The Crime Is Up Podcast

Can Pavlov’s principle about salivating dogs possibly apply to people? A crew of thieves down by the Jersey Shore aim to find out as they plot to heist not diamonds or jewels, but a stained glass window.

And after the story, Chris and Will catch each other up on books and movies they’ve been enjoying. We’ve got Jim Thompson’s little read Wild Town, Jeremy Saulnier’s new actioner Rebel Ridge, and ugly Colin Farrell’s brilliant turn in The Penguin. Plus, ever wonder where the term Film Noir came from? Take a listen, as Chris pontificates about his love of the Serie Noire crime fiction books from France.

Waiting on the mailman to deliver a package to your home can be a tiresome chore. Waiting on the mailman to turn up at his own home so you can put a bullet in him can also be a tiresome chore, especially when the sleepy suburban neighborhood he calls home turns out to be not so sleepy. Take a listen to our hard-boiled tale of a very bored hit man as he kills more than just time while waiting for his target.
 
 Then after the story, Chris and Will answer the question, what’s in the box?! That’s right, we’re talking about the stone-cold classic from director David Fincher, Seven. 

Steven Seagal is… Above the Law. Steven Seagal is …Out for Justice. Steven Seagal is… Exit Wounds.

Steven Seagal is many things. A Buddhist. A Russian Citizen. The star of countless aikido action movie classics. This episode, we are taking a closer look at three of those movies. 

Layered deep in these fascinating films are numerous examples of the noir tropes that we crime fiction and film noir fans know and love. So join us, dear listeners, on a journey through the crime films of Steven Seagal! 

Release date April 01, 2023.

It’s our post-holiday special! Chris and Will offer up two hard-boiled tales from early in their writing careers… really early. The Deadliest Weapon comes from when Chris was 12-years-old and portrays a family in crisis, battling not just each other, but a terrible illness. 

And from the twisted mind of a 9-year-old Will comes a rollicking, action-packed police procedural that breaks all the conventions as it follows our protagonist Detective Benson, a suicidal TV junkie, and his loyal servant and friend Genjo. Can they solve the case? Is there even a case? And how many bullets can one Detective take? Have a listen to this crazy little tale that is either titled Detective Benson or The Greatest Detectives and Gangsters to find out. 

So take a listen to this bonus episode where Chris and Will read these stories they wrote when they were children for the first time in some 25 years. Long time listeners will enjoy this comedic bonus, but if this is your first time listening to the show, maybe don’t start here as it’s atypical. 

Pluto is a good dog, but he’s missing. Dug himself out of the yard like a jailbreak. And Pluto ain’t a teacup Yorkie. He’s a Pit bull who can drag cinder blocks across the yard with his teeth.

This ferocious incarnation of man’s best friend had a big fight coming up and now his owner Luke is left without his prized pup. Take a listen as this morally corrupt trainer scours the neighborhood on an odyssey through backyards and cul-de-sacs searching for his best dog. His champion. His Pluto. 

You don’t rob Henshaw’s casino and think he’s going to sit back and take it. He’s ordered The Beefshank, done to perfection. This particular cut of meat is adept at finding people. The thieves who knocked off the safe are about to find that out in spectacular fashion. So have a listen to the exciting conclusion of Will Benson’s crime fiction tale Swimming! 

And after the story, we’re chalking up our pool cues and talking about a true classic, The Hustler. A young Paul Newman, well before his salad dressing days, stars as the uber-confident, always grinning Fast Eddie Felson. He’s out to take the mantle of best pool player in the country from Jackie Gleason’s Minnesota Fats. Gleason of course turns in the performance of his career, sporting his most beloved catchphrase, “One of these days Fast Eddie, to the moon!” 

The casino heist is a go. Has she conned him into it, or is he the final cog needed for an intricate theft they can only pull off in tandem? Find out in part two of our crime fiction tale, Swimming.
Then we’re talking about the funniest, and most fun, of the 90’s erotic neo-noir thrillers, The Last Seduction. Linda Fiorentino is a singular force of will, confidence, and sexuality in director John Dahl’s classic portrayal of the most dangerous of femme fatales. Bill Pullman, Peter Berg, and Bill Nunn co-star as the helpless flies caught up in Fiorentino’s web of deceit. 

A sultry Las Vegas pit boss spies an opportunity at her private game when a handsome high roller dominates the table. Can she tempt him into helping her pull off a lo-fi, high-stakes robbery of the casino? Take a listen to Part 01 of Will Benson’s original crime fiction story Swimming to find out. 

And after the story we’re talking about the Coen Brothers’ classic, Fargo. Oh yeah, you betcha! Will and Chris get to the bottom of this Minnesota fable featuring Frances McDormand’s Oscar winning turn as a police chief tracking the woefully incompetent crook William H. Macy. And there’s plenty to be said about the talkative Steve Buscemi, the taciturn Peter Stormare, and of course, the woodchipper.

Tighten your belts and pull on your suspenders listeners, we're talking “Ace in the Hole”! Kirk Douglas dives face first into his wholly unsympathetic turn as an unscrupulous reporter in director Billy Wilder’s classic, sunbaked noir. 

An infamous flop in 1951, time has allowed audiences to realize the brilliance of this critique of American life and the media. Nary an asphalt jungle or shadow laden alleyway are to be found, but this one’s as mean and cynical as film noir movies get. So hop on the ferris wheel of this big carnival as we celebrate one of our favorites in the genre!

Rocky. Rambo. Sheriff Freddy Heflin. If you haven’t seen Sylvester Stallone’s turn as the sheriff of Garrison, NJ, then do yourself a favor and have a listen. Cop Land is the movie where Sly shows off his incredible and subdued acting chops, and it is a pleasure to talk about his character work opposite one of the greatest assembled casts of the 1990’s: Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick, Annabella Sciorra, Cathy Moriarty, Michael Rapaport, Janeane Garofalo, Peter Berg, Method Man, Frank Vincent, John Spencer, Eddie Falco, & oh my goodness we can go on! 

And we do! Because director James Mangold put together a cop drama with a dash of police corruption, a sprinkling of noir, and a tablespoon of Western. The concoction that results is the strongest movie in Stallone’s filmography since the original Rocky and First Blood. Take a listen, or else, as De Niro says, “You blew it!”