This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Brand: Warner Brothers EAN: 0883929015368 Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC Label: Hbo Home Video Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video Number Of Items: 4 Publisher: Hbo Home Video Region Code: 1 Release Date: August 12, 2008 Running Time: 630 minutes Studio: Hbo Home Video Theatrical Release Date: January 01, 2008 Sales Rank: 34 MPN: 1000038240
Product Description: In the projects. On the docks. In City Hall. In the schools. And now in the media. The places and faces have changed but the game remains the same. Times are tough for the detail. Mayor Carcetti has slashed the departments budget to the bone. Police are operating without overtime some without cars and radios. Angered McNulty is off the rails again and headed down a dangerous path of deception and lies that will ally him with an unscrupulous reporter. The drug trade still rules the corners all you have to do is read between the lines.Running Time: 630 min.System Requirements:Running Time: 630 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 883929015368 Manufacturer No: 1000038240
Amazon.com: A barroom toast to Det. Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), a one-man good cop/bad cop, offered in The Wire's final episode could very well serve as this series' epitaph: "When you were good, you were the best we had." Season five bears witness to this. The 10 riveting, wrenching episodes focus on yet another beleaguered Baltimore institution, The Baltimore Sun daily newspaper, whose staff, much like the police, is forced to do more with less. One editor (Clark Johnson) struggles to maintain the paper's journalistic standards in the face of declining ad revenues, employee buyouts and bureau closures. An ambitious reporter (Tom McCarthy) undermines him by taking a page out of the Stephen Glass/Jayson Blair playbook, manufacturing sensational quotes, and eventually, whole stories, while bean-counter management encourages its rising star and keeps its eye on the (Pulitzer) prize. Meanwhile, on the streets, the year-long investigation of rising drug lord Marlo Sansfield (Jamie Hector) and the 22 bodies found in "the vacants" has been discontinued and police morale is at an all-time low (the money promised to the department has been diverted to the schools). McNulty manufactures a serial killer case that will have far-reaching repercussions in the mayor's office, where Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen) is mounting a run for governor a mere two years into his term. "I wonder what it would be like to work at a real police station," McNulty rages at one point. The Wire, as ever, is all about real. It's a gritty and unflinching look at life in one of roughest districts of a "broke-ass city." There is street justice for some characters, and street injustice for others. Some meet sad, sudden, or shocking ends that defy TV convention. Referring to Marlo, McNulty declares early on, "He does not get to win; we get to win." The hard-earned victories are mostly small, or come with a price. Not that The Wire does not offer glimmers of hope. Bubbles (Andre Royo) struggles to maintain his sobriety (Steve Earle portrays the leader of his 12-step program and also does the theme song honors this season), and the final episode features a cameo by Jim True-Frost as the once overwhelmed teacher, "Prez," who now seems to have the hang of the job. The ratings-strapped and criminally Emmy-snubbed The Wire has always been a critic's darling with a passionate fan base. To the show's credit, it did not make itself more accessible in its final season (consequently, its send-off did not receive near the fanfare of The Sopranos or Sex and the City). That should not dissuade newcomers to the show. It is heavy lifting, and if you're just joining The Wire, a visit to the show's official website for orientation is recommended. But buy it, watch it, and be patient. It's so worth it. From the masterful storytelling to the peerless ensemble, it just doesn't get any better than The Wire. But that's not exactly news. --Donald Liebenson
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - What am I going to do now The Wire's finished
Another great season - which neatly wraps up every story line that was ever started. Not as good as season 4 in my opinion. But there are some brilliant moments in Season 5. Addicted Wire fans won't bother ... Read More
Rating: - The Wire
The best television series ever produced, without a doubt. As someone who works in Baltimore, I can attest to its accuracy. It is about a lot more than murder and drugs. Check it out.
Rating: - GREAT ENDING TO A GREAT SERIES
We got hooked on the THE WIRE by accident. It, without a doubt, exceeds any HBO Special up to this point, including may I say, THE SOPRANOS; and we have the complete DVD series on both! The Wire is superior ... Read More
Rating: - Ending of a classic (spoilers in review)
Maybe it's only at the end of something that we begin to truly appreciate what we had all along. For five seasons, we lived and breathed with the citizens of Baltimore; the drug life that thrives on the streets, ... Read More
Rating: - How to ruin a mini series in 10 episodes or less.....
What happend? For the life of me, I cannot believe that HBO concluded a great mini series like "The Wire" in such a way! If I could get my money back for the whole 5 seasons I would! I was so disappointed with season ... Read More
- What am I going to do now The Wire's finished
- The Wire
- How to ruin a mini series in 10 episodes or less.....