The Wire - The Complete 1st Season (5 Disc Set Slimline) reviews

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4.8 out of 5 stars Based on 43 Customer Ratings

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"Believe the hype."
5 stars"
Purchased on Mighty Ape

Okay first off, when I watched the pilot episode I really didn't get what all the fuss was about considering what everyone had been telling me: “The greatest TV show ever!”, “You have got to watch this show!” and “Better than The Shield, dude.” Straight off the bat it was dense, murky, with unlikeable characters and by the end of the episode I still didn't know what the hell had gone on. I gave up on it for about 2 months before deciding I hadn't given it a proper go. Though by the time I finished the third episode I was totally hooked and glad I was so completely wrong! I'm now well on my way through season 5.

The Wire is unlike any crime television show you've ever seen. It inverts so many police drama cliches and constantly overthrows your expectations. Set in Baltimore, Maryland Season 1 focuses on the formation and operation of a wiretapping unit which aims to bring down a criminal empire; although this description doesn't really do it justice as it is much more subtle and intriguing than just that. Each of the five seasons show different aspects of Baltimore such as the docks, city administration, the school system and the newspapers. This keeps the series fresh although it never strays from its overall theme of administrative failure.

If there is a disadvantage to watching The Wire is it will make every other crime drama you watch seem shallow, obvious and dull. So believe the hype, buy this DVD, get hooked and be glad that you still have another 4 excellent seasons to watch of this unique and gripping show.

8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
"The start of a great story."
5 stars"
Purchased on Mighty Ape

The first chapter in the story of an American city that has more than its fair share of problems. The first season of The Wire is compelling and essential viewing if you plan on getting into this series. It is the kick-off point for the story threads that build in the following seasons, key characters get their introductions and some important themes such as surveillance (as alluded to in the series name), class struggle, police corruption etc. The series starts very strongly- the acting is excellent, direction tight and creative and the characters are very well defined and multi faceted. Great television.

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
"its brillant"
5 stars"
Purchased on Mighty Ape

Unlike most television crime dramas, which neatly introduce and then solve a case all in the space of one hour, HBO's THE WIRE follows one single drug and homicide investigation throughout the length of an entire season. Centered on the drug culture of inner-city Baltimore, the series' storyline unfolds from the points of view of both the criminals lording the streets and the police officers determined to bring them down. This first season introduces detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) and his supervisor, Cedric Daniels (Lance Reddick), as they begin to pursue evidence against drug kingpin Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris). Meanwhile, Barksdale and his henchmen Stringer (Idris Elba) and Wee-Bey (Hassan Johnson) concern themselves with a rival drug dealer (Michael K. Williams) who's been cutting into their profits. Created by writer David Simon (THE CORNER, HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET), THE WIRE's multifaceted approach offers a nuanced overview of every aspect of the drug trade and the complex morality of its participants.

4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
"Excellent TV Series"
5 stars"
Purchased on Mighty Ape

The quality of this product is truly top-notch, a brilliant tv series all fans of the crime genre can enjoy.

"Dark, complex, and far more realistic than the competition."
5 stars"
Purchased on Mighty Ape

Be warned that the show is painfully slow to start out with. The first four or five episodes serve to introduce all the main players.

After that, you can expect a complex and rewarding story. The show follows the rise of the violent and drug-dealing Barksdale Organization in the city of Baltimore. On the other side, we bare witness to the actions of police officers like Jimmy McNulty, who not only have to deal with criminals, but also the political machinations of other cops.

I didn't have any issues with the visual or audio quality of the DVDs.

"Great tv." Purchased on Mighty Ape

I had read a couple of reviews of this series who said it was the best series ever on tv, so I tried to get hold of the first season, but could not find it and then Mighty Ape had it in stock, so rushed to order it. I have watched four episodes so far and love it. Highly recommend.

"Great service"
5 stars"
Purchased on Mighty Ape

Thanks for making it such a quick service! Cheers!

"Totally Cool!"
5 stars"
Purchased on Mighty Ape

Once upon a time there was a story about cops in Baltimore......this is just WOW! The first episode sets you up to meet a few of the main players, and by episode 3 you will be addicted and wondering how many episodes you can watch before you have to get back to the real world:)

"The King of TV "
5 stars"
Purchased on Mighty Ape

What to say about The Wire- There's so much to go through in this one season alone, in fact there's probably more to talk about in this first season of The Wire than there is for any of those other dramas that run ten years plus. To put it in unfairly simple terms, the Wire is a show about West Baltimore based gangsters and the police that are trying to stop them. However, there's so much more to the Wire than simply “cops and robbers”, it's an examination of the modern American city, especially the dirt parts, a righteous crusade against mindless bureaucracy, and a blistering condemnation of the “War on Drugs”

While it's effectively and ensemble piece, the main man in the Wire is Dominick West as Jimmy McNulty, a gifted, hard drinking, womanising, morally dubious homicide detective who you could quite easily dislike if it wasn't for his charming swagger and West's brilliant performance. On the other side of the law are gang kingpin Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris), a man whose passion and savagery is only matched by his love for his family. Barksdale's second in command, Stringer Bell (Idris Elba), a quieter, no less violent but far more intelligent consigliere, who has designs of one day going legit and becoming a businessman. Finally there's Avon's nep­hew, D'Angelo Barksdale, who may not even be cut out for the drug trade at all.

It's not all gangs and coppers, though. There's cherry, resilient Bubbles, a heroin addict brought to life brilliantly by Andre Royo, and last but certainly not least, Machiavellian thief Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), a man who makes his living robbing and (sometimes) murdering drug dealers.

I won't go to deeply into the plot, because it's best you discover this brilliant story yourself, but here's a brief summary of how it gets started. McNulty frustrated at seeing yet another drug gang bribe and intimidate witnesses into silence goes and complains about it to a judge. Dropping the name “Avon Barksdale” and explaining Barksdale's in­fluence, it's not long before the judge strong arms the higher ups in the Baltimore police department into looking into Barksdale's or­ganisation and the case begins.

The DVD itself doesn't contain much in the way of special features. Well, it contains a few commentaries but that's it. This doesn't matter though, the Wire stands alone as the greatest TV show in history, yes better than the brilliant Sopranos, or Mad Men, or anything like that, and doesn't need special features when the show itself is so remarkably special in its own right.

"well written series - great character development"
5 stars"
Purchased on Mighty Ape

Whilst not that enamoured with the first episode, as I watched subsequent ones I rapidly engaged with the story and characters

Gives impressive insight into habitual drug users lives as well as police life in a brutally honest unpolished manner

"Guaranteed Great Viewing"
5 stars"
Purchased on Mighty Ape

If you are looking at this product, I probably don't have to convince you too hard to buy this. The Wire is probably the greatest show in TV history. The show is stunningly put together and will have you hooked.

"The best "TV" series I have ever seen (twice)"
5 stars"
Purchased on Mighty Ape

I was hooked immediately I started watching The Wire. It wasn't like the usual cop shows where often a particular formula is played out to a satifactory conclusion. Viewers who like car chases and to have the good guys wearing white hats and the bad guys with black hats will be bored. The Wire is highly complex but hyper-real. That's because all the writers have actually worked in the various ‘systems’ presented: police, school, journalism, politics, etc., and many of the actors are real people – former drug dealers and users, former cops, etc. So the language and the scenarios have an air of authencity. Stories are multi-layered and characters are multi-dimensional. So many characters are charismatic that it's hard to pick a favourite. The Wire is more about how systems actually work (or get corrupted) and human failings than the stories, although they're pretty good, too. Why I am buying this- Well, it's hard to pick up all the nuances in just two sittings.