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Amazon.co.uk Review
The bleak reality of drug addiction is captured with unflinching authenticity in The Corner, an excellent, reality-based HBO miniseries. Having lived on the streets of West Baltimore, Maryland, where this compelling drama takes place, actor-director Charles S. Dutton knows the territory, physically, socially, and emotionally, and his compassionate approach is vital to the series' success. Dutton cares for his characters deeply enough to give them a realistic shred of hope, even when hope is consistently dashed by the ravages of addiction. This is, at its root, a family tragedy, focusing on errant father Gary (T.K. Carter, in a heartbreaking performance) a once-successful investor trapped in a tailspin of heroin dependency. His estranged wife Fran (Khandi Alexander) was the first to get hooked, and she's struggling to get clean, while their 15-year-old son DeAndre (Sean Nelson, from the indie hit Fresh) deals drugs, temporarily avoiding their deadly allure while facing the challenge of premature fatherhood.
Through revealing flashbacks and numerous local characters, we see the explicit fallout of addiction, and while violence occasionally erupts, its constant threat is secondary to Dutton's dramatic vision, which remains steadfastly alert to the humanity and neglected potential of these lost and searching souls. The Corner is,essentially the civilian flipside of HBO's equally laudable series The Wire, which approaches a similar neighbourhood from a police-squad perspective. Performances are uniformly superb, details are uncannily perfect, and for all of its human horror, The Corner is riveting, not depressing. A closing interview with the characters' real-life counterparts bears witness to the fact that these lives, with inevitable exceptions, need not be lost forever. --Jeff Shannon
Through revealing flashbacks and numerous local characters, we see the explicit fallout of addiction, and while violence occasionally erupts, its constant threat is secondary to Dutton's dramatic vision, which remains steadfastly alert to the humanity and neglected potential of these lost and searching souls. The Corner is,essentially the civilian flipside of HBO's equally laudable series The Wire, which approaches a similar neighbourhood from a police-squad perspective. Performances are uniformly superb, details are uncannily perfect, and for all of its human horror, The Corner is riveting, not depressing. A closing interview with the characters' real-life counterparts bears witness to the fact that these lives, with inevitable exceptions, need not be lost forever. --Jeff Shannon
DVD Description
On the front lines of America's drug war, one family is living in the crossfire.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I could write an essay on the virtues of this series, but instead I'll just say that this is pretty much a masterpiece of a miniseries. Its not worthy or hard-work, in fact its the opposite, a super fine focussed look at life in a drug supermarket in Baltimore based on actual real life occurrences and it has got some serious soul to it. At times its hilarious , other times its heartbreaking, and it gets the balance between the two just right. But what really did it for me was the way it took non-fiction events and turned them into something that is a definitive parable of the shift in values regarding the deliberate neglect of communities over the last 30 years. If that sounds kind of vague, well, I guess I just don't want to give to much away, but I can't recommend it enough. Truly powerful stuff.
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a fore runner to the brilliant series 'The Wire', 'The Corner' has plenty going for it. This series is in six parts and is based around a family from Baltimore. The story charts a year in the life of this family and as this is based on a true story it does make for grim viewing at times. It is a fine piece of television.
The acting is pretty much fabulous across the board here and in particular Khandi Alexander as Fran. She is superb and for her to stand out in a cast this good says much for her performance. There are several actor's from 'The Wire' in this series and it seems odd at first to see them in roles completely different to the ones we are more used to. There is a very nice touch at the end when the real character's featured are interviewed and this obviously adds to the realism.
So is it as good as 'The Wire'? In my opinion it isn't quite up to the very high standards that that series has set but it is definitely well worth watching and would make a very worthwhile purchase.
The acting is pretty much fabulous across the board here and in particular Khandi Alexander as Fran. She is superb and for her to stand out in a cast this good says much for her performance. There are several actor's from 'The Wire' in this series and it seems odd at first to see them in roles completely different to the ones we are more used to. There is a very nice touch at the end when the real character's featured are interviewed and this obviously adds to the realism.
So is it as good as 'The Wire'? In my opinion it isn't quite up to the very high standards that that series has set but it is definitely well worth watching and would make a very worthwhile purchase.
48 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I watched the Corner having already watched the Wire and loved it. Despite being freaked out that a lot of the same actors are in both series (especially when they are junkies in the Corner and police in the Wire)it acts as a sort of warm up for newbies. The 6 part mini series is based on real interviews and it's gritty ie. they show a lot of needles which made my husband very queasy ! The characters are likeable though and considering I wasn't sure how dark this would be I found myself really engaged in the story of how members of one family have been affected by poverty and drugs.
This really won't appeal to everyone, but that's not the point. It't nowhere near as many hours as the wire so you can get an introduction or if like me you watch it after then you pretty much know you'll get the hang of it. Well written and beautifully acted throughout - worth a watch.
This really won't appeal to everyone, but that's not the point. It't nowhere near as many hours as the wire so you can get an introduction or if like me you watch it after then you pretty much know you'll get the hang of it. Well written and beautifully acted throughout - worth a watch.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great miniseries that everyone should see
This gritty drama is well worth watching. Without going into too much detail, it's a lot like The Wire but told more from the perspective of the addicts (and based on the lives of... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Matt
Everybody needs to see this.
This mini-series is brutal, gritty, depressing and sad, but it is also incredible. This is something that everybody should see as it educates them on the terrible drug dealing in... Read more
Published 4 months ago by B. J. Evans
Superb
Having seen The Wire I just had to see this too, and thankfully it's just as gritty and realistic. The acting is top notch, and it really gives you a good idea of how hard it is... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Chris
Brilliant but not a light romcom!
Myself and my wife bought this on the back of loving the Wire. We thought that it was excellent and moving and sad and pretty gritty. Read more
Published 7 months ago by CelticKayaker
nothing like the wire
I loved the wire, and 24 and i bought homicide life on the street and thought it was watchable. I bought the sheild and got quite into it. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Ms. F. J. Marsh
The Corner DVD
OMG!!! This brought back so many memories and I was able to catch up on those episodes that I missed back then. Quality was superb, I highly recommend it. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Vettiebooh
Slow, high impact viewing
Difficult viewing on many levels. This docudrama lack the sharpness of 'The Wire' - and, as in life, the story rambles a bit - and there are times when it looks more like an... Read more
Published 22 months ago by L. Quinn
Corner Girl Comments...
As someone with experience of this world myself, I cannot speak highly enough of this series, or perhaps more specifically, of the book behind it. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Annabelle Smoke
Un vrai choc !
A voir absolument par les amateurs de The Wire. Même ville une bonne décennie plus tôt, la même misère vue surtout du côté des dope fiends.
Published on 3 May 2010 by Adeloi
A good documentary
I found that this was a good pre squeal to the Wire, a lot of the characters were similar to the Wires but also it was a true story. Read more
Published on 27 April 2010 by Eric J. Wright
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