CSI: NYwas led by Gary Sinise, and the show perfectly flipped one of his best roles. There have beenfive CSI shows, each with a signature approach to theCSIformula.CSI: New Yorkcenters on Detective Mac Taylor, played by Sinise, and his team. The New York spinoff focus on the characters' personal lives and interactions with each other was widely praised at the time, while the inner city atmosphere and muted color palette give its storylines a grittier feel, withmany of theCSI: New Yorkcases being more disturbing than those in the other spin-offs.
CSI: New York’s Mac Taylor often finds himself in moral conflictswith his lab detectives and staff who, while not villainous characters, understand moral gray areas, while Taylor sees the world in a more clear-cut way. He is known to be firm, but fair, and despite his sternness, Taylor is often considered one ofthe best CSI franchise characters. Sinise regularly plays law enforcement and military characters, but his role as Taylor is the polar opposite of one of his previous - and best - roles.
Gary Sinise Played A Corrupted NYPD Detective 18 Years Before CSI: NY
His Talent For Humanizing Characters Served Sinise Well In CSI: NY
The 1996 movieRansomis one of Sinise’s best movies.Ransomstars Mel Gibson as a multi-millionaire who, after his son is kidnapped, appears on television and offers the ransom money as a bounty on the kidnappers. Sinise had become known for playing respected characters in responsible professions after his award-winning performance as astronaut Ken Mattingley inApollo 13and Lieutenant Dan Taylor inForrest Gump.However,inRansom, Sinise plays Detective Jimmy Shaker, who is different from the roles that audiences had come to expect: Shaker is corrupt, and the leader of the kidnappers.
The Best CSI Episode Aired 19 Years Ago And Was Written & Directed By A Hollywood Legend
CSI’s season 5 finale wasn’t like an ordinary episode, but its subversive style and a surprising guest director made the two-parter an iconic outing.
Sinise’sRansomcharacter is indisputably a villain: he is willing to kill the child hostage when Mel Gibson’s character turns the tables on the kidnappers.For a character that could, in the hands of another actor, be played as an exaggerated ‘Bondvillain’ archetype, Sinise plays Shaker in a very realistic, human way. Sinise has now played several versions of the same ‘cop’ archetype, butmaking all his characters believable and distinct makes his performance as Mac Taylor work so well inCSI: New York.
CSI: NY’s Mac Taylor Was One Of The Franchise’s Best Characters
Gary Sinise’s Award-Nominated Performance In Forrest Gump Shaped His Character In CSI: NY
Sinise put significant time and effort into creating a backstory for Taylor. He has supported veterans since playing a war survivor inForrest Gumpand wanted to pay tribute to 9/11 survivors, so he andCSI: New Yorkcreator Anthony Zuiker decided to make Taylor a Marine veteran who lost his wife during the attacks. This believability and attention to detail were appreciated by many, with Taylor often being considered the best of all theCSIteam leaders.
Gary Sinise has won multiple awards for his work with humanitarian charities.
Sinise’s award-nominated role as Lieutenant Dan Taylor inForrest Gumpwas extremely popular with veterans and led to him forming the ‘Lt. Dan Band,‘which performs at charity events all over the United States.This part of Sinise’s life was brought toCSI: New Yorkin the episode “Stuck On You,” during which Taylor reveals a secret talent: he can play guitar. The jazz band that Taylor performs with is played by his own Lt. Dan Band. Combining the classic ‘no-nonsense’ detective character with aspects of Sinise’s personality madeCSI: NY’s Mac stand out in the franchise.
CSI
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a multi-media franchise that began with the self-titled original series developed by Anthony E. Zuiker. The series follows various detectives as part of the CSI teams as they work behind the scenes (and in the field) to uncover the truths behind unsolved murders. The series has also enjoyed an extensive collection of simulation-style video games over the years as companions to ongoing television shows.
