A mob-connected contractor is murdered, and his wife and her lover are connected to a hit man hired to kill him. But the case turns out to be much more complicated than it seems.A mob-connected contractor is murdered, and his wife and her lover are connected to a hit man hired to kill him. But the case turns out to be much more complicated than it seems.A mob-connected contractor is murdered, and his wife and her lover are connected to a hit man hired to kill him. But the case turns out to be much more complicated than it seems.
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- DA Arthur Branch
- (as Fred Dalton Thompson)
- Jerry Malick
- (as Arthur Nascarella)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode appears to be based on two separate cases/incidents:
- The Ted Ammon case.
- Several cases of hitman-assisted suicides.
- Quotes
Austin Foster: Hello, everybody.
Jack McCoy: What's this?
Austin Foster: That is a dated and unopened parcel sent to me by Mr. Tony Rosatti, with instructions to open it only if and when Mr. Vignerelli so requests. Will you do the honors, Mr. McCoy?
Tony Rosatti: [On video] Hey, Bobby, Austin. I know if you're watching this, the two of you are in a room with a couple of DAs and the whole thing's gone to hell. Whoever it is, hi. My name is Tony Rosatti. I thought I'd planned this whole thing out pretty good. Sherri and that son-of-a-bitch Porter in jail, me at peace, maybe for the first time. So, Mr. DA, the hit man, the wired money, the phone in Porter's apartment, it was all me. Bobby loaned me the dough, but he didn't know what it was for. Sorry, Bobby, for jamming you up this way. So that's it. All's well, etcetera. You know what? Parting is not sweet sorrow, it's just plain sweet.
Bobby 'Bobby Vig' Vignerelli: [Smiles] Well I'll be damned. All right, Tone.
Jack McCoy: I don't believe he could have done this by himself. You loaned him the money to bankroll this. I could indict you as a co-conspirator.
Austin Foster: For what? To commit assisted suicide?
Bobby 'Bobby Vig' Vignerelli: Well, I guess I'll go buy myself that cup of coffee, huh?
- ConnectionsReferences Casablanca (1942)
"Hitman" is to me a great episode. While not quite a 'Law and Order' high point, it is one of the best episodes of Season 13 and one of the conceptually not so novel stories feel fresh. Nearly everything works in "Hitman" and hardly anything disappoints, there are not many outings in Season 13 that would be recommended without hesitation personally but this is one of them. The type of story is quite familiar but not in a way that feels derivative.
The one drawback is Southerlyn continuing to be too much of a cold fish and Elisabeth Rohm is still too robotic. Things that were never solved when on the show, apart from a few bright spots.
Cannot fault the rest of the cast. Jerry Orbach and Jesse L. Martin are such a well matched pair, Orbach does relish his one liners, and Sam Waterston is both ruthless and authoritative. His way of thinking when getting to the truth is a big part of the tension. The supporting cast are all fine as well.
Production values are slick and professional, not ever resorting to cheap or untested gimmicks or anything. The music is haunting in the right places and isn't constant or too loud, and the direction gives the drama urgency and breathing space. The script is thoughtful and intriguing with a lot of tautness in the legal scenes, can't get enough of Briscoe's one liners too.
While the story is very compelling in both halves, the second half is better than the first in many episodes or in a good number of them even better and "Hitman" is an example of the latter. As said, the story on paper is not innovative but the execution does not feel tired.
Overall, great. 9/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jun 13, 2022
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