mdonath

This was actually one of the better Law and Orders for about 10 or 12 seasons but it becomes pretty wretched after that. One of the biggest downfalls is of the Olivia Benson character. She's a great character for many seasons but gets transformed into something truly horrible. I actually got to the point where I was rooting for the bad guys who were pitted against her. The show gets so preachy and ultra PC that it really becomes unwatchable. I still give it a 5 overall but really it is about a 7 at first, then about a 6, and then a solid 2 or less. The rest of the cast doesn't nosedive as much as the lead, but there's some drop off there as well from initially solid performances.

Pretty much everything about this series is bad. The writing is cringe-worthy, and the acting matches that perfectly. Terrible direction, full of cliches and stereotypes, and boring to boot. Amazon has had some really excellent series in the past - Bosch, Expanse, Man in the High Castle, all come to mind, but some of the newest ones, like this one, are just dreck. Makes me think that the pandemic destroyed their ability to create a decent program. Hopefully they can turn things around going forward.

First off, I saw the longer, 1976 version, which clearly has some pacing problems (how much mediocre burlesque to we want to see?), but I'm not knocking it too much for that. It does has some brilliant moments, including the title scene; the night out with the girls, where Garraza incurs his debt; and Gazzara's escape from the hit man in the deserted building. But it also has little plot and some confusing editing.

I'd give it a 5 for boring me in parts if it were not for the mind- blowing realism of the (mostly scripted) dialogue and the fascinating performance of Gazzara. Gazzara creates a truly unforgettable character with Cosmo Vittelli -- not particularly one that you like or can relate to, but certainly one that seems genuine and nuanced.

I have bit of a spoiler coming here, so fair warning. One of the most bizarre parts of the film has it cutting away just when the mob hit man is about to track down Gazzara to rub him out in order to cover the mob's involvement with the Chinese bookie killing. We see Gazzara later on, so we know he escapes, but Cassavetes jumps us out of one of the most compelling scenes in the movie. Then he ends the film with more mediocre burlesque. This is certain to be one of the scenes that splits the viewing public. I'm sure plenty of people will slam the movie just on that, and I'm tempted to do so myself. However, after thinking about it for a bit, it makes the movie more thought provoking not to see the end of that scene.

I'm guessing the 1978 version may be a bit better, since it trims down the nightclub acts. However, I'm not really subtracting too much rating on that account. The nightclub scenes all do seem very realistic, and the fact that Cosmo seems to be so interested in producing such goofy shows does tell us something about his character.