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Riding high on the success of Miami Vice, executive producer Michael Mann (who helmed the penultimate episode "Top of the World") had several aces up his sleeve: Cocreator Chuck Adamson had been a legendary Chicago detective; Farina was an 18-year veteran of the Chicago Police before he switched to acting; and Luca's dim-witted Mafia sidekick, Pauli Taglia, was played by John Santucci, who had been one of Chicago's most notorious criminals in the 1960s. All of this--along with James A. Contner's color-saturated, mostly nocturnal cinematography--guaranteed that Crime Story would be unique for its time, earning controversy (over its rugged depiction of violent cops) and just enough ratings against ABC's Moonlighting to win a second-season reprieve. Unfortunately, Anchor Bay's budget-conscious DVDs represent a missed opportunity: Crammed onto four discs with five episodes each (with the pilot on a separate disc), the transfers barely rival VHS quality, and costly music rights resulted in song replacements that loyal viewers will regret. Lack of chapter indexing and a perfunctory background essay do little justice to a landmark TV series that deserved a full-featured release on DVD. Those caveats aside, Crime Story can be appreciated as an ambitious American epic that still packs a wallop. --Jeff Shannon
| ACTORS: | Dennis Farina |
| CATEGORY: | DVD |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 1986 |
| MANUFACTURER: | Anchor Bay Entertain |
| MPAA RATING: | NR (Not Rated) |
| FEATURES: | Color, Box set |
| TYPE: | Television |
| MEDIA: | DVD |
| # OF MEDIA: | 5 |
| UPC: | 013131232592 |
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Customer Reviews of Crime Story - Season One
Great box set from Anchor Bay!!! This is one great DVD box set!!! Anchor Bay does another top notch reissue!!! This is of the most underrated TV shows ever made, but it has gained a cult following!!! This one of the most addictive shows and one you start watching you won't want to stop!!! The action is non-stop!!! The friction between Mike Torello(Dennis Farina)and Ray Luca(Anthony Denison) is intense!!! This show contains some of the quirkiest casting out there,Dennis Farina was a former cop in real life,John Santucci who plays Pauli Taglia was a former jewel theif in real life,Ted Levine(a few years before his Slience Of The Lambs role),Bill Campbell,Joseph(Dr. No)Wiseman,Stephen Lang(Manhunter)Paul Butler,Bill Smitrovich,Darlanne Fleugel,Jon Polito,Andrew Dice Clay,Julia Roberts,Ray Sharkey,Deborah Harry,Vincent Gallo,Ving Rhames,Pam Grier,Michael Madsen,David Caruso,Lorraine Bracco,Miles Davis,Michael Rooker,Ron Dean,Jay O.Sanders,Gary Sinise and many more!!! And thats for Season One!!! i cant wait for the second season to come out on DVD!!! This DVD megaset looks so much better than the ten tape VHS set that was released bt Starmaker years ago!!! If you like this classic TV show you'll love this DVD box set!!! And unlike most box sets, this one is very compact(a little larger than a single VHS box,and looks nice on any bookshelf!!!) The people who have'nt yet seen the show are in for a real treat!!! A TRUE CLASSIC!!! Five Stars!!! A+
Crime Story - An original shotgun blast from the past!!
Crime Story is one of the finest crime dramas ever aired on network television bar none. This is the L.A. Confidential of television and then some! The cinematography, casting, acting, writing, painstaking attention to detail in rendering period authenticity, music, style...there's never been anything like it before or since. It holds up very well to repeat viewings even for those who don't like watching anything a second time. Until now, the only examples produced, have been various videotape releases, the domestic LD releases of both pilot and first 2 episodes, and the Japanese release of the entire first season (complete with subtitles). They all consist of dated, soft, low contrast, hazy transfers. None of them compare to this new Season One DVD Box Set in picture quality. The Pilot episode in this new set is sharper and smoother looking than previous releases (even the DVD), has excellent contrast with nice inky blacks, deep rich colors and a warmer look to it. The rest of the episodes have the same high contrast, deep blacks and saturated colors with adequate shadow detail. The dark and gritty look is by design, fitting to the film noir subject and not distracting in any way; and being DVD, clean clear freeze frames are rendered. This transfer is current and up to the minute.
As for audio, some have had their panties in a wad over replacement music. Expecting the worst, I did A/B comparisons between this set and older tapes of the series. Episodes compared were The Kingdom of Money (one of my favorites) and The War. Sequence for sequence from opening scene to closing credits both versions of The Kingdom of Money were virtually identical-not a single note of music was different (I suspect this is indicative of most of the episodes as well). When comparing both versions of The War, I found 2 or 3 sequences (non critical chase/action sequences) to have different dubs of incidental music, the original music having been indeed edgier and jazzier than the replacement music. But to be perfectly honest, if I weren't looking for the changes, I probably wouldn't have noticed them. All the rest of the major music was, like The Kingdom of Money, virtually unchanged. As with all productions which utilize large amounts of music, legal rights to all of it can be a problem. However, the negligable changes here have done nothing to dampen my enjoyment of this series. Certainly nothing to have a hissy fit about.
Season 2 while not as tightly knit as Season 1 is nevertheless very entertaining and it was nice to see the series expand in other directions. The Russian fighter pilot, for example, flying his MIG 21 to the United States to defect (Welcome to America!) was brilliant! There are some terrific stories here, some of which have further explored the depth of the characters. Yes I am very much looking forward to Season 2.
Rather than knocking Ancor Bay for this release as some have, I commend them for it. None of the previous releases of Crime Story had registered so much as a blip on the sales charts. Indeed, some may remember ambitious plans for an LD release of the entire series 2 episode volumes at a time starting with the pilot. This was abandoned after the pilot and first volume due to lack of interest. I think this was due to the release of individual episodes rather than complete season box sets but, nevertheless, for any studio to invest large amounts of cash in a high priced "definitive" version of a niche title without a track record would have been foolhardy. Ancor Bay (not a deep pockets studio) had a lot of guts to stick its neck out and bring us 2 complete seasons of a series it probably thought would have been a financial write off. They are either fans themselves or have shown an inordinate amount of consideration for those of us who are true Crime Story fans with this gift. I'm one of those who would rather have 85% of something than 100% of nothing. To be perfectly honest, I'm very disappointed in those "fans" out there who not only refuse to buy these sets, but recommend that others don't either. They will make very certain that a future "definitive" release of this show with completely restored original music (perhaps a Dolby Digital remix), a slick High Definition transfer, better packaging, lots of extras, commentary and perhaps even some chapter stops and an episode guide, will NEVER happen. My recommendation is, support this treasured work by buying this package for yourselves and as gifts for friends and family and support the studio that brought it to you as imperfect as you may think it is. I bought 2. Perhaps enough interest will be generated to warrent a future Revised Special Edition. In the meantime you will have a pristine archival representation of this classic show, which will never wear out or fall prey to laser rot, to hold on to and enjoy over and over until a better one is released. If not, when this title goes out of print, your chance to own it on DVD may be gone forever.
The Untouchables were wimps!
It was ahead of it's time,like most cult classics.Had it come out during the 70's when "Chinatown" was released or in the 90's when "L.A. Confidential" came out,it might've been on for at least for five seasons.As it is,it's a rare gem that is exciting,hard hitting,and carries the force of a baseball bat being wielded by a mafia hood!
On the heels of his success in creating "Miami Vice",Michael Mann created this retro crime saga set in the early 1960's(pre-Kennedy assassination) and revolving around Chicago's elite "M.C.U." unit (sort of like the police department's own Untouchables) and their war against an up in coming mafia hood named Ray Luca.
What makes Crime Story so interesting is not only it's retro style(classic cars,Luca's Elvis hairstyle,and early rock-n-roll) but the fact that much of the first season's stories are grounded in reality.
First Off: The leader of the MCU,Lt. Michael Torrello,is based upon a real-life detective named Chuck Adamson(Who also is a script writer and consultant).Adding further weight is the fact that Torrello is played by Dennis Farina,who himself is a retired Chicago detective.
Second: Ray Luca,played by Anthony Denison,is based upon real-life mafia hood Tony Spliroto,who also inspired the character of Nicki Santoro,played by Joe Pesci,in "Casino".By the same token,Ray's Las Vegas partner,Max Goldman,played by Andrew "Dice" Clay(!),was based upon Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal,who also inspired Robert DeNiro's Sam "Ace" Rothstien in "Casino".Indeed,as Luca rises to power from the streets of Chicago to Las Vegas,it is the story of Tony Spliroto.Additionally,Luca's mentor,Manny Weissborn,played by Joseph Wiseman(best remembered as the James Bond villan "Dr. No"),is based upon one of the founding fathers of Organized Crime,Meyer Lansky.
With it's roots in true crime,and with an great supporting cast that includes Ted Levine("Buffalo Bill" in "Silence of the Lambs"),William Campbell(TV's "Once and Again" and "The Rocketeer"),John Stanucci(A real life "reformed hoodlum" who plays Luca's side-kick),and Stephen Lang("Ike Clanton" in "Tombstone" as crusading attorney David Abrahms),and a great guest cast that includes Ving Rhames,Pam Greir,Deborah Harry(70's super-group "Blondie"),and a very,very young Julia Roberts(playing a teen-aged victim of child molestation),"Crime Story" is a kick butt series that blends hard hitting drama with exciting action,and well placed humor and a must have for any fan of the crime genre