Rating: 
Summary: Simply The Best - Good News for Season 2's
Review: CRIME STORY - SEASON TWO (1987-1988)
The second and final season of producer Michael Mann's classic crime drama comes to DVD with all of the full-length episodes. Details on the set are not yet known, but expect a similar type package to the first season release and the release date is tentatively set for the fall of 2005. More details will be announced soon.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Cop Show You Never Saw
Review: "We're gonna have some magic moments," Pauly Taglia says to Frank Holman, as they scheme to bring down the rival casino in Las Vegas. Their boss, the calculating but lethal Ray Luca, is determined to control The Strip and he's backed up by The Outfit's home office in Miami.Meanwhile, DOJ agent Mike Torello has infiltrated Luca's organization by planting agent Jack Claymore as a poker dealer. The rest of Torello's force, including prosecutor David Abrams (whose father was killed by Luca in Chicago), is scouring Las Vegas in search of evidence and witnesses. Agent Claymore, alas, is discovered by Luca and ends up getting electrocuted by current from a flashing neon sign. And that's the way things usually go in a typical Crime Story episode, as Torello pursues Luca from Chicago to Las Vegas. Crime Story, known to its fans as "CS", had a two-season run on NBC in the late eighties and then was dropped because of low ratings. It has been kept alive all these years by a handful of followers and occasional cable airings on the A&E and USA networks. Videotape versions have been released by Columbia House and Starmaker. Yet the show still remains unwatched and unknown to most TV viewers. This new DVD release is a fine opportunity to see this truly remarkable program. Set in the early sixties, the show's environment consists of streamlined cars with big chrome grills. Men wear thin ties, pegged pants and white socks; chicks -uh, women - wear beehives and bright red lipstick. A variety of music from Miles Davis to Del Shannon plays on the soundtrack. The characters are complex and unique: Mike Torello (Dennis Farina) as the loose-cannon cop who sees himself as "the guardian of Chicago" and his antagonist Ray Luca (Anthony Dennison) a psychopathic gangster-on-the-rise whose interests include chess and modern jazz. The supporting characters include David Abrams (Stephen Lang) whose liberal idealism is thwarted by his father's mob background, and a gallery of gangsters like you've never seen on TV: the bumbling but lethal Paul Taglia (John Santucci) and the wannabe rock star Frank Holman (Ted Levine.) In fact, it's worth noting at this point that Santucci himself was head of a jewelry theft gang and Farina was a Chicago cop for 18 years - so you're getting plenty of authenticity here. The actors at the time were all new to TV and deliver the kind of "break-a-leg" performances that you just don't see too often. And there's some unique humor as well: Upon entering a bloody crime scene, Torello remarks: "This looks like a Jackson Pollack." CS purists have objected to some of the music changes and a few technical glitches in the DVD release, but if the show is new to you, I say go for it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent DVD Collection
Review: After reading some of the reviews listed here, I was a little concerned about the "Crime Story" DVD set, particularly the claims about missing soundtrack songs and poor picture quality. After buying the set watching the DVDs for myself, I can say that this is an excellent collection in every respect and it is everything a Crime Story fan should hope for. The picture quality is not pristine but is by no means bad at all. I haven't noticed any missing songs or soundtrack sections. I paid close attention to this, and when I suspected a non-original song was inserted, I compared it to the VHS version and it was always the same. It's true there aren't any special features, but this isn't exactly that kind of show. In terms of popularity, it's a cult hit at best. As a long-time fan of Crime Story, I belive it's very fortunate the series has made it to DVD and am very grateful to own it. I recommend this set very highly to any fans of the show, police/crime drama, Dennis Farina, Michael Mann, and good television.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent DVD Collection
Review: After reading some of the reviews listed here, I was a little concerned about the "Crime Story" DVD set, particularly the claims about missing soundtrack songs and poor picture quality. After buying the set watching the DVDs for myself, I can say that this is an excellent collection in every respect and it is everything a Crime Story fan should hope for. The picture quality is not pristine but is by no means bad at all. I haven't noticed any missing songs or soundtrack sections. I paid close attention to this, and when I suspected a non-original song was inserted, I compared it to the VHS version and it was always the same. It's true there aren't any special features, but this isn't exactly that kind of show. In terms of popularity, it's a cult hit at best. As a long-time fan of Crime Story, I belive it's very fortunate the series has made it to DVD and am very grateful to own it. I recommend this set very highly to any fans of the show, police/crime drama, Dennis Farina, Michael Mann, and good television.
Rating: 
Summary: This Box Set Is A True Crime
Review: Anchor Bay has entered the hot TV shows on DVD format and dropped the ball on both this collection as well as their release of "3's Company." Their treatment of "Crime Story" is a particular crime, as they've put out mediocre transfers and cheated consumers on the very reason you buy a box set besides the episodes -- bonus features. Where are the commentaries and interviews? Why didn't anyone talk to Dennis Farina? I would have liked to hear from the show's creator and learn more about the series' history while watching. Making matters worse is the fact that this show that had music that bested "Miami Vice" has been released in mono! Anchor Bay ought to be ashamed. The rumor mills say that they might be putting out a boxed set of another great show "SledgeHammer" and if that one doesn't have some extras then that will be Anchor Bay's second offense. Let's hope season two of "Crime Story" if there is one is a lot better than this. Some of us DVD-philes expect a lot more than just the shows.
Rating: 
Summary: A great show I'd never heard of
Review: As a UK viewer I had never heard of Crime Story until browing these pages. I took the plunge and what a buy it turned out to be. Fine performances from all the cast. Yes the DVD transfer is not great quality, the episodes are not chaptered, some songs may have changed and there are no extras. Sorry but who gives a s**t. This is a landmark show which otherwise would have rotted on VHS. I applaud Anchor bay for releasing this and can't wait for season 2!!
Rating: 
Summary: Thanks to the other reviewers!
Review: As several of you have mentioned, this show rates as one of the best crime series ever. I loved the music, the acting, the plot lines, and the characters. But thanks to your reviews, I'll save the $60 and just rent them. Well done, guys!
Rating:
Summary: Crime Story - An original shotgun blast from the past!!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Farina all the way with rollerskates...
Review: Dennis Farina was a real-life Chicago cop, so maybe that is why he brings so much to this role. He heads the task force of bringing down mobsters namely Ray Luca (Anthony John Denison - he took over for Ken Wahl in WISEGUY after Wahl was injured). But there is a super supporting cast with Bill Smitrovich(Nero Wolfe) as Det. Danny Krychek, Steve Ryan as Det. Nate Grossman, Bill Campbell (very very young here!) as Det. Joey Indeli, and the brilliant Stephen Lang as Stephen Lang as Prosecutor David Abrams. But the show was nearly stolen by Ted Levine (Silence of the Lambs) as Frank Holman and John Santucci as Pauli Taglia (a real life jewel thief at one time!). Produced by Michael Mann (Miami Vice, Manhunter), you get the same attention to period detail and music. The stories are fast action, with witty dialogue - like a drunken Farina tells a plump lady in a bar "I'd like to strap you on and go rollerskating". This is Mann's genius at it's best with wonderful acting to keep you spellbound.
Rating:
Summary: The Best
Review: Every now and then TV gets it right and CRIME STORY is in that column. This epic was actually misplaced on the small screen: it could have revived serials with weekly theatre runs. The scaled down visuals and details were too limited to do the show justice. Had cable been in 1986 what it is now, CRIME STORY would certainly have had a different look (i.e, THE SHIELD being the most obvious) and probably played even more brutal than it had. Dennis Farina sets his own mark, but Lee Marvin's M-SQUAD Lt. Frank Ballinger, had to be in his subconscious (although Farina chewed his own share of real life Chi-Town cement with the CPD). Before self destructing at the mid point of Season 2, CRIME STORY was a joy. It was even more appreciated when Mann got to bring it full circle in 1995 with his masterwork, HEAT. Vincent Hanna and Mike Torello seperated at birth?
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