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DVD Law & Order Criminal Intent - The First Year
Dick Wolf (Law & Order) has claimed that Arthur Conan Doyle inspired him to create Criminal Intent. Indeed, the brilliant--if socially awkward--Robert "Bobby" Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and cool-headed partner Alexandra "Alex" Eames (Kathryn Erbe) do come across like a modern day Holmes and Watson. Rather than England, however, they're members of New York's major case squad. (Trivia buffs may find it of interest that D'Onofrio played Holmes's arch-nemesis Moriarty in the 2002 made-for-cable movie Case of Evil.) The show, which premiered in 2001, added "criminal" to the successful "law" and "order" equation. Each episode moves back and forth between the efforts of Goren and Eames to track down "the worst criminal offenders" and the efforts of the offenders to evade capture. The detectives report to plainspoken Captain Deakins (Jamey Sheridan) and work closely with urbane ADA Carter (Courtney B. Vance).
Criminal Intent could hardly be mistaken for a comedy, but it can be lighter on its feet than Law & Order and Special Victims Unit--even if the crimes are just as grim. The fun comes from watching Goren and Eames do whatever it takes to catch the perps. As long as it's legal--they'll do it. Highlights of the first season include "Jones" with Griffin Dunne (An American Werewolf in London) as a philandering lawyer, "Badge" with Viola Davis (Solaris) as a corrupt ex-cop, and "Phantom" with Michael Emerson (The Practice) as a desperate family man. The last is based on the same real-life case that inspired the critically acclaimed French film Time Out (in the movie and teleplay, the protagonist pretends to work for the UN; in reality, Jean-Claude Romand pretended to be a doctor). Other cases, also often suggested by actual events, concern burglary, forgery, and money laundering--although murder is always mixed up in there somewhere. Featuring guest appearance from Law & Order detectives Green (Jesse L. Martin) and Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) in "Poison" and Lieutenant Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) in "Badge." --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Review(s): DVD Law & Order Criminal Intent - The First Year
I Can't Get Into It... I Wish I Could
I'm a self proclaimed Law and Order junkie. I've been watching the regular Law and Order ever since my mom started letting me, and when SVU came on, I became a huge fan. And then CI came on, and I was ecstatic! Yay, more Law and Order. And... I'm sadly no that impressed. I've tried watching it a bunch of times, and I just can't get into it like the other 2. I hate myself for this, because it's not as though it's badly acted or written... I just... don't really like it. However, I will still give this set 3 stars because Vincent D'Onfrio is amazing... and it's Law and Order, come on.
Dick Wolf hones his art
Criminal Intent.
The third stream in the Law and Order franchise and the most polished of Dick Wolf's work.
Where "Law and Order" explores the full process of the justice system from investigation to conviction, "L&O: Special Victims Unit" examines the ethical deliberations that can come with it... Dick Wolf's new spin-off, "L&O: Criminal Intent" seems to focus now on the complexity of the premeditated crime.
Dick Wolf's style of narrative has been enhanced significantly from his previous two works to encompass the complexity of these mind-twisters. With such a huge amount of information to give the viewer, his new opening sequences can leave many people scratching their heads in confusion. The fast paced litany is always made clear in the end, though, and it is testimony of how far Wolf has come from the first Law and Order stream.
Like most good super-slueth stories, the main detective of this series, Detective Robert Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio), is eccentric, brilliant and resourceful. His investigations advance beyond simple "smoking gun" deductions and move on to complex circumstantial evidence and criminal psychology... Bith in which Goren excels.
D'Onofrio is arguably the most skilled actor gracing television today, and Dick Wolf had the insight to let him both mold the character Robert Goren however he wished and to give him, quite simply, the freedom to act. Many of his more memorable quirks have been pure spur of the moment improvisation, causing a great deal of confusion to the camera men and other actors.
Goren/D'Onofrio's eccentricity and unpredictability makes this series an incredibly enjoyable one to watch, however, and you'll be hard pressed to find someone who does not appreciate it.
Though some might declare Detective Alex Eames (Kathryn Erbe) as the Watson of the duo, she is not quite as ornamental as the little doctor had been. Eames grants both stability and reality to the often dizzying thought processes of Goren. She excels at her role of being both the muscle and practical mind of the pair, and Kathryn Erbe has a unique talent for making lists of information interesting... Someone has to state the facts, and she just happens to be the best at the job!
Though I enjoy all of the Law and Order series, (L&O for its diversity, SVU for its characters and ethical explorations) Criminal Intent is my favourite...
Watch one interrogation scene featuring D'Onofrio at his best, and you'll see why.
Great Drama Goes Through Its Birthing Period
I was not a Law and Order fan. Sure I have seen the original and SVU, but something about the format never resonated with me. Solving the crime halfway through seemed abrubt and packaged, despite the wealth of acting talent the shows have produced. Having said that, I have become increasingly impressed with Criminal Intent, starring the ever intriguing Vincent D'Onofrio. Season 1 saw a show that was in its birthing phase: acting was occasionally hit or miss as the actors developed their characters, but the show never fails to grab you.
Vincent D'Onofrio is just short of brilliant as Detective Robert Goren. He invokes a spirit that is both intriguing and whimsical, provoking the audience to understand the psychology of both crime and criminal. He sees and hears what most do not. He is also a master manipulator of emotion, as seen in the interrogation room, but just when you think he has gone too far or is showing his dark side, he taps into the emotion of the moment and shows a new side to his character. Anyone who saw Full Metal Jacket and how powerful he was in his brief 15 minutes, will appreciate the depth and range he brings to this character. Hands down, the finest pure actor on TV today.
Kathyrn Erbe, Jamey Sheridan, and the ever cool Courtney B. Vance round out the cast as the partner, Captain, and district attorney respectively. Their roles are mainly to support Goren, but given the second billing, they play the roles well. Erbe is a nice partner to D'Onofrio, but the writers use her mainly to set up Goren's delivery. One look at her "here goes Goren again" grin though, and you know there's hope for here development. Sheridan does his best as the Captain, but his role is limited and is fairly interchangeable with any other cop show. Vance, the man of cool, brings a distinguished acting career, a great wardrobe, and a no nonsense attorney's search for justice to ADA Carver.
The plots are often inspired by real life crimes, which makes them just familar enough to make you think you know who did it. Guess what, it's usually not who you think. The acting is wonderful, and you begin to wonder how long they can keep this up. How long can you still be captured by each episode? For me, I'll be staying tuned to find out.
Related DVD's Law & Order Criminal Intent - The First Year
This is not a review of Season 3 as much as a major complaint that season 2 has not yet been released. What's that all about. I have been waiting somewhat patiently but my patience is about gone. This is my favorite of the L & O Series and I am quite ticked off that S-2 has not been released. I'm hoping someone who has clout will read these reviews and take note. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Vincent D'Onofrio DVD Release Date: Released the 14 September 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Originally called Sex Crimes, executive producer Dick Wolf wisely opted for something less lurid when the second in the inexhaustible Law & Order franchise hit the air in 1999. Still, as the opening voiceover makes clear, the "sexually based offenses" investigated by New York's Special Victims Unit can be "especially heinous." This six-DVD boxed set includes all 22 episodes of the first compelling season.
Wolf penned series premier "Payback," which sets the scene, but not the tone. It's a lively, if uneasy mix between horror (rape) and comedy (risqué banter). As the show progressed, humor would be written out altogether (leaving Richard Belzer's Homicide-derived John Munch with increasingly less to do). Less emphasis would also be placed on the home... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Christopher Meloni DVD Release Date: Released the 21 October 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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I love this series, but I refuse to buy season 5 until 3 and 4 come out. Call me crazy, but why would I not want to watch the episodes in order? I've been waiting for years for them to fill in the gap between 2 and 5. What are they doing?! More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 14 September 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The second season of Law & Order: SVU differs from the first as not as much time is spent on the detective's families. Ice-T and Stephanie March debut in the first episode of the season as Det. Fin Tutuola and ADA Alex Cabot, respectively. Michelle Hurd leaves the show shortly into the season as her character quits after being relegated to desk duty since being accused of having sex with a suspect. The show really hit its stride in this season. Seemingly everyone is involved with every episode, as opposed to today where Fin and Richard Belzer's Det. Munch do very little. Late in the season, B.D. Wong debuts as psychiatrist Dr. Huang. His character is a bit darker (for lack of a better word) in earlier episodes. Overall, this is a great season for the show and I highly recommend... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 27 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Law & Order's third year marked a transitional one for the top-rated drama. In 1992, Jerry Orbach (Prince of the City) joined the cast. His Det. Lenny Briscoe would turn out to be one of its most enduring characters. After Sgt. Phil Ceretta (Paul Sorvino) is shot by a gun dealer in episode eight ("Prince of Darkness"), Briscoe teams up with Det. Mike Logan (Chris Noth) in the next ("Point of View"). It wasn't meant to be a permanent change (Ceretta was injured, not killed), but the two would continue to beat the streets until Logan's departure in 1995 (Orbach, meanwhile, would remain part of the Law & Order universe until his passing in 2004).
The line-up was otherwise the same: Capt. Donald Craven (Dann Florek), ADA Paul Robinette (Richard Brooks), ADA Benjamin... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Jerry Orbach DVD Release Date: Released the 24 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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