Criminal Intent

I originally didn't care much for Criminal Intent, focusing my energy toward Special Victims Unit. I have done this for years and never much thought about it. How wrong I have been. Vincent D'Onofrio has evolved his character to be hard-nosed, yet sensitive,intelligent, pure, tortured, and easily identifiable to the suspects, not to mention, able to solve a crime off the top of his head to a certain extent. His own past with sexual abuse is beautifully understated. Bobby Goren is the heart and soul of the entire series, constantly stunning me with his genius and beautiful crafting, even being a little bit sexy. I think Goren is magical. All the utter brilliance of his work has made me wonder: Why has D'Onofrio not won an Emmy?

Seldom do I get attached to TV series, but my personal interest in criminology got me started on watching Law & Order: Criminal Intent. I came upon the series in its second season and was hooked. I am fascinated with the "ripped from the headlines" plot and the unique way the stories unfold (i.e, the viewer knows something the detectives don't and vice versa). This coupled with the ending (always a surprise) leads one to demand more.

The main characters are talented actors and I enjoy watching them interact with each other, sort of . . . you may be smart, but I'm better looking. Alex is no side kick, she holds her own and can match wits with the best of them - including "right brain" Bobby. Whoever cast these two together deserves a "right brain" metal.

Somehow when I first started watching Law and Order C.I. I couldn't help but laugh at the crook and their lawyers when Vincent D'Onofrio talks circles around them. By the time the criminal and their lawyer realizes what's happened he's already confessed and doesn't even know he's confessed to killing a person. If I had to pick four Detectives that I like, they'd definitely be Briscoe and Green and Goren and his partner. I some how prefer them to some of the Detectives that I've seen on other TV shows. I'd have to say that this is definitely where D'Onofrio shines at his best, if it's a child then he gets down to the child's level of understanding and intelligence and speaks to them using words that they understand, if it's an adult suspect then he simply just talks circles around them until they admit that they've committed the crime without even knowing about it.

I am a long standing fan of Law and Order,the original series. I never could get into SVU, but I love CI. The intelligence of Vincent's character is wonderful and I have fun watching him "trip" the bad guys. There is humor and sarcasm that I find refreshing, it keeps the show from being too dark. I don't find this show overly violent at all. The acting and writing are top notch. Definitely my favorite series this season.

I originally wondered if the character played by Vincent D'Onofrio was written that way or did he create his characters personality. I have since watched Daredevil and see that it is D'Onofrio's acting skills that create his odd character roles. I believe that you can compare his character in this to Dustin Hoffman in Rainman & Billy Bob Thorton in Slingblade. 10 years was not enough for this show but I loved every episode and now find myself watching anything he is in.