MovieChat Forums > Crime Story (1986) Discussion > Great Crime Story Moments...

Great Crime Story Moments...

posted 19 years ago by pcventures
30 replies | jump to latest

Great use of a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) when Torello's men went after Luca at the Lucky Star

Frank Holman grabbing a whole stack of newspapers to taint the jury

Frank's semi-voluntary rejoining of Luca's gang at the sign graveyard
"No Frank, you're in Hell with the rest of us..."

Torello charging the mad sniper (one of the few non-Luca focused episodes)
a gun in each hand...

Manny Weisbord's great speech to Luca about how he's mismanaging the empire

After Cory Luca tells her new guy, "Ray used to love that drink"
Ray shows up from behind the curtains and says, "He still does"

Luca saying "goodbye" to his Chicago ganster pals/rivals by killing
them ahead of his move to Vegas

Anyone else???

[–] rtroxel 19 years ago

In the last episode, Abrams telling Luca:

"Killing my father was just business. It had to be, because you did it just like you did everything else - like an amateur!:

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] AceDaCes83 19 years ago

I can't remember which episodes these scenes were contained in, but here are my personal favorite CRIME STORY moments:

- when Frank was posing as a short-order cook in some diner, and Mike and Danny bust him with everyone looking on. It was especially cool when Torello nails Holman with the coat rack like a Louisville slugger making a homerun!

- when Torello and the task force kill the deranged sniper (played by Paul Guilfoyle, later of CSI fame as Capt. Jim Brass)

- any scenes with pre-CSI:MIAMI David Caruso as Johnny O'Donnell

- The task force rescuing David Abrams in the Mexican bull-fighting ring from Luca's men

[–] pcventures 19 years ago

>when Frank was posing as a short-order cook in some diner, and Mike and Danny >bust him with everyone looking on. It was especially cool when Torello nails >Holman with the coat rack like a Louisville slugger making a homerun!

Holman had actually opened up the diner - under Michael Torello's name!
Torello even saw Holman's mug with his own name on the food service
permit hanging on the wall.

Great scene in there with Holman and Torello:

Waitress to Holman: "Someone's complaining about the food."
Holman (to a face-concealed Torello): "What do you want?"
Torello (face still hidden) "These sausages"
Holman "What's wrong with these sausages?"
Torello: "They're just like the ones you get in the joint."
Torello then starts that big fight with Holman, culminating
in the big whacking with the coat rack.

Best use of a pole-like object since a "For Rent" sign was used
to kill a vampire in the old "Friday the 13th" series.

I believe that Holman was detained right there in Ohio
(not sure why) rather than taken back to Chicago by Torello.
Whilst in the Ohio jail, Holman played "snitch" telling
gullible local law enforcement about a whole "invisible empire"
of crime they scarcely knew existed. They let Holman go!

[–] [email protected] 19 years ago

(Spoilers ahead)

I'm puzzled - this show has some of the best-ever action scenes, and I'm not at all interested in courtroom dramas. So why are some of my favorite moments on this show in courtrooms? Examples:

When Ving Rhaimes' character is acquitted of assault, the bigot slumlord plaintiff angrily explodes. Krychek sits him down, hard, and shouts at him in Polish (I don't know what he says, but I sure get the gist). The slumlord looks stung and hisses "You turn on your own people!" - Krychek snarls "You're not my people; my people are Americans!"; and after a few more harsh words goes back to his MCU pals, and with great restraint mutters "I don't like that guy." He pretty much became my hero then.

Pauli testifies against Luca after Luca rapes his girlfriend. Outside the courtroom Frank Holman happily blabs all about the organization to the press - then early next morning he grabs a handful of newspapers with his story on the front page and, posing as hotel room service, leaves a copy with breakfast for the sequestered jury; a mistrial is declared. Pauli sits in numb terror, Torello fumes. On his way out of the courtroom Luca stops and tells Pauli "You did what you had to do. ...I hope you forgive me." Pauli looks puzzled and hopeful, Torello blows up.

Steven Weber's director-of-underage-porn character is nabbed - while awaiting trial, he finds a mysterious benefactor has gotten him a high-priced lawyer, who easily acquits him. The cops are furious...except for Torello, who's taking it way too well. After the trial the director gloats to Torello, telling him how people like himself are always going to win - Torello chuckles "You got it all figured out, huh?" Outside the courthouse, the director learns who his benefactor is - Manny Weisbord. The top don - and grandfather of his latest porn star. He's shoved into a car in a state of animal fear, and gets driven off, probably to some landfill. Torello and Weisbord exchange polite nods and go their separate ways.

[–] franksatalino 19 years ago

1. After Pauli rats out Luca, he gets bored in the protective custody bunker after a few weeks, and leaves- Luca is later on the street last one night being chased by Torello, heavily outgunned and shot, and Paulie pulls up in a car and recues him- he saves him and they drive off- classic

2. Pauli on the run with Luca and they hide out in a strangely decorated house in the middle of the desert; Ray looks around and sees its in the middle of a NUCLEAR test site (end of season 1).

3. Ray and Torello fighting on a plane, and at the end they both fall out! Intended to be cliffhanger, but eventually that was the last made show- why did it have to end?)

4. Britel-(ray Sharkey) smart ass Fed lawyer just as much a thorn in Torello's side as Luca- underrated- he was always great.

[–] mikethegent 18 years ago

out of the the four moments which was right on target, Ray Sharkey's character Brietel was just plain flat out annoying,you would have expected Mike Torello to grab him and slap him around like he done to dimwit Taglia and Holman after Luca and company got acquitted and finding out that the state wasnt pursuing their indictment against the Lieutenant.

[–] mravholt 18 years ago

my fav moment was - i forget the episode - Gary Sinise' wife is in an iron lung and Luca kills him in the end. i thought that one was powerful. hated to see this show end, season 2 dvd just came out and i grabbed it asap, can't wait to see it again.

[–] jasja-bos 18 years ago

Just recently purchased the series and while watching it again I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone when Torrelo finds out his wife is cheating and takes his tv to later throw it out of the car. When I saw Heat a few years ago I must have had the same feeling, but I forgot that scene came from Crime Story. Great scene though.

[–] Vincent-Hanna 18 years ago

The scene where the betrayed policeman takes his TV set and moves out ...Michael Mann talks about it in the commentary track of HEAT and explains that this was based on an experience of Chuck Adamson, whose wife cheated on him, he found out and his first reaction was to take his TV set with him. Crime Story is based on stories of his life, he was a longtime Chicago policeman and Dennis Farina actually served at MCU under his command for many years. Chuck Adamson was also the one who took out the real Neil McCauley, who is played by DeNiro in HEAT. A quite impressive character.

[–] pcventures 15 years ago

I thought it was interesting that Michael Mann took the TV scene from Crime Story and put it in Heat.

[–] Doom 15 years ago

Nice catch. I liked that too.

"YOU... will not watch my TV!"

------

Wait a minute... who am I here?

[–] Epcot13 18 years ago

How about Pauly trying to find that Don Perigno guy who shorted his liquor delivery......

[–] roged65 18 years ago

Top Of The World episode

Ray Luca to Torello in the final scene:
"I'm too tough, too smart, and too fast for you wingtipped bozos. I'm back, I'm on top, and you got nothing on me. So get out of my place."

Torello:
"What we got is five foot nine, two hundred pounds, a haircut that came from outer space, and a drivers license that says Paul Taglia."

"Put the cuffs on Ray."

[–] richieanimal-1 18 years ago

This was a great show. I remember the one with David Carous he was good in it to where they use the burning bar to steal the diamonds. Thyen Bartolli wants to short change them and Carouso goes nuts. Then later Luca makes a side deal with bartoli and then kills Carouo after he robbed one of bartoles jewlery store fronts.

---------------

Then when Luca wants to rob a safe Pauli steals a hospital orthoscope that they shoved down his mother throut to see inside. Luuica uses it on the safe and it works in the middle of it he turns to Pauli and says "This is the best thing since bullets"

--------------

Then the Gary sinese episode with the iron lung and then Luca hangs him

This all happens in the first year of the show.

[–] red_sox_rule_2004 18 years ago

"You posing for pictures, or are you gonna pull the trigger?" Ray Luca from the pilot when Torello has a gun on his and is nearly ready to kill him. It perfectly encapsuled Luca's arrogance and nerves of steele.

Also, the shoot-out between Torello and Luca on the Vegas strip at the end of season 1. That was one of the best moments in the shows (sadly) short history!!

Crime Story was the sooo great!!!

[–] richieanimal-1 18 years ago

"the kingdom of money"

Luca is in vegas and hires Al (Mike Starr) to collect money owed and to loan money out. Torrello get a strip club that owed back taxes fixed it up complete with stripers and sets al up. Al walks in likes the place and asks for his first payment . Torella says the interest is too high so he decided not to pay him. Al says you pay or you die. Torello answes are you deaf you big Dummy I am not going to pay you any money. Then a shoot out starts and Al is killed on a Vegas street. Before that happens he runs into a women and send her flying. Then a spectator looks at the body and laughs and says I owed him money which he thinks now he is off the hook.

Al was a bad guy before all this Al and his buddies killed a restraunt owner and his wife and little kid because he found matches in the place that said FBI. That was hard to swallow I did not know the FBI advertises themselves on a book of matches :-)