Barter

George DiCenzo dominates this Law And Order episode as a Shylock without conscience who has found an almost full proof method of securing his loans. Even loan sharks occasionally take a loss with a bad investment. But DiCenzo has found a way to secure his collateral.

It's very simple he has the clients take out an insurance policy making his company with the innocent sounding name of Beechwood Loan Corporation the beneficiary. You don't pay you get killed and he makes back a lot of money on his investment. And the kicker is that if you are delinquent in your payments you can get a payment or three or a rise in interest forgotten.

It all starts to unravel for DiCenzo when Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt get a case of a woman killed with a shotgun blast to the back in the parking garage of her Co-op. A chance notice that she bears a resemblance to Dana Reeve who is later killed herself starts the whole investigation.

Big kudos should also go to Victor Argo as a man caught up in this insidious racket who did a couple of killings to get money shaved off his loan on his auto repair shop in the Bronx. He's both frightening and pitiful at the same time.

But you will not forget George DiCenzo as 'Bunny' Russo the loan shark with a twist.

"Barter" is one of those episodes where the concept isn't anything original but still has enough to make one interested in seeing it. Personally do prefer the episodes that tackle difficult and controversial topics that are still to this day hardly outdated, or at least ones that are more so, but again if a fan of 'Law and Order' or wanting to see all the episodes there is no reason really to avoid "Barter", which struck me as a fine episode on first watch years back.

It is another episode that has held up incredibly well and that has gotten better and better with each watch. As far as Season 7 episodes go, "Barter" is among the best and the third outstanding episode in a row after two disappointments prior. It is a fine example of how to do something memorable and more complex than meets the eye with something that sounds standard and unoriginal on paper, have found this with many 'Law and Order' episodes but this is one of the finer examples from the Briscoe and Curtis period.

What makes "Barter" work so well especially are the performances of Sam Waterston and George DiCenzo and the storytelling. Waterston always delivered as McCoy throughout his long tenure, even when McCoy took time to warm to when he was first introduced. He delivers here, ruthless yet resourceful where one is intrigued by how his thought process works and doing so in a subtle way. DiCenzo is pretty terrifying as Russo, calling Russo a rotten egg is a big understatement and DiCenzo doesn't hold anything back without going over the top.

The story is always riveting. It is not quite as complex or as twisty as the previous two episodes ("Legacy" and "Menace"), but it keeps one guessing throughout and it doesn't come over as too obvious. Everything regarding the insurance is truly frightening. The script is taut and intelligent, there is a lot of information to digest but it doesn't feel like too much talk. All the performances are top notch, with Waterston and DiCenzo being in a different league to everyone else. Yes, even Jerry Orbach is outshone.

Moreover, "Barter" is slickly photographed throughout, a perfect match for the gritty tone, and the location work looks both striking and atmosphere-filled. The music is only used when necessary and when it is used it does stick in the mind and not done so ham-handedly. Both the main theme and opening voice over are memorable. It is directed with a confident and sympathetic edge.

Overall, brilliant. 10/10.