Tearful, soul-wrenching episode. As he said he was erased. I agree with the assistant DA, that his son should have shared some of the punishment, as he gave him the computer because he didn't want to be bothered. Paul Benjamin should have gotten an Emmy for his performance. One of my favorite episodes.
13 Reviews
His life's legacy
bkoganbing6 January 2013
I remember when my mother passed away and my brother and I sold the family estate in Brooklyn that this was her legacy to her two surviving children. It turned out to be and I could truly sympathize with Paul Benjamin who had it yanked out from under him by both the times and a greedy Yuppie who wanted to keep up the lifestyle he'd grown accustomed to.
Jerry Orbach and Jesse Martin get assigned the investigation of the homicide of a computer graphics designer found stabbed to death in his home. Turns out that he had been faking going to work for several months. He had been laid off but there seemed no appreciable tightening of the belts.
What this man had done is stolen the identity of Paul Benjamin and elderly man in Harlem with a paid in full brownstone, put a second mortgage, defaulted it, and then used the money in a secret account and withdrew it bit by bit. As for Benjamin his house was taken from him and sold at auction. This investigation was mostly following a paper trail, but Briscoe and Green come up with Benjamin.
This was one of the saddest Law And Order episodes ever done. This man who is a World War II veteran whose house was just dispossessed out from under him. When he found out who was responsible he did the deed. I'm not sure I wouldn't have done the deed myself in the same spot.
Sam Waterston is ready to cut Benjamin some considerable slack. Benjamin's lawyers are Roscoe Lee Browne and Lorraine Toussaint and she made a long heralded return as Shambala Green who used to spar in court with Michael Moriarty back in the series early days. Given his age and circumstance it's the easiest thing in the world to have him plead temporary insanity and diminished capacity.
But Benjamin is full of pride and he'd rather go to jail than have a finding of any kind of insanity due to age. Interestingly enough he had certainly enough marbles to do his own investigation and seek out the man responsible for his predicament. An argument that could have been raised by Waterston but wasn't.
Quite a conundrum to be sure, but Benjamin won't back down.
And quite a few issues about old age are raised here as well. Nice episode dominated by Paul Benjamin as old, but proud.
Jerry Orbach and Jesse Martin get assigned the investigation of the homicide of a computer graphics designer found stabbed to death in his home. Turns out that he had been faking going to work for several months. He had been laid off but there seemed no appreciable tightening of the belts.
What this man had done is stolen the identity of Paul Benjamin and elderly man in Harlem with a paid in full brownstone, put a second mortgage, defaulted it, and then used the money in a secret account and withdrew it bit by bit. As for Benjamin his house was taken from him and sold at auction. This investigation was mostly following a paper trail, but Briscoe and Green come up with Benjamin.
This was one of the saddest Law And Order episodes ever done. This man who is a World War II veteran whose house was just dispossessed out from under him. When he found out who was responsible he did the deed. I'm not sure I wouldn't have done the deed myself in the same spot.
Sam Waterston is ready to cut Benjamin some considerable slack. Benjamin's lawyers are Roscoe Lee Browne and Lorraine Toussaint and she made a long heralded return as Shambala Green who used to spar in court with Michael Moriarty back in the series early days. Given his age and circumstance it's the easiest thing in the world to have him plead temporary insanity and diminished capacity.
But Benjamin is full of pride and he'd rather go to jail than have a finding of any kind of insanity due to age. Interestingly enough he had certainly enough marbles to do his own investigation and seek out the man responsible for his predicament. An argument that could have been raised by Waterston but wasn't.
Quite a conundrum to be sure, but Benjamin won't back down.
And quite a few issues about old age are raised here as well. Nice episode dominated by Paul Benjamin as old, but proud.
The Framers couldn't conceive of a population living past 80.
Mrpalli772 December 2017
A woman came home with her two kids, finding her husband shot dead in the kitchen. The victim said he went to work every day at a computer firm, but he had been fired eight months before due to company downsizing. Anyway he didn't have issues in making ends meet: he had just closed a bank account of 400 thousand bucks. Detectives tried to figured out where this money came from, realizing he bought and sold diamonds by mortgaging a townhouse. The problem is that the brownstone didn't belong to him, but to an African American WWII veteran. It became clear the computer expert stole the old man identity to set up the fraud. When forensics realized the murder weapon was the kind used in the war, the veteran was locked up. Defendant's son tries to save his own father, claiming his incompetence of standing trial due to senile issues (he recently passed out while driving his car, he bought worthless stocks and he thought to spend time with his wife who passed away nearly thirty years before), but he's smart far beyond your imagination.
Very nice episode, the plot deserves to be displayed as a movie. Great performance for the leading actor Paul Benjamin, the white killer inmate in "Escape from Alcatraz". Last appearance on the TV- show for the defense attorney Shambala Green.
Very nice episode, the plot deserves to be displayed as a movie. Great performance for the leading actor Paul Benjamin, the white killer inmate in "Escape from Alcatraz". Last appearance on the TV- show for the defense attorney Shambala Green.
A senile Old Man who isn't so "Senile"
rbkjr9 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I have never before or after remember seeing the actor who played an elderly African-American gentleman named Lonnie Jackson (Paul Benjamin). He has a mild case of dementia, which plays into the plot's story-line of how he may or may not be involved in a murder case that's being investigated. All I could imagine was anyone involved in the scenes being filmed, who were there during production, must have given him a standing ovation afterwards, when the director yelled "Cut". Because I wanted to stand up and give him a round of applause... for the feelings he engendered in me. Watching him play a part with so much pizazz, that all of the subplots came together in the last few lines that he had in such a way... that it was an honor to watch! He literally brought me to feelings of Triumph and tearful Disaster at the same time, due to knowing the outcome that his "Honest" reactions in front of all the other Witnesses produced. When I looked up his name after the episode, and saw the parts that he's had, in famous movies including "Midnight Cowboy" and Clint Eastwood's film "Escape from Alcatraz"...2 of my favorite all-time films, I was shocked to realize that I had seen him over the years and didn't realize that it was the same actor, mostly due to his age since he is almost 80 years old. My hat's off to Mr. Benjamin and if he ever has a chance to see this review, just imagine me standing and clapping as hard as I could, when I got finished watching your fabulous performance! Thank you for the privilege, especially since I have two elderly parents, that I could relate to them...many of the characteristics that you brought to life in your portrayal of Lonnie Jackson. Thank you very much!
One of my favorates
work-7155122 September 2019
Competence
TheLittleSongbird5 July 2022
'Law and Order' was a great show in its prime and there has always been a preference for the earlier seasons over the more commonly aired late-Briscoe and post-Briscoe episodes. Not only love the show for its compelling cases and terrific writing and acting in the Briscoe and pre-Briscoe years. But also its admirable tackling of difficult subjects and themes (the 'Law and Order' franchise at its best was very good at that), their cases often based upon real-life ones and the moral dilemmas raised.
"Identity" does all of that absolutely brilliantly in a truly brilliant episode. That is easily among the best episodes of Season 14 and even of the later years. It is indeed one of those episodes that is a lot more complex and moving than it seems and sounds at first and is particularly advantaged by the performance of the main guest star. One that left a big impression when first getting into 'Law and Order' via this period, and who still leaves a big impression in a good way.
On a visual level, "Identity" is solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. The direction is sympathetic enough without being leaden, while having enough momentum to make the drama sing in its atmosphere.
The script is intricate and thought probing with a wide range of emotions. The moral dilemmas that come with the case are handled sensitively but also is pull no punches in quality. The story sounds ordinary at first, but very quickly becomes one of Season 14's most complex (without being convoluted) cases. It is also incredibly moving with Paul Benjamin's character being very layered and one where one feels more than one emotion for. The ending has always stayed with me.
While all the regulars are great and more (even Elisabeth Rohm isn't a problem), particularly Sam Waterston, this is Paul Benjamin's episode. His emotionally devastating performance is nothing short of mesmerising.
Concluding, brilliant. 10/10.
"Identity" does all of that absolutely brilliantly in a truly brilliant episode. That is easily among the best episodes of Season 14 and even of the later years. It is indeed one of those episodes that is a lot more complex and moving than it seems and sounds at first and is particularly advantaged by the performance of the main guest star. One that left a big impression when first getting into 'Law and Order' via this period, and who still leaves a big impression in a good way.
On a visual level, "Identity" is solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. The direction is sympathetic enough without being leaden, while having enough momentum to make the drama sing in its atmosphere.
The script is intricate and thought probing with a wide range of emotions. The moral dilemmas that come with the case are handled sensitively but also is pull no punches in quality. The story sounds ordinary at first, but very quickly becomes one of Season 14's most complex (without being convoluted) cases. It is also incredibly moving with Paul Benjamin's character being very layered and one where one feels more than one emotion for. The ending has always stayed with me.
While all the regulars are great and more (even Elisabeth Rohm isn't a problem), particularly Sam Waterston, this is Paul Benjamin's episode. His emotionally devastating performance is nothing short of mesmerising.
Concluding, brilliant. 10/10.
Makes me cry every time
cjf-757804 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
That last scene where Lonnie Jackson says "ME" at the very end - just breaks my heart. We as a society tend to discount the elderly and overlook them - this scene forces everyone to look at him and acknowledge he is still a person, a human being regardless of his age, memory, abilities, whatever. He had been dismissed and neglected by his son and then ripped off by that conman Hitchens. And he would rather go to jail than let the court deem him incompetent. I love how Law and Order tacked these kind of issues - and this is another one where the peripheral actors did a great job.
Amazing guest performance and powerful emotional issues
ryangcassidy23 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
What starts as a murder investigation into the death of a middle aged middle class white man turns into a much more complex and moving story.
It turns out that the 'victim' in fact was a fraudster who had perpetuated a scam on a vulnerable old African American WW2 veteran, conning him out of his home through a series of complicated mortgage and bank frauds.
However, it turns out the fraudster has bitten off far more than he can chew as the old man (played brilliantly by Paul Benjamin in a guest role that deserved an Emmy) hunts him down and kills him.
The scene is then set for a Courtroom debate over the competency of the old man to stand trial; he will not conternance an insanity plea, whilst his estranged son is pushing hard to have him declared incompetent so as to facilitate a not guilty by mental defect defence.
Its heady stuff, grappling with legal issues around mens rea, and wider philosophical issues about the duty of care children have to older parents. The script brings the best out of both the regular cast and the sterling guest cast.
It also features a welcome return of defence attorney Shambala Green - she had clashed with McCoy's predecessor Ben Stone in the early seasons of L&O.
A moving episode and definitely a case where you end up rooting for the defendant!
It turns out that the 'victim' in fact was a fraudster who had perpetuated a scam on a vulnerable old African American WW2 veteran, conning him out of his home through a series of complicated mortgage and bank frauds.
However, it turns out the fraudster has bitten off far more than he can chew as the old man (played brilliantly by Paul Benjamin in a guest role that deserved an Emmy) hunts him down and kills him.
The scene is then set for a Courtroom debate over the competency of the old man to stand trial; he will not conternance an insanity plea, whilst his estranged son is pushing hard to have him declared incompetent so as to facilitate a not guilty by mental defect defence.
Its heady stuff, grappling with legal issues around mens rea, and wider philosophical issues about the duty of care children have to older parents. The script brings the best out of both the regular cast and the sterling guest cast.
It also features a welcome return of defence attorney Shambala Green - she had clashed with McCoy's predecessor Ben Stone in the early seasons of L&O.
A moving episode and definitely a case where you end up rooting for the defendant!
Paul Benjamin
pmtoone1 October 2018
He's Old But Not Dead.
rmax30482326 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
A man is shot dead with a bullet that came from a World-War-II era Mauser. Briscoe and Green are on the trail, but it's a long and winding one. It's a complicated matter of flipping houses, stealing identities, suckering people through phishing sites on the internet, laundering money by way of diamonds. At least I think that's what it's about. High finance was never my forte. I don't know how to launder money or steal someone's identity. And I don't worry about its happening to me because I have no money and who on God's green earth would want my identity? The murderer turns out to be an eighty-year-old veteran who took revenge on the man who stole his house from him. The ex owner of the house would be Paul Benjamin, who does a nice job of being an affable and polite old gentleman who only gets up on his hind legs in court to defend his pride, his dignity.
He's given a passionate speech, delivered slowly and emphatically, about everything he owns being taken away from him. In doing so, he deliberately proves he's not senile, an argument his son has been pushing. Benjamin himself does well by his pronouncement but we've heard it all before, one place or another. It's the kind of thing that's best left unsaid, as it is in Faulkner's "Intruder In The Dust." The fourteenth season of this series wasn't its best. The stories were just as interesting as in earlier years but some of the cast were noticeably older and more tired. Jerry Orbach had aged and his voice was changing to a gargle. It seemed that more of the lines were given to Jesse Martin as Detective Green. The show never found an adequate replacement for Adam Schiff. Fred Dalton Thompson certainly isn't it. He looks and sounds dyspeptic all the time. Even Sam Waterston, a fine actor, had begun to get jerky and shout more often.
He's given a passionate speech, delivered slowly and emphatically, about everything he owns being taken away from him. In doing so, he deliberately proves he's not senile, an argument his son has been pushing. Benjamin himself does well by his pronouncement but we've heard it all before, one place or another. It's the kind of thing that's best left unsaid, as it is in Faulkner's "Intruder In The Dust." The fourteenth season of this series wasn't its best. The stories were just as interesting as in earlier years but some of the cast were noticeably older and more tired. Jerry Orbach had aged and his voice was changing to a gargle. It seemed that more of the lines were given to Jesse Martin as Detective Green. The show never found an adequate replacement for Adam Schiff. Fred Dalton Thompson certainly isn't it. He looks and sounds dyspeptic all the time. Even Sam Waterston, a fine actor, had begun to get jerky and shout more often.
Heartbreaking Episode
claudio_carvalho15 November 2021
When a man called Lonnie Jackson is found dead at home, Detectives Briscoe and Green are assigned to investigate the case. After a long research, they find that the dead man is a con-artist who had stolen the identity of an honest 80-year-old WWII veteran Lonnie Jackson and sold his house. District Attorneys McCoy and Serena soon learn that Mr. Jackson was a hard-worker, proud of his own house that out of the blue found himself homeless due to a click in a phish in the computer given by his son, Dr. Paul Jackson.
"Identity" is a heartbreaking episode of "Law & Order", with the story of an 80-year-old black man that sees his life ruined due to a hacker. The conclusion is excellent. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Identity"
"Identity" is a heartbreaking episode of "Law & Order", with the story of an 80-year-old black man that sees his life ruined due to a hacker. The conclusion is excellent. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Identity"
I took back me!
lastliberal4 September 2008
This is one of my favorite episodes because it assumes that an elderly gent just can't possibly be responsible for his actions or take justice into his hands.
Of course, the fact that it also had my favorite A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Röhm) makes it a winner, too.
Paul Benjamin (The Station Agent) gave a great performance as Lonnie Jackson, the 79-year-old man who was the victim of identity theft and all he owned.
Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Their Eyes Were Watching God, Lackawanna Blues) was the son who didn't have time for his father and wanted him committed.
It also features Roscoe Lee Browne as Lonnie's friend.
Of course, the fact that it also had my favorite A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Röhm) makes it a winner, too.
Paul Benjamin (The Station Agent) gave a great performance as Lonnie Jackson, the 79-year-old man who was the victim of identity theft and all he owned.
Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Their Eyes Were Watching God, Lackawanna Blues) was the son who didn't have time for his father and wanted him committed.
It also features Roscoe Lee Browne as Lonnie's friend.
Profound, brilliant
skipperkd22 October 2022
Wow. Such a work! From beginning to end, this episode is done right. Could not be better. We begin with a fascinating run-around from banks to jewelers to mortgage companies and back again. This part felt like a puzzle. Sifting through details to find the source. Once we figure what happened, who done it, we see the WHY. This is where it becomes so profound. I totally felt for the old guy Lonnie Jackson and could just imagine it happening as he said. I gotta say, Mr. Jackson's closing speech in the office was dead on - pitch perfect delivery and style. Hats off to the scriptwriter, to actor Paul Benjamin, and to the entire cast.
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