Crime Story: Season One

After a blockbuster debut on NBC in 1986, this grim series wallowed in the ratings basement and was condemned for its unflattering portrayal of cops (boasting violence termed "X-rated" by one police organization). Today, its nihilistic attitude feels thoroughly modern, a stark vision of obsession and pursuit from executive producer Michael Mann, of Miami Vice and Manhunter fame. A sprawling epic of cops and mobsters set in the early 1960s and radiating a dark, retro-wild cool, Crime Story pits Lieutenant Michael Torello, head of Chicago's Major Crime Unit, against Ray Luca (Anthony Denison), a street thug with grand ambitions in the mob management arena in a complex cat-and-mouse storyline that takes the pair from the Windy City to Las Vegas. Dennis Farina--Mann had, ironically, previously cast the former cop in his first acting role--is particularly intense as Torello, with Stephen Lang also mesmerizing as idealistic defense attorney David Abrams. Notable as a clear forerunner to the explosive, brutal drama of The Sopranos, the episodes here also boast an array of guest stars that would go on to greater things, including David Caruso, Ving Rhames, Lorraine Bracco, Gary Sinise, and Julia Roberts. Boasting decent image and sound, this five-disc boxed set includes the pilot plus the 20 episodes of the show's first season, but is otherwise extra-less. Recommended. (M. Johanson)