and even all dialogue on news footage is heard well.
Special Features
Year Of The Dog – This could have actually been a part of the main course as it is a long forty-five minute episode showcasing the entire year (2006) for Dog and his family. It goes through his marriage, his arrest again years after the Luster case, the death of Beth’s father, the death of Dog’s first-born daughter Barbara in a car accident, Lisa’s first capture, and a lot more. This is a really good feature because it is essentially another episode and recaps all that went on in the Chinese calendar “Year Of The Dog.”
Additional Scenes – Five extra scenes totaling about five minutes. A few more scenes with Beth on the phone after Dog gets arrested and one of her giving a message to fans straight from Dog’s mouth as he is in jail.
The Inside Pulse
If you’re a big time fan of the series then you might as well pick this up because it retails for under ten bucks anyway. The Arrest was a special that aired on A&E at one point, but it’s The Year Of The Dog special feature that is really what you’ll want from this DVD. The main event focuses on the entire story with Luster, but it’s the special feature that truly chronicles the entire year of 2006 and all the hardships the Chapmans endured. It is amazing to watch one family deal with so much yet be able to hold it together with the love they have for each other and following the way of the Lord. Not to mention it, but when on COPS would you ever hear an arresting officer say something like, “Jesus doesn’t like it when you do that sh*t!”
