I first learned this routine 12 or 13 years ago from the manuscript that was put out by Bob Miller around 25 or 30 years ago. This was well before the VHS video of the same name came out (which I have never seen).

It is my absolute favorite ring and string routine and in my opinion it is very well thought out and very well constructed. As it is taught (both in the DVD and the manuscript version, which is also included in PDF form on the DVD) you can pick and choose the things you want to use in the routine. You can also add elements from other ring and string routines out there if you choose.

This DVD was put out because as they mention on the bonus section(s), they had so many different people over the years contribute and submit different ideas for it. Personally I found quite a few of the bonus ideas to be pretty neat and quite useful if you want to change up your routine now and again; others were not so practical.

There is a bonus effect with cards which to me was not impressive. There is also a close-up multi-color changing silk effect which some may like and others may not. Personally I like the layout and the plot, and if I ever use it I would change some parts to suit my style. I liked it because it got the mental juices flowing. It is different for a change and it would work very well for kids - which is what Bob uses it for.

The quality of the video is not great because it was not shot with a studio-quality camera and for all its appearance, I would be willing to bet they just transferred the original VHS footage and added all the new sections on top of that. I am not saying the crispness of the video is bad, but it is not HD. The sound at some points gets dull and then picks back up again, but I did not have any trouble understanding what was being said.

Another bonus file is a vest topit pattern as used by Bob Miller. Years ago I came up with a similar idea and my pattern is different from his. His is quite nice and I even adopted it for a few of my vests, but it will not suit everyone.

Now, besides the quality of video the one thing that caused me to dock this product a full 1.5 stars was the lackluster personalities of Bob Miller and DJ Elhert. I have never seen either one perform in person nor have I met either of them, but their performances and instruction segments were so boring it caused me to fall asleep a few times and I was nowhere near tired! Now, I am not saying that they did not teach the material sufficiently - because they did - but there was no enthusiasm in it. One might liken their on-screen appearances/movements to wooden dummies - stiff and almost fake.

Another thing that does not do this routine (or the disc) justice is the live performance showing Bob Miller performing it for what I presume was a table of wedding guests. Although Bob performed the routine flawlessly, they had to be told that it was okay to react, and even when they did, it seemed more like a canned reaction.

Do NOT let the lackluster reactions of the demo video dissuade you from checking out this routine - I use this routine all the time and it is in every single set that I use for both walk-around and wedding shows and it is a very good routine. There have been times where I am maybe two phases into the routine and think to myself, "Man, it got awfully quiet in here..." only to look up and see the wide-eyed stares or the mouths dropped open. I have also gotten the "L&L crowd" reactions that border on the ridiculous. My point here is that if you have a good personality as a performer and you put some humor/personality/excitement into this routine, it will play very, very well for you.

I cannot recommend this routine enough. I only wish the performers on the disc showed more excitement or personality in demonstrating and teaching the routine - which it deserves - and which would have done the DVD a bit more justice. If you like ring and string routines, check this one out. You may be bored by parts of the explanations but you will have a strong and wonderful routine at the end.

Good news: This a very magical ring & string routine. It has moments that really fooled me, and it’s routined well.

Bad News: Both men on this DVD manage to take away all mystery from this routine, and neither can teach it.

Both men also perform the routine live. They are such dull performers, and take so much away from this beautiful routine, their audiences are not reacting in any way. One man has to TELL his audience it’s ok to react. If these are the takes they decided to use, I’d hate to see the takes they rejected. It’s obvious they are clueless as to how the audience is really responding.

The DVD case makes all the usual promises: Packs Small, Plays Big! Gasps Guaranteed! Perfect Routine! These guys can’t even deliver these promises themselves for their own audiences. Honestly, the routine is pretty good. I would normally say that a dynamite routine is worth sitting through a bad DVD for, but the routine is not taught real well, and several of the moves aren’t original with either of these men.

The bonus sections with extra moves and effects are just filler and offer nothing useful. The bonus effects include a weak card effect with the pearl poodle, and a silk routine. There are also some bonus ring and string moves. One of the bonus moves was so obvious, it made me laugh out loud at the stupidity that anyone would be fooled by it.

The only other positive I can say is this is a DVD that shows you what NOT to be. It teaches you that no matter how great a routine is, it all comes down to how engaging of a performer you are. It also shows how you can fool yourself that you are amazing and ‘killing’ your audiences.

Looking at the word Relentless in my dictionary, where it’s definitions include, “oppressively constant; incessant; harsh or inflexible,” I honestly feel this was aptly named. I would normally give a higher rating just for this slice of honesty, but the other lies on the DVD case cancel this out.

All the best moves are the creations of other performers and taught elsewhere, so you are not getting any real value here. Skip this without any question.

Half Star