In this solid cross-over Pembleton (Andre Braugher) and Bayliss (Kyle Secor) cooperate with NY detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) while investigating two terrorist attacks.
As someone who never followed Law & Order, Bratt's character and performance left me unimpressed, but Orbach's Briscoe holds his own well, utters trademark Homicide dialogues with glee and shares a couple of funny scenes with Munch (Richard Belzer).
Both humorous sequences - a Tarantino-like discussion in a diner with the camera circling around the group of Balto/NY detectives - and darker moments are handled deftly. The ending is bleak in typical Homicide fashion, and it's all the more memorable as it shows self-confident Pembleton at his most vulnerable.
Stealing the show, however, is J.K. Simmons as the racist terrorist - it's the kind of performance which makes the skin crawl. Simmons never strikes a false note and is marvellously understated. I was familiar only with his comedic works, and his turn here impressed me.
8/10
As someone who never followed Law & Order, Bratt's character and performance left me unimpressed, but Orbach's Briscoe holds his own well, utters trademark Homicide dialogues with glee and shares a couple of funny scenes with Munch (Richard Belzer).
Both humorous sequences - a Tarantino-like discussion in a diner with the camera circling around the group of Balto/NY detectives - and darker moments are handled deftly. The ending is bleak in typical Homicide fashion, and it's all the more memorable as it shows self-confident Pembleton at his most vulnerable.
Stealing the show, however, is J.K. Simmons as the racist terrorist - it's the kind of performance which makes the skin crawl. Simmons never strikes a false note and is marvellously understated. I was familiar only with his comedic works, and his turn here impressed me.
8/10
