Law & Order (TV Series) Everybody Loves Raimondo's (2004) User Reviews

The book, the movie and ordering a hit and planning it in my place.

[Mrpalli77 · 7/10 · 7 December 2017]

While an opera singer was performing "Santa Lucia" in a fancy Italian restaurant, two shoots were heard and two customers were killed. The place was frequented by upstanding citizens that night, including police chiefs and judges. The victim were an Italian mobster (poker gambler) and a movie producer. The shooter was soon found and the murder was related to unbelievable reason (talking during the song). Anyway forensics figured out the bullets came from different guns: so another man killed the movie producer. The second victim was known to produce gangsta movies and the last one took the cue from a novel written by a broken writer (Lenny Venito) with whom he had an argument after the movie release over money issues. The story goes on, it involves a loan shark, the restaurant owner, a lowlife hit-man and so on. At least, justice manages to get to the bottom of the case.

An unusual episode, very twisting. Everything anyway is related to Italian American culture, so similar to what really happen in southern part of Italy.

Nobody loves murder

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 7 July 2022]

This was one of those 'Law and Order' episodes on first watch that had a number of good things but it did feel on the ordinary side and didn't stick in the mind long after. There are episodes of the show and the 'Law and Order' franchise in general that felt like this, but there are many on both counts where that type of episode on first watch fared better on rewatch and were better than remembered seeing it through older eyes.

Season 14's "Everybody Loves Raimondo's" is one of those episodes. It's not one of the best episodes of Season 14, which was not a bad season at all and much better than the Season 14 of 'Special Victims Unit', while also not one of the worst. On paper it sounds fairly standard and is a bit ordinary to begin with, but the execution is a lot more complex than that. When things become meatier and twistier "Shrunk" becomes very intricate and it is one of those episodes that induces anger and outrage by its end.

As said, "Everybody Loves Raimondo's" starts off a little on the ordinary side and didn't immediately grab me straightaway and did think too that the final 5 minutes or so were on the rushed side from trying to cram a lot in.

Elisabeth Rohm plays personality free Southerlyn as too much of a cold fish.

However, a lot is done very well indeed. The production values are still fully professional, the slickness and subtly gritty style still remaining. The music is sparingly used and is haunting and thankfully non-overwrought. The direction shows some nice tension in the legal scenes, which is where "Everybody Loves Raimondo's" fares a good deal better. The script is intelligent, lean enough and thought-provoking on both sides of the arguments, although it doesn't quite have the extra spark.

The story is also very absorbing, with more than one motive and one that is very surprising and not considered. It is standard to begin with but becomes very twisty and suitably complicated, without being too much so. The acting is very good, particularly from Sam Waterston.

In summary, very good. 8/10.

A popular eatery, safe house for wise guys

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 18 July 2015]

This Law And Order story is about Raimondo's a popular restaurant that is patronized by the legal and the illegal, cops and gangsters plus those who want to eat and stare. It's kind of a safe house or at least it was until two people were killed, a wise guy and a movie producer who was enjoying a big hit (no pun intended) film about gangster life. The film was based on bits and pieces heard in conversation at Raimondo's.

But what's heard at Raimondo's should stay there. Except Lenny Venito who always plays interesting characters absorbed it all and wrote a book that makes some people feel uncomfortable.

Jerry Orbach and Jesse Martin eventually wind up in Jersey City where the identified hit man Bill Camp is brought to Manhattan after a bit of a turf war with Hudson County. The case is a lot more complex than originally thought involving two separate shootings for each victim with two different motives.

Real life cop Bo Dietl appears here in a small role as a small time Mook who is one of the shooters. What a sorry loser Dietl portrays and his motive is really one for the books.

Ray Abruzzo plays the man who gives Raimondo's its name. Let's say he does not like the way his sanctuary was disrespected.

Makes me curious enough to get reservations.

Sopranos reunion

[robertcornish · 5 June 2020]

An above average episode with at lots of the Sopranos cast in it. Appearing are: Little Carmine, Ray Curto, Vitto, Murmur and maybe even Uncle Junior! Well worth a watch.