The Wire - Complete Fifth Season

Average rating

(93%)

Starring:	Sonja Sohn \| Dominic West \| Lance Reddick
Director:	Ernest R. Dickerson, Joe Chappelle
Studio:	WARNER HOME VIDEO
Run time:	622 mins
Genres:	Drama \| Television
Languages:	English
Released:	September 22, 2008
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In chronicling a multi-generational family business dealing illegal drugs and the efforts of the Baltimore police to curb their trade, this series draws parallels between these organizations and the men and women on either side of the battle. Drawing similarities between those people who society champion as respectable and law-abiding and those dismissed as thugs, this series sets out to change this viewpoint by showing how criminogenic and unrespectable the articulate, political and respected can be, especially in American political-economic life, and how innocent and decent those from poor, poverty-wracked slums can be. The distinctions between the corporate world and organised crime are shown to have very little relevance.

Episodes Comprise:
1. More With Less
2. Unconfirmed Reports
3. Not For Attribution
4. Transitions
5. Reaction Quotes
6. The Dickensian Aspect
7. Took
8. Clarifications
9. Late Editions
10. -30-

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Highest rated reviews

15 out of 15 people found the following review helpful:

Sheer Brilliance!

A Customer from London, 18th September, 2008

If you are not already an addict, you can believe the hype. The Wire is simply the best TV series ever made. It even trumps other HBO greats such as the Sopranos and Deadwood. You get believable and morally complex characters, wonderful acting and direction, an epic story arc, superb writing, political and social issues (with no PC-ness), and even a cool soundtrack. The good news is that you need to start with the First Season. The bad news is that you may not get out of the house for a couple of months.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Out with a bang... AND a wimper

Roguefarmer from from Edinburgh, 15th October, 2008

This end to an all time TV favourite doesn't disappoint - even though it has been judged by fans of the series everywhere as controversial. I guess you could say the story set up from the Police perspective may seem more contrived and possibly incredible at first but stick with it - the general truth in this latest chapter about how the truth needs to be bent for political reasons in order to get anything in the US rings true. In fact the whole bigger theme of this season (of the media manipulating the political arena) is arguably more relevant to the UK than any other given the way we joined the US in Iraq based on falsely reported WMDs. And the way that MPs can be 'executed' by press innuendo, policies or personal lives leaked to the press. I know that the end of the final episode was somewhat different to what we've come to expect from The Wire but I for one needed something like it say goodbye to these amazing characters. Only thing now is what on earth can replace such good writing?

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