"Crime Story" (1986) TV series 1986-1988

Creators:

Chuck Adamson
Gustave Reininger

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

18 September 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

The saga of a Chicago police detective's efforts to stop a young hood's ruthless rise in the ranks of organized crime.

Plot Keywords:

Organized Crime | Police | Neo Noir | 1960s | Gangster

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Dennis Farina	...	Lt. Mike Torello (24 episodes, 1986-1988)
Anthony John Denison	...	Ray Luca (24 episodes, 1986-1988)
Bill Smitrovich	...	Det. Danny Krychek (24 episodes, 1986-1988)
Steve Ryan	...	Det. Nate Grossman (24 episodes, 1986-1988)
Bill Campbell	...	Det. Joey Indelli (24 episodes, 1986-1988)
Paul Butler	...	Det. Walter Clemmons (24 episodes, 1986-1988)
Stephen Lang	...	Atty. David Abrams (23 episodes, 1986-1988)
John Santucci	...	Pauli Taglia (20 episodes, 1986-1988)
Joseph Wiseman	...	Manny Weisbord (17 episodes, 1986-1988)
Ted Levine	...	Frank Holman (12 episodes, 1986-1987)
Jay O. Sanders	...	Steve Kordo (12 episodes, 1986-1988)
Jon Polito	...	Phil Bartoli (11 episodes, 1986-1988)
Jack Angel	...	Narrator (11 episodes, 1986-1988)
Darlanne Fluegel	...	Julie Torello (10 episodes, 1986-1987)

Runtime:

60 min (42 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 (some episodes) | Iceland:16 (some episodes) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (DVD rating) | Canada:14A (Manitoba) (DVD rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Company:

Michael Mann Productions

Trivia:

The series ends, quite maddeningly, with a cliffhanger.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The Plaza Hotel wasn't constructed until 1971, but appears repeatedly in Vegas-based episodes.

Quotes:

Torello: Looks like a Jackson Pollock.
Detective: Who's he? An outfit guy?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Directors: The Films of Michael Mann (#2.1)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Runaway

Awesome pilot to a great series!

This tv show had it all, great characters played by a fantastic cast, some of the coolest cops and villians you could ever ask for, great music, the cars, the atmosphere and dialogue, and a plot that went way beyond any single episode! It's the story of one cop named Michael Torello (Dennis Farina) who makes it his life's mission to bring down a "ruthless hood" named Ray Luca (Anthony Denison) who is quickly working his way to the top of the Chicago organized crime syndicate. Along the way, you're introduced to other key figures, like Andrew Dice Clay's character Max Goldman and a performance by Joseph Wiseman as Manny Weisbord that stands just as strong as anything The Godfather produced (in my absolutely biased opinion, of course). Don't forget Pauli Taglia, Ray's henchman, and rockin' Frank Holman (the same guy who plays Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs), who bears an intriguing resemblance to the Rev. Horton Heat! The series started in Chicago, migrated to Las Vegas about a third of the way through, and ends in Latin America of all places. I won't give anything away here, but I will warn you that if you see the pilot, you'll want to get your hands on the rest of the series. Unfortunately, that's not as easy. The tapes show up on ebay regularly but aren't cheap. Good news is that Anchor Bay is releasing all the episodes on dvd really soon, so it's probably just better to wait for that. Alot of the tapes were copied in SLP mode anyway, and don't have the best quality. This series has a severe cult following now, even though it only aired for two seasons in the '80s. I introduced my girlfriend at the time to this show, and while she was skeptical at first, by the end she insisted we had to get the rest of the series. You'll watch it over and over again and pick up on stuff you miss everytime, not to mention the stories are just classic and filled to overflowing with one-liners and scenes! Michael Mann is a genius for making this show happen. I hated Miami Vice, but this was just "the greatest thing, since bullets"---Yikes!!!!, I could write on and on about the merits of this series!! It's hard to believe how few people know about Crime Story! Don't be one of those people, check it out!