The Wire (Season 3)
HBO
2004
Rating:

The problem (at least for me) with most crime shows ("Law & Order," "CSI," their various spin-offs and imitators) is that, as well-crafted as they are, they have little-to-no interest in character development, plot arcs and, ultimately, humanity. "The Wire" overflows with all three. Considering that it's co-written by acclaimed novelists George Pelecanos ("Right as Rain") and Dennis Lehane ("Mystic River"), it should be no surprise that "The Wire" often feels like the most dense crime novel ever written, faithfully brought to the small screen chapter by chapter. The series, which follows various police units and the warring drug gangs they're trying to contain, paints a hellish vision of Baltimore that's probably made the job of the city's tourism board much more difficult. The deliriously complex, interwoven plots have also made casual viewing impossible, resulting in low ratings. Given a choice between the self-contained, anodyne worlds of network crime shows and "The Wire," I'll take this grotesque, subtle vision of a heroic fight to win an unwinnable drug war any day.

Posted Saturday, April 16, 2005

Link to this review:
http://filmzeus.pressbin.com/tv/the.wire.season.3