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The Wire : Complete HBO Season 1 [DVD]
 
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The Wire : Complete HBO Season 1 [DVD]

DVD ~ Dominic West
4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (142 customer reviews)
RRP: £51.99
Price: £15.68 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

The Wire : Complete HBO Season 1 [DVD] + The Wire: Complete HBO Season 2 [DVD] + The Wire: Complete HBO Season 3 [DVD]
Total RRP: £143.97
Price For All Three: £44.64

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Wire : Complete HBO Season 1 [DVD]
89% buy the item featured on this page:
The Wire : Complete HBO Season 1 [DVD] 4.7 out of 5 stars (142)
£15.68
The Wire: Complete HBO Season 2 [DVD]
4% buy
The Wire: Complete HBO Season 2 [DVD] 4.8 out of 5 stars (71)
£12.98
The Wire: Complete HBO Season 1-5 [DVD] [2002]
2% buy
The Wire: Complete HBO Season 1-5 [DVD] [2002] 4.7 out of 5 stars (54)
£85.68
State Of Play : Complete BBC Series 1 [2003] [DVD]
2% buy
State Of Play : Complete BBC Series 1 [2003] [DVD] 4.8 out of 5 stars (56)
£3.98
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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
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

Product Description
Dominic West, John Doman, Wendell Pierce, Lance Reddick, Deirdre Lovejoy Directors: Brad Anderson, Clark Johnson, Clément Virgo, Edward Bianchi, Gloria Muzio

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Customer Reviews

142 Reviews
5 star:
 (121)
4 star:
 (13)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (5)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (142 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
128 of 132 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Real Art, 1 Jul 2007
By C. J. Weekes - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Over the last few years the quality of the US dramas have been outstanding. The shortned List -: 24, West wing, Battlestar Galactica Rome, Deadwood and of course The Sopranos.

I borrowed The Wire on the strength of this and it was very hard going at first. It had a gritty and unappealing setting(inner city Baltimore). The Pace was pendantic and there was so much street slang and police jargon, it did not seem to be going anywhere. I had not even read the reviews. I was truly going to return it. But at about the 6th or 7th episode. I began to understand the reason for the earlier seeming directionlesness.They were laying the foundations, indeed there was line I think the character Lester made about building things piece by piece till all the characters fit. I aslso began to realise what the writers had done they had created a whole universe, I simply had to see things in thier context.

Now having watched all 3 Seasons on DVD. I concur with the other viewers is saying that this is truly an extraordinary piece of work, A tale of an American city taken from different perspectives as an allegory for something that is happening in the society at a more profound level. Kudos to the writers for the complexity and depth and to HBO for being so bold (as they have always been). The acting is simply seamless, you could be forgiven for thinking you are watching a documentary. The show scope is breathtaking. It has truly raised the bar on what televison can produce
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81 of 86 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest cop show of all time., 30 Mar 2005
The Wire was made by HBO an american cable network. By being on cable HBO avoids the censorship and popularism that makes much of the american TV that we receive bland (if polished), this has allowed it to create series of the quality of the Sopranos and Deadwood. The Wire has failed to "break out" in the way that those series have and was only shown on FX289, a little watched SKY channel, in the UK. This does The Wire a grave injustice as it is arguably superior to either of the aforementioned shows as it possesses an ensemble cast as strong as either of them with fantastic performances from Idris Elba and Andre Royo among others. However, it is in plot that The Wire surpasses any other show I can recall, most detective shows are episodic containing one or two crimes at the start of the hour that are solved in the last 5 minutes. The Wire breaks this mould following a team of detectives trying to catch Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell two dealers who control the drug trade in East Baltimore over a whole series rather than an episode. This perhaps accounts for The Wire's lack of success on TV as one missed episode means you fail to see the jigsawlike case completed and fully understand what happens. The show is also unusual in that it shifts perspective between the police, criminals and addicts and in doing so becomes more than a CSI style whodunnit, and more a show about institutions and the people within them. In short the most fantastically clever thing on telly.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding - just get beyond the first episode, 14 Oct 2008
I watched the first episode of the Wire a few months ago and wasn't sure what to make of it and allowed the box set to gather dust on the shelf. However, while on holiday I started watching 2 or 3 episodes at a time and suddenly it had a rhythm that wasn't there before. This isn't some quick fix TV like Lost or 24, this unfolds like a novel (unsurprising as the show features writing from the likes of Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos) and rewards the viewer who follows the simple instruction on the cover of the box 'Listen Carefully'. I'm now on series 4 and it gets better and better - I envy those who haven't yet discovered this brilliant series - they have such an treat in store for them.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wire Series 1
This show is absolutely brilliant. If the weather's not great (at the weekend or something), then spend a few days watching this. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Roisin McGrellis

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and involving drama
Social realism and fantastic writing with a superb narrative that involves a huge cast. It is well shot and well cast with very strong performances. Read more
Published 18 days ago by H. Merttens

5.0 out of 5 stars This or the full set?
The Wire is brilliant, no doubt aboout it. Think of each series as a novel rather than a TV series. Each episode is a chapter that doesn't wrap everything up, but does leave you... Read more
Published 27 days ago by Pippin

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent - persevere and it will reward
As per some other reviews here, I'm a big fan of Sopranos and West Wing. The Wire is of a similar quality to these series and we found them essential viewing and always a case of... Read more
Published 29 days ago by Kevin Parsons

4.0 out of 5 stars From dire to unmissable
The Wire : Complete HBO Season 1 [DVD]

Found the first 3/4 episodes difficult to enjoy: lack of sympathy with the characters, lots of "americanisms" which I found... Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. Marley

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superlative Drama
The Wire is the story of both sides of an investigation into a drugs baron from the perspective of the police and the criminals. Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. M. Gray

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Wired' for entertainment
This is a drama series about drug trafficking, murder, and far reaching corruption in the city of Baltimore, shown from both sides 'Cops & Drug dealers' also the political... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Will Scott

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wire - Season 1 lives up to its reputation
Having heard about The Wire from a few sources I wasn't sure how much was hype, but it is a genuinely excellent series. Read more
Published 1 month ago by H. Neale

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wire Series 1
An Excellent drama, the main theme of this series is a special police unit's attempt to bring down a drugs organisation in the Baltimore projects by the use of telephone... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Stewart Ash

1.0 out of 5 stars Not nearly as good as people say
I bought this on the basis of a friend telling me how outstanding it is and hearing people drone on about how this is the best TV series ever made etc.. Read more
Published 2 months ago by James Natep

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Does anyone know when the wire is set???????? 5 1 month ago
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