LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

gooelf50 You just don't get this kind of show in television! How this series ever came about is a mystery. All of the stars and planets must have been in perfect alignment to result in the genesis of such a perfectly entertaining crime drama. I've never been a fan of police series, old or new. Dragnet, NYPD, Hawaii 50, CSI, Crossing Jordan, Closer, etc, etc, etc. They bore me. I guess it was pure luck that led me to "Crime Story" one day a few decades ago when I was off work with the flu. There was nothing else on and I was stuck with it. As I watched, the realization that I was seeing a unique drama hit me like a bag of anvils. The taste and feel of the show was unlike any other police series I'd ever seen. Dennis Farina looked absolutely menacing with his dark, foreboding eyes and physically intimidating approach to crimebusting, especially when interrogating the baddies. He headed up a group of hand selected detectives who handled the tough going with one hand in their pockets. They were fearless and didn't feel it was necessary to play fairly with the underworld characters they pursued with pitbull determination. The series was set in the 50s and 60s with dress and cars that gave viewers a nostaligic look the dangerous side of the "Happy Days" era. Each episode opened with background music by Del Shannon (Runaway), a musical icon of the period. When I first started watching the series, I was unaware that Dennis Farina, the star of the series and a virtual unknown, was a former Chicago Police Detective. That certainly explains the realistic feel of the series. I've looked everywhere for reruns, but have never been able to find a channel that carries the series in syndication. I also have no idea why the series ended. Did Dennis Farina decide that Television was not where he wanted to be? He eventually began making feature films ( I recall his terrific performances in "Get Shorty" and in a movie that he made with Bette Middler.) and decide to walk away from the series. I can't believe that the series wasn't popular enough to avoid cancellation because of low ratings, so what happened?

condor1087 This show tells the story of Tony Spilotro, the mobs man who went to Vegas from Chicago which was told in the Scorcese movie Casino. It tells a fictional tale of a Chicago cop (Dennis Farina) who pursues him from the streets of Chicago to vegas. It is an entertaining show that gives you a glimpse into the rise of the Joe Pesci Character from Casino and how he went from independent jewel thief to king of Vegas. The story is incomplete and not factual but after all, it is Hollywood. In real life, it played more like the Sopranos and the godfather mixed with this story. David Caruso also gets his start as a punk who runs with the Spilotro character and gets killed by him very early in the series. Longtime character actor Joseph Wiseman is excellent as the mob chairman who takes the Spilotro character under his wing. The henchman are hilarious as they are so stupid is it criminal.

Alex-372 Crime Story was a strange, hard and often inspired tv series from the mid-eighties. It was made by the producer of Miami Vice, Michael Mann, and the cast is stocked with Michael Mann regulars - Stephen Lang, Bill Smitrovitch, Ted Levine and Dennis Farina (all except Ted Levine are in Manhunter). Although Farina and his crew throughout the series chase after their arch nemesis, Ray Luca and his gang (Pauli Taglia, Frank Holman), the story comes in two parts. The first part, allegedly set in Chicago, the second set in Las Vegas. Throughout the series, the director tries for a fifties, early sixties feel, even though that's tough to maintain. Great music, every episode is introduced by Del Shannon's "Runaway". However, very often the focus is the psychological dynamic between Mike Torello (real-life Chicago cop Farina) and Ray Luca (played with a psychopathic coldness by Anthony John Denison). Torello may be on the right side of the law, but there is an equally uneasy quality about the doggedness with which he keeps going after Luca. What would his life be without him? Torello is also frequently tempted to cross the line and behave in a more effective, but illegal way himself. If you haven't seen it, and you like Wise Guy, or the feel and look Michael Mann gives to his productions, don't miss this series. As this is a classic 80s series, there are also lots of cameos from familiar actors and actresses.

SquirePM I it it's redundant to add my review to all these others. Theyare all correct in their various forms of praise for this show. But Ican't help myself. This was just SUCH A GREAT SERIES that Ihave to add my kudos. The cast list is jampacked with stars andstars-to-be. Just click on each of them and see all the terrificentertainment they've given us. Together in this show, withwonderful writing and directing, they eclipsed every crime dramathat has ever appeared on our TV sets, including The Untouchables andMiami Vice. All the cops here were wonderful, but I can't helpsingling out the cast of bad guys. They really drove the show to itsgreatest heights. Among so many of them, I must mention theawesome performances of Anthony John Denison, AndrewDice Clay, Ted Levine and Jay O. Sanders. Each embodied thedarkest evil, and each in his own unique way. Oh, I *SO* wantedthem brought to justice!