The Wire : Complete HBO Season 1
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List Price: £50.99
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Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Starring: Dominic West , Sonja Sohn
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1Audience Rating: Suitable for 18 years and overBinding: DVDEAN: 7321900253949Format: PALLabel: Warner Home VideoManufacturer: Warner Home VideoNumber Of Items: 5Publisher: Warner Home VideoRegion Code: 2Release Date: 2005-04-18Running Time: 720Studio: Warner Home Video
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Editorial Reviews:
Television really doesn’t come much better than this. Criminally ignored by far, far too many people, The Wire has proven itself to be that rarest of things: an intelligent, clever, character-driven show, that’s lasted more than one season.This boxset brings together all the episodes from the maiden series of The Wire , spread across thirteen episodes. Yet those episodes, unlike many in the police genre where the show spends a good deal of its time, are dedicated to just one case. Furthermore, it follows both sides of the case. Thus, there’s the Baltimore police department, with its statistics to manage, its internal politics to manage and its chain of command to respect, set against a highly organised drug gang, who too have more than their fair share of problems.
The Wire is a slow burn show, taking time to delicate put its pieces in place. Rarely do you get a dramatic end to an episode, and it’s not afraid to humanise and blur the lines between good and bad. But, bluntly, there’s nothing--not even The Sopranos --that US TV has broadcast in the last ten years that can hold a torch to it. This first series is genuinely outstanding television, and really deserves your attention. And the good news? Excellent as it is, this first series isn’t even the best that The Wire has to offer…--Simon Brew
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Utterly Compelling TelevisionComment: The Wire, simply, is about Baltimore's drug trade told from the the point of view of the police, the dealers, the bosses and the users. It's a complicated issue with heros and villains on each side with those divisions sometimes blurring.
This is all told in an uncompromising way - with slang laden dialogue, violence and moral turpitude. The viewer in firstly considered to be smart and full of attention because things happen so fast that you sometimes miss things. The characters are complex and develop over SEASONS rather than episodes and one finds oneself warming to not just the police but the protagonists.
I think that this is one of the best series that I have seen - it's up there with The West Wing, 24, Six Feet Under and Rescue Me. I think The Wire pips it because it is so well made and so uncompromising with characters so rich that you question whether they are actors at all. HBO must be considered, at this point, to be at the apex of television as an art form.
An absolute must see.Customer Rating: Summary: This is what TV should be likeComment: I've just finished watching at the last ever episode of the wire and was compelled to write a review of this masterpiece. I won't go into too much detail just to say that if you like a superbly written, well acted (for the most part) show that's totally compelling without the need for gimmicks or an unrealistic pace, then this is the show for you, it may take a few episodes to get hooked in but once you are there's no turning back, all the seasons connect up so it truly is epic in scale, yet despite it's complexity, multiple character lines, authentic street talk and shifting plot developments, it's still easy to follow
One small criticism would be that some of the direction in the earlier episodes is a tad clunky and sometimes has a feel of finding it's feet a little, but overall it's an amazing achievement by creator David Simon and co. I put it right up there with the Sopranos but for different reasons. This fully realizes the potential of television in doing what film can't. Basically if you don't like this you've got no taste
Customer Rating: Summary: five stars plus!Comment: Thanks, Amazon. I fancied this after reading about it on your website, and I really needed something to fill the void left after I had seen the Sopranos. Not as immediately engaging, but, in fact, this makes it all the more powerful since the audience has to concentrate on the drama unfolding, and on the disparate characters who populate the series. I am just at episode 10, and can't wait to finish this series and move on to the next. This is wonderfully written, un-cliched,intelligent and mesmeric, and I am so glad I discovered it (especially at the knock-down price on Amazon). Can I give it more than five stars, please?Customer Rating: Summary: Simply FantasticComment: I bought this DVD on the strength of reviews on Amazon and the fact the it rated Top 10 in Shortlist magazine for the best TV programmes of all time. There's nothing better than reading reviews and finding out they're exactly right. I'm not about to go all in-depth about this programme, it's realism, character building etc - just buy it. It is simply fantstic and the best programme I've viewed in a long time.Customer Rating: Summary: Finally The Show I've Been Waiting ForComment: No lengthy "Previously On"
No "creature of the week"-styled storylines
No exposition
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