Customer Reviews

In a League of Its Own - Unmissable - By: Richard Vasquez, 21 Aug 2008
Criminal Intent elevates crime drama to a new level.

The stories are rich & complex, pulling the viewer into the story. Its backed up with engaging bad guys, developed characters compared to the cardboard cut outs you findin other shows. This is the real strength of CI, the battle of wits between D'Onofrio/Erbe & the complex, flawed but human criminals they pursue. D'Onofrio is hypnotically good, Erbe is understated & subtle, balancing each other with dynamic chemistry.

Each episode is richin detail, brilliantly acted & full of biting realism. All of the cast are superb, there are no weak links...

Furthermore, there's no average episodesin the boxset, each is a mini masterpiece, you will feel spoilt after watching it.

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More Kathryn Erbe Please - By: J. T. Egan, 10 May 2008
This is a very entertaing DVD Box Set , gripping & entertaining . A slight criticism is sometimes the storylines revole too much around Goren(Vincent D'Onofrio) , which is not a bad thing . He is a very good actor who would really shine if given his own show (He would have been ideal for "Fitz" , the American version of Cracker , he wouldn't be out of placein Cracker either !)Eames (Kathryn Erbe) is a underated actor who could be used so much more , cute , smart , she should be given the leadin at least one episode , if only too see her on screen more :). Ron Carver the ADA , is played perfectly by Courtney B Vance (who I must admit I don't know too much about) Not sure about Jamie Sheridan's Character though , doesn't seem suited to the role. Well worth Buying to see Kathryn Erbe , & if not advert/commercial free episodes , Channel Five seem to cut to break at the worse times !..Excellent..

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Best Law and Order series - By: Laurajojo, 10 Apr 2008
I agree with the other comments that this is definitely the best of the Law & Order series, mainly due to the wonderful Vincent D'Onofrio, he is mesmorising to watch on screen & totally gorgeous.

Series 1 I think seemed to have the best stories & I love to watch them again & again.

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Super Smart Crime Drama - An Outstanding Series - By: Beautiful Dog Spirit, 01 Jan 2008
I watch a lot of US Crime dramas, & this is my No. 1 favourite.

It is pointless to compare all of the different strands of the Law & Order family because they are all so different. Each one has many merits.

L&O Criminal Intent is a good old fashioned detective show where you're actually kept guessing. Even if you know who did it, the fun is figuring out how they're going to get caught. It is never obvious or predictable. I enjoy this show because it has such a strong pair of main characters. Vincent D'Onofrio is simply superbin his portrayal of the highly intelligent Detective Goren, & this is perfectly balanced by Kathryn Erbe's understated yet strong female partner Detective Eames. These two characters are believable & engaging, & often, very entertaining. Eames frequently taking a back seat to Goren's unique investigative methods & detection processes, but always playing an important role. She provides the no-nonsense traditional cop to balance Goren's off-the-wall approach. Eames focussing a little more on the evidence based method of solving a crime, where as Goren's acute attention to detail, & insightin to human behaviour leads him toward the psychological motives behind the crime. The supporting cast is also excellent. Courtney B. Vance is brilliantly believable as smart & dapper ADA Carver.

The show isn't flashy or sensationalist, but engaging & thought provoking. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a genuinely great detective mysteries. The stories & characters are so multi-faceted that it is nearly impossible to anticipate the reasons why they are caught & the clever methods used to catch the criminals. This means you can watch the episodes over & over & rarely remember the way the story develops. The show definitely benefits from not being swamped down by tedious court room scenes as so many other crime shows are. The joy of this show is following the investigation, & trying to anticipate the way Goren & Eames are finally going to catch their man.

This edition also features a Bonus - "The Beginning" : A 20 minute programme containing interviews with creator Dick Wolf, producer Rene Balcer, & the actors Jamey Sheridan, Kathryn Erbe & Vincent D'Onofrio. This short bonus programme gives a really fascinating insightin to the making of the show, the concept, & the way the actors approach their roles. Hearing the actors talking about their characters is particularly interesting, & makes this box set a definite "must have" for real Criminal Intent fans.

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The beginning of something very special - By: Lando Malak, 26 Jul 2007
Law And Order: Criminal Intentin my opinion is easily one of the best programmes of this decade & although I do love the original LAW AND ORDER & LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, if I had to choose an absolute favourite of the three, I would definitely choose this but like I said I do love them all & they are all different enough from each other & so I can totally respect anybody who prefers one of the previous two.

I can remember when this was first shown on channel 5 & I never thought then that I would end up liking it even more than the previous two. I think the reason why I personally like this one best is because it focuses more on solving crimes & less timein court, it is rare for this to have any court room scenes at all although there are enough scenes involving lawyers to keep lawyer fans happy for example the regular appearances of Ron Carver (the excellent Courtney B. Vance). This is not the only reason why I prefer it though, there is something about this one that feels a little bit retro or traditional & almost like it could have been made twenty or thirty years ago but at the same time still feels incredibly fresh, obviously Vincent D'Onfrio would have to have existed then but you know what I mean, another way of explaining what I meant is that it feels like it could have been madein almost any year, twenty or thirty yearsin the future if you like & still have a kind of retro feel but still be outstanding & so I truly believe that this, like two of my other favourite detective programmes, Columbo & Monk, will stand the test of time very well because it doesn't try to be trendy or coolin any way because it doesn't need to be.

Another special mention must go to the diversity of the criminals, there are so many different types of unique personalities for example loners & misfits etc. & from different backgrounds & to top it all off, with some of the best icing on the cake ever, it has Robert Goran (the truly outstanding Vincent D'Onfrio), I can remember his brief appearancein the movie THE PLAYER with Tim Robbins & never for a second would I have thought he would end upin a role like this. I am certain you will have heard of the saying, GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE, well it certainly seems to be true here because most people that love this programme seem to agree about the performance of Vincent D'Onfrio & not just agreeing for the sake of it. He really does seem to live & breathe the role of Robert Goran, the body language, the dedication, the obsession & most importantly, like Columbo & Monk, a natural born talent to solve even the most complex of crimes. One last thing I must mention is the supporting cast, I have already mentioned the excellent Courtney B. Vance but I also like the almost underappreciated Kathryn Erbe as Alexandra Eames & Jamey Sheridan as James Deakins, both of these have a real quiet, calm & professional attitude about them & I don't find themin the least bit annoying & it is all the better for it. CONSISTENTLY UNMISSABLE.