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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
People will watch The Wire 100 years from now, July 11, 2008
This review is from: The Wire - Seasons 1-4 (DVD)
Not a single tired cliche, characterization short-cut or unbelievable plot point. Not a single action motivated by anything other than the character's personality. If Dickens were alive today he would have been one of the writers.
The older I get the more critical I become of film/TV. I almost don't like anything anymore. It's easy for me to explain why so many other shows are poorly made. I wish it was easy to explain what makes The Wire so good.
It is violent, and season 4, because it deals with children, is very depressing. Everyone I meet, I ask them , have you seen it? And I ask them, 'what else do you think is as good as The Wire?' Perhaps there are shows I've missed. So far, everyone has said, 'such and such is good...but not as good as The Wire.'
What makes the Wire special is that it is more than entertainment. It is, excuse the hyperbole, a vision of truth. It is us. Laugh at me. I would too. Then watch. Start with Season One, Episode One.
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most valuable tv series ever, January 7, 2008
This review is from: The Wire - Seasons 1-4 (DVD)
As far as I am concerned, this is the best tv series ever. Not only is it great drama, it has meaningful social commentary. THe writing, acting, directing is top notch. How can it not be with writers like Pelecanos, Price and Lehane? I wish someone would pay attention to this series as it could help heal a multitude of cities with urban blight. Every college student should see this and high school and college courses should be given based on this series. It nails urban ills. Every sociology, education, poli-sci student should see this series before getting their degree. I mean it. I hope Baltimore can rise again. Last time I was there in the late 80s, it was just like the Wire. I had to submit a review because it sure deserves more than one star.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Deer Hunter of the inner-city drug crime era, May 21, 2008
This review is from: The Wire - Seasons 1-4 (DVD)
I lived in Baltimore during most of the time depicted in this TV series, and it's dead-on accurate. It has always struck me as both odd and sad that some of America's most architecturally beautiful cities were also some of the most crime-ridden, and Baltimore is a shining example of this problem.
The series has some shining performances (despite a slightly weak lead in Dominic West) and, most of the time, is utterly engrossing.
Series one and three are my personal favorites, as series two is a departure from the main story line into a somewhat less intriguing (though no doubt accurate) depiction of the corruption and trouble along Baltimore's docks.
The series, in the end, is both utterly entertaining and a striking indictment of America's second failed attempt at Prohibition (this time drugs, rather than alcohol), and specifically it's severely adverse effect on the poorest segments of our population.
The Wire is, in my opinion, the best television series ever produced, and probably one of the most important.
As far as pricing is concerned, please be aware that these are hour long episodes and as such you are buying the equivalent of 5 two-hour movies in each season, which makes the street price of $40-60 really quite reasonable.
And no, I do not and have never worked for HBO, this series is really just that good.
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