Product Details

• Actors: Dennis Farina, Anthony John Denison, Bill Smitrovich, Steve Ryan, Billy Campbell
• Directors: Gary Sinise
• Writers: Chuck Adamson, David J. Burke, Gustave Reininger
• Producers: Christine A. Sacani, Chuck Adamson, Gail Morgan Hickman, Johnny Lattanzio
• Format: Color, Original recording remastered, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
• VHS Release Date: September 19, 2000
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305971773
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,732 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Though Hill Street Blues got all the awards and Miami Vice got all the attention, for some viewers it's the short-lived Crime Story (the second series produced by Vice's Michael Mann) that stands as tall as the great cop show of the 1980s. Set to a gritty rock & roll beat--with Del Shannon's "Runaway" providing the perfect theme song--the series chronicled the early '60s rise of gangster Ray Luca (Anthony John Dennison) and his hounding by hard-boiled policeman Michael Torrello (Denis Farina, who will never have another part this good). Save for the show's eventual relocation to Las Vegas, the Chicago-based pilot, expertly helmed by cult director Abel Ferrara, lines up all the elements that made Crime Story a classic: vivid performances, slick photography, brutal violence, and a genuine sense of the moral murk cops can be sucked into when they feel that any method is justified. Indeed, it's often Torrello, given to back-alley beatings and possessive stares at his wife (Darlanne Fleugel), who seems the scarier of the two leads; Luca kills without compunction, but with an assassin's dispassionate celerity. Such complexity, combined with the exciting action scenes, makes for wonderful viewing, however much it hurt with the Nielsen ratings. --Bruce Reid

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No more VHS or Quality Extended Play!, August 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Crime Story (Pilot Episode) (DVD)

Two of my favourite shows of the Eighties were Crime Story (1986-1988)and Wiseguy (1987-1990). Both shows introduced the Arc format in which a compelling story was told over a number of episodes. Wiseguy kept it to around 10 (at most) but I remember reading an article in which the creators' of Crime Story envision each season as a 22 chapter novel.

Back in the early 90's STARMAKER released the entire series on ten video tapes entitled Crime Story: The Complete Saga. This was fantastic at the time since I did not tape CS when it was on NBC. Some tapes were only 96 minutes (Pilot, Vol 5: Luca's Fall) but others lasted 144-288 minutes or higher (Part 2: The Mafia War, Part 9: Damaging Testimony). I believe these tapes may still be available on Amazon in the VHS section. Its fun to watch such notable actors as Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Julia Roberts, Laura San Giacoma, Gary Sinise (who also directed episodes of the show)and more early in their careers.

Unfortunately, the video quality of these tapes were substandard as they were duplicated in something called Quality Extended Play which is really just SLP mode. And of course tracking became an issue depending on the quality of your VHS player.

This has changed with the impending release of the Crime Story pilot on DVD. Although it appears to be a bare bones "movie-only" edition the video and audio can only be improved upon. Also, it appears Anchor Bay has taken care in creating new artwork for the DVD. Oddly enough, it looks like Anthony Denison is the good guy (Torello) instead of Luca. Perhaps this has occurred because of Farina's roles in such films as Midnight Run and Get Shorty?

Hopefully, if the pilot sells well Anchor Bay may release the entire 2 seasons in a similar fashion to the recent X-Files DVD set. Hmm... maybe enough interest will be developed to provide a resolution to 1988's cliff hanger (I won't spoil here but its a corker!). Heck, even Wiseguy got a tv movie back in 1996 (with a regular Crime Story actor: Ted Levine as a villain).

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Television At It's Best, September 2, 2000

By 

John P. Richardson "reverendlinux" (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Crime Story (Pilot Episode) (DVD)

As with the other folks above, I remember watching Crime Story each week during it's two years on the air. It made TV bearable for a little while; remember, this show came in the days of such "classics" as Who's the Boss and The A-Team. The last couple of episodes of season one blew me away; a story arc that lasted a season with all the loose ends being tied up in an finale that was definitely unconventional.

I own the boxed VHS set from Starmaker. Although it is nice to have the entire run in one collection, the picture quality leaves something to be desired. Also, it is nearing the end of it's shelf life (the average for VHS is about 15 years) so a DVD set would be very welcome.

Thanks to Anchor Bay for taking the time to put this gem back on the market and here's hoping they release the rest of the series.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Untouchables on acid, October 9, 2001

By 

Jeffrey Ellis "bored recluse" (Richardson, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crime Story (Pilot Episode) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Before he directed some of my favorite films (Heat, The Insider, Manhunter), Michael Mann created two groundbreaking television series. Miami Vice got most of the viewers but its Crime Story that was truly ahead of its time. Crime Story dealt with Lt. Torello (played by Dennis Farina with a grimness that always allowed a sly wit to shine through) who fought organized crime on the streets of Chicago in the 1950's. His main nemesis is aspiring mobster Luca, himself a fascinating portrait of evil who somehow always managed to be somehow sympathetic in his raw need to be a true crime lord. Even while playing hommage to the crime shows of the past (I always thought of it as the Untouchables if Eliot Ness ended up having a nervous breakdown halfway through the series), Crime Story redefined the genre. It went over the head of most viewers but now, after films like Pulp Fiction changed the way we view entertainment, Crime Story has been rediscovered and its about time. Even as the show's talented cast of character actors dispensed the melodrama with a sly wink at the few members of the audience lucky enough to be in on the joke, the violence was often amazingly intense but never played for cheap thrills. As well, Crime Story had a simply amazing soundtrack. In fact, I first started watching it mostly to hear the wonderful rendition of Del Shannon's "Runaway" over the opening credits but each show was scored with some of the best blues I've ever heard and it created a moody atmosphere that, quite simply, sucked you in. If you're a fan of the crime genre but haven't seen Crime Story, do yourself a favor and track it down. This pilot film is a great place to start on what, I promise, will be one of the most entertaining rides of your life.