"CSI: NY" Sleight Out of Hand (2007)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Rob Bailey

Writers:

Anthony E. Zuiker (creator) &
Ann Donahue (creator) ...

TV Series:

"CSI: NY" (2004)

Original Air Date:

28 February 2007 (Season 3, Episode 18)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A famous magician plans three death-defying stunts on three consecutive nights. But on the first two nights, two of his assistants die in ways that eerily resemble his stunts. Can CSI solve the mystery before there's a third victim? |

Plot Keywords:

Magician | Stage Magician | Auditorium | Gagged And Bound | Attempted Drowning

Cast

Gary Sinise	...	Detective Mac Taylor
Melina Kanakaredes	...	Detective Stella Bonasera
Carmine Giovinazzo	...	Detective Danny Messer
Anna Belknap	...	Detective Lindsay Monroe
Hill Harper	...	Dr. Sheldon Hawkes
Eddie Cahill	...	Detective Don Flack
Robert Joy	...	Dr. Sid Hammerback
Criss Angel	...	Luke Blade
Alan Smyth	...	Rupert Flannigan
Jamison Jones	...	Austin Cannon
Nick Kiriazis	...	Prosecutor
Michael McLafferty	...	Reporter #1
Yuri Brown	...	Reporter #2
Kelly Connolly	...	Vienna Hyatt
Angie Hill	...	Jury Forewoman

Color:

Color

Company:

CBS Paramount Network Television

Goofs:

Factual errors: The first murder is committed with a standard, thin-model sawing-in-half box, which is actually designed to have the split appear to occur at the mid-thigh level, however, when we first see the remains inside, the girl has obviously been split at her waist. Later on, it is confirmed that she was split at her waist, something a traditional sawing box, as was displayed, would not happen.

Quotes:

Detective Don Flack: Do you think Houdini knew the impact he would have on the mafia lingo?
Dr. Sheldon Hawkes: I'm sorry?
Detective Don Flack: It's like, when they whack somebody they say, "we made him do a Houdini". Do you think that would make him proud?
Dr. Sheldon Hawkes: Are we actually having this conversation?
Detective Don Flack: Oh, I'm sorry, can you explain the difference between DNA and RNA? Is that better? 'Cause that's a scintillating conversation right there.
Dr. Sheldon Hawkes: It would be if you knew the interest...
[They are interrupted by Rupert]

Soundtrack:

Tubefed

A Two-Edged 'Blade'

Some hotshot magician, "Luke Blade," performs a sawing-in-half trick in front of a street crowd and, coincidentally, the same thing is happening in an empty theater elsewhere in town. Unfortunately, in the latter the woman is literally sawed in two and, of course, killed.

Things really get bizarre when the magician, who has planned three great stunts in three nights, has the same thing happen on the second night. His trick works just fine but nearby the same trick is done in secret and we have another murder victim. What the heck is going on?

Mac and the crew quickly deduce this Houdini-loving magician is the killer. The only question is: how did he do it? What's his motive and more importantly, how can we find evidence to convict him?

The answer, and the dramatic final scene are okay, but nothing special. The key was discovering what was in the childhood of this demented David Copperfield-wannabe.

Note:I have commented on some of the major changes in the show this year; some good, some bad. Here's another. Since when did all of these CSI people become wise-guy comedians? Now even straight-faced Gary Sinise is dishing out several of these puns and smart remarks. Stella gives several each show and Danny, Don and the others do likewise. Hollywood can never do anything subtle anymore. Now we have a CSI team of comedians in addition to forensic experts and get a joke every 2-3 minutes. My point: the jokes are clever - too clever for nerdy scientists, and way overdone. It's making all the characters look really smug.