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(More customer reviews)HBO have at long last, decided to release this on DVD and thank goodness. The Wire is undoubtedly the best TV around these days since "Homicide: Life on the Street". No surprise then, I guess that the same man (David Simon) had/has a big hand in both series.
Unlike most crime/cop shows that have a beginning, middle and end in the one episode, the story here is spread over the entire series. We're seeing stuff that kicked off in Season 1 still developing in Season 3. Some viewers find this challenging - this certainly isn't a show you can watch while cooking dinner or chatting to your buddies on the phone. It's sad that ratings have dropped though because if you give the show the undivided attention it deserves and focus on the story, complex as it is, the rewards are truly immense.
After the drama on the docks that was the main focus of Season 2, Season 3 takes it back to the streets where we most like it. The Baltimore drug wars rage on, with Avon Barksdale, played by Wood Harris, out of jail to find his territory of corners under threat from young & ruthless upstart, Marlo, played utterly convincingly by Jamie Hector. Stringer Bell has held things down while Avon's been away but his methods have been questionable, to put things mildly. Stringer gets his comeuppance this season though and as much as I hated the character - and admired Idris Elba for playing it so well - I honestly didn't see his comeuppance coming in the way it eventually did. Scorching scriptwriting!
The police are desperately trying to keep up. Major "Bunny" Colvin, played by Robert Wisdom, comes up with the 'brilliant' idea of creating a 'safe zone' for drug sale and use in the city and this area gets dubbed Amsterdam. The plan seems to work - the rest of the city suddenly becomes a haven - but Colvin keeps the project from his superiors. The results are disastrous, for him and for the city.
Meanwhile, the detail is back on the hunt and as we watch them chase their tails, the questions left hanging in the air are what is this so-called war on drugs about, exactly? And who is winning?
In the background, meanwhile, there's scheming, wrangling and backstabbing in the corridors of the city political powers. Unlike the stuff on "The West Wing" this is the kind of politics I can get into and this is a story that is going to run and run.
Like any TV show, this one has its 'stars' but this is truly an ensemble performance. Everyone, whether it's by playing a starring role, a recurring role, bit part or even an extra, gets to contribute a crucial part of the jigsaw that makes up the big picture.
Still, I must mention some of my favourite performers. Apart from those already mentioned, they include: Lance Reddick, an actor with the ability to convey more with a single look than most actors can with a whole minute of dialogue, as Lieutenant Daniels; Dominick West, who plays Detective Jimmy McNutly, a cop who races to save the world while his own life crumbles around him; Sonja Sohn, who plays Detective Kima Greggs, McNulty's loyal partner, who realises she's not as ready for a life of domesticity with her girlfriend and their baby as she had originally thought; Andre Royo, who plays Bubbles the 'co-operative' drug fiend with heart; Michael K. Williams, who plays Omar the gay gangster with a shotgun - something I never thought I'd see on TV in my lifetime; Frankie Faison and John Doman who play Commissioner Burrell and Deputy Commissioner Rawls respectively (for some reason, neither fails to make me laugh out loud with every line they deliver); Michael Hyatt, who plays Brianna Barksdale, mother of D'Angelo (who was murdered in Season 2) and sister to kingpin Avon; and last but by no means least, the 'dynamic' duo Detectives Herc and Carver, played wonderfully by Dominick Lombardozzi and (the beautiful) Seth Gilliam respectively.
And then there's Chad L. Coleman as Dennis "Cutty" Wise, the ex-con who finds he no longer has the stomach for the streets. He turns to volunteering, running a youth boxing gym. Here's an actor to look out for and he brings an intensity to his role that I found mesmerising. I hope we get to see more of him in future Seasons.
This is a totally believable drama with cracking dialogue and nary a cliche or stereotype to be seen. The reactions to the show, both positive and negative just go to show how a gritty and realistic drama series can hit home.
This is a must for any connoisseur of mature and thought provoking TV. This is one show that takes a long, unapologetic and uncompromising look at an underclass we would all prefer to ignore and thus, while it's not always pretty, it is always riveting. If you don't have seasons 1 & 2, I recommend you get them now. This one of very few shows I am able to watch over and over and not get bored, learning and appreciating something new each time. I am placing my pre-order for Season 3 forthwith!
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Wire: The Complete Third Season (2004)
The heat is on in Baltimore. The drug war is being lost, bodies are piling up, and a desperate mayor wants the tide turned before the election. But the police department hasn't got any answers. With the demolition of the Franklin Terrace towers, Stringer Bell and the Barksdale crew have been forced to improvise. But no matter how hard McNulty and the detail try, the dealers always seem to be one step ahead of the game. DVD Features:Audio CommentaryEpisodic PreviewsEpisodic RecapsOtherAudio Commentary:Five audio commentaries with creatorDavid Simon, director Joe Chappelle, writers Richard Price and George Pelecanos, and producers Karen L. Thorson and Nina K. NobleInterviews:Q&A with David Simon and Creative Team, Courtesy of the Museum of Television & Radio Conversation with David Simon at Eugene Lang Collete, The New School for Liberal Arts
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