Briscoe and Green are suspicious of two FBI agents who provide an alibi for an Irish mobster suspected of murder. The case is further complicated by the murder of a witness and the emergence... Read allBriscoe and Green are suspicious of two FBI agents who provide an alibi for an Irish mobster suspected of murder. The case is further complicated by the murder of a witness and the emergence of the mobster's lookalike brother.Briscoe and Green are suspicious of two FBI agents who provide an alibi for an Irish mobster suspected of murder. The case is further complicated by the murder of a witness and the emergence of the mobster's lookalike brother.
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- FBI Agent Jeff Washington
- (as LeLand Gantt)
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- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaCally Lonegan is based on Whitey Bulger.
- GoofsGreen shows Waziri the picture of Cally Lonegan and warns him against the latter, and Waziri promises to be careful. However, he allows Lonegan into his cab, even though he knows who he is, and ends up dead because of that amazing carelessness.
- Quotes
Cally Lonegan: I know you. Wait a minute... don't tell me, I'll get it. You collared me, long time ago. I was a kid.
Lennie Briscoe: 47th Street and 12th Avenue. I was walking a beat in Hell's Kitchen. And you were playing with matches for fun and profit.
Cally Lonegan: Hey, like I told the judge at the time, I just happened to have that gas can in my hand. You waltzed in, slapped the cuffs on me, and put me in the paddy wagon. I guess you can't say paddy wagon anymore, huh? Politically incorrect.
Ed Green: That's cute. From arson to murder.
Cally Lonegan: Your friend doesn't understand the lubricating value of small talk, does he?
Lennie Briscoe: What can I say? He's a social liability.
Season 11 was a hit and miss season, and the start of when 'Law and Order' started to not be as strong as it was. It did have its winners though and "Brother's Keeper" is one of them. Reading the synopsis, it is a plotline that could easily have passed for an early seasons episode. And the episode in quality is pretty much likewise on the most part, and this is meant as a good thing and not in any way suggesting a going backwards in development quality.
"Brother's Keeper" succeeds in almost every way. Jerry Orbach and Jesse L. Martin are such a fine pairing, my personal favourite actually of the police pairings and the one that settled quickest. Both of them are reliably excellent, particularly Orbach on suitably gritty form (something that he did so well). Michael O'Keefe plays his difficult double role expertly, no easy picnic playing dual roles and O'Keefe's portrayals do disturb without being too obvious.
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 lean without being over-heated and while there is a lot to digest there is no extraneous fat.
Also had very few issues with the story, which had tension and constant intrigue. The conflict doesn't get confusing or predictable and has suspense, the dilemmas that come with getting results and how the case is complicated are insightful and handled tactfully. It is not simplistic or convoluted, even with a lot going on and with being quite intricate.
The final quarter is slightly rushed and over-stuffed, not uncommon with 'Law and Order'.
Otherwise, great episode and one of the season's best. 9/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- May 5, 2022