5 Reasons Why DCI Gene Hunt is the Coolest. Guy. Evah.

You know, I don't think I've enjoyed a series more than Life on Mars (especially the UK version), and it's all due to one guy.

DCI Gene Hunt, played by Phillip Gleinister.

But why is this guy so frickin' all out cool? Taking my lead from another, better blog, here are five reasons why DCI Gene Hunt is, as the teenagers say, "one cool dude."

1. He is a hard-boiled man who makes Raymond Chandler's Marlowe and Robert B. Parker's Spenser seem wussy - after all, a man who announces "You are surrounded by armed bastards" simply is not a guy to be trifled with. Don't believe me? Check out this YouTube Fan Video.
2. The character is so immense, not even Harvel Keitel could do him justice - although he made an effort, Keitel's Hunt seemed rather frail, a man at the end of his years. Gleinster's Gene Hunt is a man who'll survive because - let's face it - he's too stubborn to die. Much like that guy on that Twilight Zone episode.
3. He reflects the 1970s without screaming nostalgia - the tan coat, the wide tie, the Fifth Doctor-ish hair....yes, these all scream 1970s. But unlike, say, American sitcoms that take place in the 1970s, there isn't the whiff of nostalgia so much as a man who seems to have his own unique code of honor. Plus, I could see DCI Gene Hunt gutpunching Ashton Kutcher and throwing him under a bus. Seriously.
4. He is a walking cautionary tale - granted, his smoking and drinking are well within television limits, and don't reflect the true spirit of the times. But for all his gallivanting, he is - let's face it - sexist. And some men secretly wish they could get away with that happened back then....but then again, if you could get away with it, is it really worth it? He's a reminder that men - much like women - have come a long way, baby.
5. The Man Has a Frickin' Fan Site, Fer Cryin' Out Loud - proving that I am not alone in my admiration.

 So my advice? Rent Life on Mars UK seasons one and two. Or watch on WTTW Sunday nights at 10 (which makes a great lead-in to Doctor Who at 11). And by the way, you'll wish DCI Gene Hunt had played the Doctor.

Because he'd probably throw Adric under a bus. Am I right, Radio Free Skaro?