re: what is your opinion of actor Dennis Farina?

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He was badass as Lt. Torello.

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Almost not fair to judge him based on Crime Story, because he practically lived that story, to a certain degree. However, I think he brings a certain likeable malevolence to bad guy roles and conversely a simmering menace in his protagonist turns. Good acting occurs in the grey areas and he tends to find his legs there.

If you recall, Farina, Grodin, Yaphet Koto, John Ashton and Joey Pants saved Midnight Run from Deniro's flat, uninspired performance. I love the movie but, in hindsight, it looks like Deniro showed up for a change of pace movie and a paycheck - the balance of the cast, especially Farina and Grodin, seemed more on top of their game, relative to Deniro.