Matthew Penn Movies

The detectives go after the person who apparently shot down a cop in cold blood. Upon arrest, the suspect, a black teenager, claims to have committed murder out of vengeance stemming from a botched police investigation. Handling the defense is flamboyant celebrity attorney Carl Halpert (Gregory Hines), who in his media-savvy efforts to transform the trial into a racial issue, also manages to unearth a number of disturbing truths about the New York justice system. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and Laughlin (Anthony Mangano) prepare to square off in a charity boxing match. Finding out why IAB Captain Fraker (Casey Siemaszko) is so determined to ruin Lt. Rodriguez (Esai Morales), Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) warns Fraker to lay off if he doesn't want an unsavory incident in his own past to be revealed. While Rodriguez is still out pending the IAB's investigation, interim squad commander Shanley (Alan Feinstein) hits on Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross), threatening to have her fired if she complains. And back on duty, the squad investigates an armored car robbery and the death of the friend of a woman whose body was found in a garbage truck. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) investigate the murder of a cleric. Once the suspect is in custody, the D.A.'s office tries to persuade Father Evans (John Dossett) to reveal that he heard the perpetrator confess the crime. But even though the admission was made outside the church, the priest insists upon honoring the edicts of the Confessional, and refuses to provide the necessary information. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A certain high-profile murder which peripherally involved a well-connected political family was the obvious inspiration for this episode. Under orders from their higher-ups, Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) reopen a 20-year-old murder investigation. The principal suspect at the time was the spoiled teenaged son of a powerful U.S. ambassador (Remak Ramsay). The question: Considering the age of the suspect when the killing occurred, should he be tried in juvenile court even though he is now well into adulthood? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A mob boss finds he can't escape his true identity, while his cousin learns that the music industry is as crooked as organized crime in the tenth episode of the HBO series. New Jersey Mafia chieftain Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is delighted to receive an invitation to play golf with his well-to-do neighbor, Cusamano, at his exclusive country club. Happy to socialize with non-mobsters for once, Tony quickly realizes that Cusamano has extended the invitation simply to impress his buddies with his powerful crime boss pal. Tony's cousin and soldier Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) and his girlfriend Adriana (Drea de Matteo) meet Massive Genius, a rap star with a financial grudge against Soprano family advisor Hesh (Jerry Adler). Genius is immediately attracted to Adriana and makes a deal with Christopher: in exchange for Christopher setting up a meeting between Genius and Hesh, the musician agrees to consider signing a band that Adriana wants to represent, but it becomes clear that Genius is only interested in Adriana sexually. Meanwhile, Tony gets even with Cusamano by asking him to "hold on" to a package wrapped in plain brown paper, sending his neighbor into a panic over the possibly illegal narcotic contents. Episode 10 first aired March 14, 1999. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

One of the most highly anticipated episodes of Law & Order's ninth season, "Empire" guest starred Hollywood luminary Julia Roberts (then the girlfriend of series regular Benjamin Bratt) in a story of corporate intrigue and murder. A millionaire dies just after investing in a spectacular new sports arena to be built by entrepreneur Julian Spector (Daniel Hugh Kelly). It turns out that the dead man succumbed to the aftereffects of a sex-enhancing drug. Enter professional fund-raiser Katrina Ludlow (Julia Roberts), who claims she has evidence that will lead to the victim's killer. But there's a catch: Katrina will deliver that evidence only to detective Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt), a proviso that leads to unforeseen complications in court. Julia Roberts won an Emmy award for her performance in this, the 201st episode of Law & Order (advertised as "Episode 200" by NBC due to a technicality involving the series' pilot). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Carey Lowell makes a return appearance as former A.D.A. Jamie Ross, now in private practice as a defense attorney. Jamie's reunion with her former partner Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and boss Adam Schiff (Steven Hill) is hardly a festive occasion: She is representing a previous client who claims to have new evidence concerning a death-row prisoner. If what her client says is true, Jamie is in the unenviable position of going head to head with her ex-colleagues in a tense courtroom battle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bobby (Jimmy Smits) and Diane (Kim Delaney) are definitely in love, but are they ready to make their commitment permanent? As for Andy (Dennis Franz), though his surgery was successful, he still isn't quite 100 percent -- but try getting him to tell that to Sylvia (Sharon Lawrence). Back on the job, when the semen-drenched bodies of a used car salesman and prostitute are found, the detectives split up to investigate each individual homicide. One of the suspects seems to be guilty, but Bobby and Andy think that there's a flaw in this theory, so they help the suspect prepare for his grand-jury appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) has his doubts when a man claims that his former girlfriend is being stalked by his twin brother. Jill (Andrea Thompson) tries to solve a stickup-murder at an ATM by going to the chief suspect's mother. And Andy (Dennis Franz) withholds crucial information from his doctor about his prostate condition. Sharon Lawrence, whose starring sitcom Fired Up had just been canceled, returns to the role of Sylvia Costas. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A bail bondsman is murdered, and the detectives subsequently haul in a likely perpetrator. Then, an offhand comment made by the suspect leads to irrefutable evidence that a disreputable attorney has been fixing cases for a price. Even more disturbing is the possibility that the attorney's accomplice is a "mole" working within the New York City legal system -- and maybe in the offices of the DA himself. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Huey Tate (Chris McKinney) is arrested for the double murder of a black-activist congressman and his bodyguard. Subsequent investigation reveals that one of the victims may have been responsible for an innocent person's death. Crucial to the D.A.'s prosecution is the eyewitness testimony of a woman who is an informant for the FBI -- and as such, cannot be allowed to testify. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this sequel to the fifth-season episode "Coma," Larry Miller reprises the role of sleazy former comedy-club owner Michael Dobson. Having been acquitted of murdering his first wife, Dobson ends up the prime suspect when his second wife is killed while jogging in Central Park. Determined to nail Dobson once and for all, the detectives and the D.A.'s office hitch their hopes to a Columbian coin which has been illegally used as a subway token. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An autistic youth dies while in custody, leading Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Logan (Chris Noth) to investigate the clinic where the victim was being treated. The clinic's head, Dr. Alan Colter (Lawrence Pressman), has been known to use radical and possibly illegal therapies on his patients, most of these "treatments" involving electric shock. The D.A. office's efforts to tie Colter together with the victim's death are complicated by the lack of cooperation from the parents of Colter's patients. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi