"Law & Order" Four Cops Shot (TV Episode 2010) Poster

(TV Series)

(2010)

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9/10
GREAT Episode lots packed in keeps it very interesting. BEST AT WHAT THEY DO...
bramstayer12 May 2021
I would love to know who played Hightop the dealer/ friend of the accused cop killer. Mostly though this is a great use of VIRTUALLY every actor in the show. The outraged captain even has the nerve to suggest that the Lieutenant has gone soft with her health issues. (excusssse you sir!!) Mostly it shows how overzealous cops can use criminals to their advantage yet remain respectable victims despite the facts that come out. Even Lupo acts with mob mentality. The scene with all the cops in the shop after they pick up the wrong guy at first was actually done better in another Law & Order when the guy (accused copkiller) is perpwalked INTO THE STATION while police officers flank both sides of the walkway in a silent yet menancing sombre stance. Maybe Criminal Intent. ( I miss that one too but I get the actors need to move on...) hahaha & cant wait to start the new Law& Order: Organised Crime, in which Meloni is reprising his much missed character of Stabler. Its been YEARS since the flagship L&O left our tv screens except in lucky to find reruns in syndication, but I'm gonna still hope that a retired DA JACK McCoy can make a FEW cameos. And I WILL be outraged if we don't see the longest serving actor from the original L&O ( S. EPATHA MERKERSON) I had to memorize her name as its difficult, reprise her character as she could be chief of Ds by now!

If we dont its because she said no. She's an actor whose character left a real imprint on me. She is, BEFORE SVU surpassed their date, the longest oldest lasting character and it would be cool if she made just one appearance to solidify that! Come on Dick Wolf you owe her!!! LOL I love this show. Its so long you can watch it to the last season 20yrs worth, then forget the first season's endings. I loved Ben Stone too. But they REALLY did well getting Sam Waterston and the many lovely ladies as his assistants who were GREAT actors who happened to be beautiful. I miss this show. I don't watch the rapey one, as it got SO soapy with Olivias character and she was becoming totally unrealstic.

Also too graphic. And though I love Who songs like the best of them, CSI was also too gross and far fetched. I liked the police story.... then the court story. So on that note, this episode was edited so well EVERYONE gets good lines and are imperative to the telling of the story. Plus SO MANY GREAT actors guest star I hadn't seen Debra Winger in years. There she was a few episodes back. I hope the new one will last. And give us those lovely reunions we all pray for. PS ANYONE know who played Hightop?.in this? Its NOT in the cast listings and he looks like my old neighbour a pot head with the hair exactly!
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7/10
Overzealous cops
bkoganbing16 July 2017
This particular subject of overzealous cops has been done on Law&Order before. I recall an program in the 90s when it was a detective who was on a mission to singlehandedly clean up the drug epidemic who turned a suburban high school kid as a personal informant and got him and a friend shot, one of them fatally.

In this story an informant shot up a diner full of police and killed four of them, two of them patrol officers who were using him as an unofficial informant to rack up drug collars in the precinct and maybe get a gold shield out of it. According to their captain Glenn Morshower they had the most uniform arrests in the precinct.

The perpetrator makes a compelling case for less than murder in this story. These two threatened Adriane Lenox his mother. Julito McCollum the perpetrator is not without cause for his anger.

In this case Linus Roache with a late arriving piece of evidence shows him not quite the innocent he makes himself out to be. And he did kill two officers whom he had no beef with.

You watch this episode and I'm sure everyone will have their own opinion as to how much culpability is there for all concerned.
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8/10
Taking a shot
TheLittleSongbird23 March 2023
When it comes to talking about the original 'Law and Order', there is a strong preference for the earlier seasons (Seasons 1-10), the standard of the seasons were more consistent and hit hard more, they were the seasons with the more iconic characters and had none that annoyed me. Season 11 onwards was still very watchable and there were a number of great and more episodes, but the show was not as consistent or as fresh in stories and characters.

"Four Cops Shot" to me is very good, liked it very much on first watch and it is still the same now for the same reasons. Not quite great, though many individual components are, or one of the best episodes of a solid Season 20. There is though more than enough to show why the original 'Law and Order' and franchise deserve their popularity. The concept is not a novel one and not much innovative is done with it, but "Four Cops Shot's" good things are so good it's difficult to be too hard on it.

It starts off on the formulaic and routine side, though it has to be said that Lupo, Bernard and their chemistry have come on a long way since Season 18.

A bit rushed towards the end too perhaps, with the late evidence stuff being introduced a little too out of the blue.

So much works however. All the legal stuff is absolutely riveting, with plenty of snappy and thought provoking dialogue and an equal amount of tension. The case isn't simplistic, with it being one of the most intricate, twisty and hard hitting of the season. Neither does it feel convoluted or over-stuffed and the truth was a real surprise, really love it when things turn out to not be what they seem. The moral dilemmas are thoughtfully handled and don't come over as laid on too thick or one-sided.

Production values as ever are slick and with the right amount of muted grit, the photography doesn't try to do anything too fancy or gimmicky while not being claustrophobic and keeping things simple. The music doesn't overbear with the theme tune still memorable. The direction keeps things tight while allowing time to breathe. The script is thought provoking and tight and the acting from regulars and support is never less than very strong.

Concluding, very good. 8/10.
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