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The Wire: Complete HBO Season 1-5 [2002] | ![The Wire: Complete HBO Season 1-5 [2002]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518IME3PaAL._SL500_.jpg)
| Actor: Dominic West
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: £124.99
Buy New: £88.06
You Save: £36.93 (30%)
New (2) from £88.06
Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 291
Format: Box Set, Pal
Language: English (Unknown)
Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region: 2
Number Of Discs: 24
Running Time: 3499 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.5 x 3.1
EAN: 7321902249360
ASIN: B001BBHG1S
Release Date: December 8, 2008 (In 3 Days)
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Not yet released
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Wire is one of those programmes where the increasing number of people who seem to passionately recommend it are simply not wrong. For buried underneath a mountain of praise, and talk of it being one of the finest television shows of all time, is a staggering piece of work, one that slowly but surely takes a look at the many facets of the drugs trade, centred in the city of Baltimore. Series by series, we spend time with the cops, the dealers, the media, local politicians, the education system and more, as The Wire gives each careful treatment, and a three-dimensional portrayal. It also paints a picture of a city in real trouble, with Baltimore one of The Wire’s uncredited stars. But where the show really delivers is in the characters it creates and moulds, and the very real troubles and challenges each of them must face. The show’s detailed strokes are even more compelling than the broader picture it paints. Enhanced by a series of non-showy performances in front of the camera, and some immaculate writing behind, The Wire really is that proverbial real deal. It’s genuinely unpredictable (characters of all sizes find themselves ruthlessly bumped off when you least expect them to), fearless in its tackling of certain subjects, and is that very masterpiece that an increasing army of champions of The Wire suggest it is. The five series contained here are genuinely American television at its very finest, right through to the final scene. Mesmerising television. --Simon Brew
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
Do believe the hype November 10, 2008
sniffer8 (Tokyo, Jpn)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The comparison in quality that one reviewer made on this page between Middlemarch and The Wire might seem far-fetched to anyone yet to see the series. It's not. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't expect ever to see TV of this excellence again. I've certainly never seen anything as good before.
As with others, I envy anyone approaching this work of utter genius for the first time.
Likely the single best piece of television to this date October 30, 2008
M. Rutter (UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Ed Burns and David Simon's The Wire is simply stunning. Its a crime/cop drama, but its contemporaries in the genre pale in comparison. This is no CSI or Law & Order; there are no whodunits, crusading forensics teams that go beyond their purview, or stark good vs. evil narratives here. This is about Baltimore; from the street corners to the docks, the homeless and junkies, the courthouse, the schools, etc... The series has never had a large following compared other HBO shows, but the HBO execs must have realised they had something very special that deserved to be aired. You won't find any instant gratification episode by episode, which is likely the main reason why a large audience never formed, but if you stay for the long haul you will be immensely satisfied.
All In The Game October 28, 2008
Moonchief (shangri la)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Unless you've lived under a rock - or not read a broadsheet paper for a while (or ever) - you'd be hard pressed to escape the intense glow of praise that has been heaped on this TV show.
The show is remarkable for many reasons and will hopefully 'raise the bar' in terms of standards of TV production. It is refreshing to see a TV company (HBO) to stick by a series that didnt set the ratings on fire. The Wire demands a lot of its audience. Firstly, the novelistic and labyrinthine structure offers no quarter as no flashbacks or lengthy
exposition are given to keep casual viewers in the loop. Unusually for TV, there is a predominately black cast, which mysteriously, even in this day and age still presents a problem to some. Most crucially, plots are not tied up in the comforting morality tale format where good overcomes evil. Life is not like that, people are not good nor evil, rather products of their environment and prone to corruption, false promise and decay. The complexities of society and its institutional dysfunctions that are illustrated here determine the fate of the character in line with their social standing. Compare this to most police procedurals (which are generally escapist, finger pointing exercises) from both side of the pond, it is extremely radical stuff.
Fantastic acting, unorthodox storylines based in fact, inter-twining plotlines and a refreshingly raw approach make this vital viewing. This is an intelligent milestone in a largely stupid medium.
Best TV Series - EVER. October 15, 2008
J. Potter (Shropshire, England)
Have just finished watching the finest bit of television i've ever seen. I am so gutted that it's all over and incredibly envious of anyone who is about to buy this box set and witness this amazing series.
The Wire isn't all out and out action but a slow burner that really makes you feel like you know the characters so well and, love them (Bubbles is the best)or hate them every one of them is great and memorable. If you make the right decision and buy this box set however be prepared to not do anything else till you finish it as it is soooooo addictive but once you have seen all 5 seasons i'm sure, like myself and the other reviewers here, you will feel you have witnessed one of the greatest shows ever made. I'm really going to miss these wonderful characters, they leave a huge impression.
The greatest October 13, 2008
Crazy Bald Heid (Surrey, England)
Another HBO masterstroke. David Simon and Ed Burns creation The Wire is so good it literally spoils other TV for you. You watch CSI and Criminal Minds and it feels like an insult to your intelligence.
Each series takes on a different "theme" or institution; in the first series it examines the workings of the drug trade and the police in Baltimore. "Bodymore Murderland" says the graffiti.
From the very outset this show is palpably different, the characters are complex with good and bad sides. The lines of what is good and isn't are blurred you don't root forthe cops. The casting is inspired and the characters plausible due in no small measure to the fact that they are either Baltimore characters or an amalgam of a number of characters. Bunk and Bubs really existed.
Series two moves into the crumbling docks and deals with the economics and the death of the port in this once great and proud harbour town.
Series three centres upon town hall and the corruption and the importance of demographics in deciding who runs the town.
Series four goes into the public education system - where the parallels between the statistics over real results in the education system and the police resonate with much of what is going on in the UK.
Series five closes this great drama by examining the role of the press and its effects upon perception in the city - where what goes in the front page is not the most important story. The death of honest investigative reporting in favour of sensationalism. The heart breaking series closing montage demonstrates that life goes on. There are no fairytale endings. Life goes on.
The storylines and characters are inventive and brave. This series is made for DVD it's complex and rewards the patient and intelligent. David Simon himself describes it as a visual novel - which is a great analogy, once you get past the scene setting early episodes and you can't put it down. Without the irritation of commercial breaks you can get with the narrative thread and the pace of the story lines. In amongst this seemingly bleak background there are stories of hope and despair but there is a humanity to the whole thing.
60 hours of absolute gold. It says much for how subversive this show is that irt has been continually overlooked by the Emmys. I think David Simon must be proud.
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