User Reviews

I'm usually very ambivalent about Quentin Tarantino's movies. To use an old but relevant term, he puts style above substance. If you strip away the hip references to pop-culture and Asian cinema, you will realize that the themes of his movies only get touched upon very superficially. Yet his cool dialog and ingenious use of continuity in PULP FICTION (1994) has been a great inspiration to movie-makers for over a decade, therefore it could be argued that he's the Godard of his generation. I personally acknowledge the significance of his movies, although I request more real substance.

Quentin Tarantino's episode GRAVE DANGER: PART 1 (of two episodes) doesn't disappoint, whether you are a fan of Tarantino or CSI. I haven't seen many CSI episodes, so my reference frame isn't exactly huge, but I understand its basic concept. In my opinion Tarantino manages to harmonically combine the usual CSI thriller elements with the classic Tarantino trademarks. It could in fact be argued that fusing completely different movie styles and genres is Tarantino's great strength. That's possibly the main reason this project fit him so well. The result is a fresh, pumped-up, stylistic CSI. It's not as ground-breaking as PULP FICTION, but who expected it to be? TV-series are always dumbed down to fit the mainstream, and that goes for the GRAVE DANGER episodes too. Yet if all TV-series were like this, the general TV standard would indeed be very high. Then again, Tarantino was gives two full episodes to operate on, which meant that he had the necessary time for character developing scenes with non-plot-driven dialog that the normal CSI directors don't have.

Regardless of you're a CSI or Quentin Tarantino fan I highly recommend watching the GRAVE DANGER episodes. It's CSI Ultimate Edition and an interesting curiosity for QT fans. 8/10

I normally don't watch CSI- not because I particularly dislike the show, but I just don't have it as a main priority on TV (and in general it's tough to get into a show and stick with it these days). But, as with ER, when filmmaker Quentin Tarantino pops up to take the helm for an episode, I'll sit up and take notice. This time it was well worth the wait (missed the original airing, saw it again later). This is indeed one of the more intense- and of course mainstream (in an ironic way)- things Tarantino has done. It's also interesting right off the bat that, despite giving the initial story, is not really credited with writing the script here. So Tarantino is coming in on to a show that's already got its own fan base, and usually style. I wondered if he would be able to subvert himself, or just go with his own thing. The latter seemed to be the case, to great effect.

Basic story- one of the CSI guys, Nick Stokes, is kidnapped by a psychotic (John Saxon) who wants a million dollars in an hour. The CSI guys have to scramble, but then after a wild chance of occurrence (i.e. Saxon's character does a very un-expected thing), the CSI people have to scramble to find Nick before the clock runs out. This story has the elements of what could've been made as a pretty nifty but somewhat standard state of story mechanics told- and one has seen stories like these in films before (The Cell kind of comes to mind, though QT's own Kill Bill 2 with the Bride in the grave is there too). But with a director like this, there's a lot of little unexpected opportunities and twists in the storytelling screws that make it like the best action film you wish to see. And of course with Tarantino there are the morbidly, hysterically funny moments, some more over the top than others (the black and white scene involving two doctors and Nick is the best). But there are even moments where he actually sticks to the more 'TV' material, with (good) TV dialog and solid styling.

In short, though I've never really watched another CSI episode from start to finish, I was extremely satisfied with this two-parter, that leaves on such cliffhangers from commercial spot to spot that it almost becomes unbearable. All the minutes inside that box mark as some of the best minutes on TV all of last year...not to mention a couple of amazing cameo apparances from Saxon (maybe one of his best roles that some of his die-hard fans will rush out to see on DVD) and Kill Bill actor Clark Middleton (in part 1 only).

It's absolutely fascinating to me, how Tarantino surprises me with his directing over and over again. Best example lately is the C.S.I. two-part-episode "Grave Danger". Though Tarantino sticks to the typical C.S.I. directing procedure, he does not fail to leave his very own mark to this episode. From the first minute watching this, you can realize, that this is not "just" another usual episode (I don't say this in an insulting way), but that he really made something special out of it. The choice of soundtrack, the storyline and picture capturing are very typical for his style of film-making. If it would have been necessary to develop the characters (which isn't because it's a continuous series), these 90 minutes could have absolutely worked as a stand alone feature for me.

There are of course many references to his earlier films (especially Kill Bill part 2), what additionally makes it fun to watch for any Tarantino fan. Since I watch a lot of movies in my private time, it's not that easy to push me to the edge of the seat, but yes, I can really admit it was very thrilling.

Dealing with the topic of being buried alive is definitely not a new one, but that doesn't make it less scary or exciting.

If you just like CSI, you should watch it. If you just like Tarantino, you should watch it. And if you love both, like I do, see this episode under any circumstances!

I am a very big fan of this show. I could not wait to see this episode when I heard that Quentin was going to have his way for the two one hour episodes. I am now sitting here watching it for the third time. I am still praying for Nick that he is going to get out of that box. The first time I watched it I almost turned the TV off because my nerves were shot. I was literally sitting on the edge of the couch. I was never the biggest fan of Nick but after seeing this show I feel much differently. Overall I would recommend this show to not only fans of csi but to everyone who enjoys an engaging show that they will not be able to tear they eyes away from the screen. I have yet to see any who on TV that has left me thinking about it for days afterwards. I hope that Quentin will get to do another show someday but I do not think that he will be able to live up to this one.

I don't know why I first developed an intense love of CSI Las Vegas, given that so many of the episodes follow the same basic format, but this is the first time that that format has been completely thrown away and the show went in a completely different direction. We can thank Quentin Tarantino, of course, for that change, since he was given the opportunity to write and direct these two episodes in his own way.

It's interesting to consider that he made these shows a year after making Kill Bill, in which Uma Thurman's character is also buried alive. Nick Stokes' kidnapping and live burial is not necessarily an homage to Kill Bill, but it seems that Tarantino has noticed the effectiveness of a live burial, particularly one in which the person is unconscious when buried and then wakes up underground. Can you imagine? I was particularly affected by these two episodes, because being buried alive is one of my own worst fears, along with drowning, spiders, and Global Thermonuclear War (an intense fear that I developed in 1983 after watching an early Matthew Broderick movie).

I had hoped that Tarantino might take it upon himself to write and direct more for the show, but as of now that has yet to happen, and it looks like it's not going to. Other than these two episodes, all of the rest of the series looks surprisingly homogenized...

Note: my summary is in all lower case letters and parentheses because in my first attempt to post this comment, I had it all in capital letters to emphasize how impressive these two CSI episodes are, but then when I tried to post it, the IMDb told me DO NOT SHOUT in my summary. So it's a whisper. Happy now?

it's my second favorite show but only cause house is so damn irresistibly but so is c.s.i. las Vegas and only las Vegas c.s.i the others are so dumb Grave Danger is my favorite episode and the one when nick gets pushed out the window i love nick George Eads is my second favorite actor first is Hugh Laurie from house after George eads its William Peterson because his terrific performance in c.s.i and cause in a weired way hes hot but i got to say i thought it would be Cathryn with him not Sara and my friend said Cathryn likes Warric now nick is allowne because Greg likes the other Analise girl person or what ever. i cant waite till the next season of c.s.i starts o yea whos with me oh ya oh ya.

The CSI Nick Stokes (George Eads) is kidnapped while investigating a crime scene and buried alive in a glass casket by his kidnapper. The Las Vegas Police Department receives a package with a tape and a hardware to permit watch Nick inside the casket, together with a request of one million dollars cash to release him. The mayor refuses to pay the ransom, but Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) asks her wealthy father and gets the amount. Then Gil Grissom (William Petersen) schedules a meeting with the criminal to deliver the money and be informed where Nick is.

The plot of "Grave Danger Volume 1" is very similar to 1999 "Oxygen", i.e., a person buried alive with limited oxygen and the police fighting against time trying to find some clue. This episode of CSI was released in Brazil with the sequel in a DVD with a beautiful package and exploring the name of Quentin Tarantino, but I have found nothing original or special. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Perigo a Sete Palmos" ("Danger Six Feet Under")

Note: On 23 January 2023, I saw this episode again.

I can't imagine being locked up like Nick is here. This was a theme for Edgar Allen Poe and those stories really freaked me out. I knew when this two parter came along I was reminded of the first time i saw it. My family and I had to wait a whole week to see how tis all played out. It's also kind of cool that there are so many cameos here. Also, non-sequiturs, like the Dukes of Hazard game and the guy blowing himself up. Anyway, the investigation goes on.