The
Wire: The Complete Series (2002 - 2008/HBO Blu-ray Box Set)
Picture:
B+ Sound: A- Extras: B Episodes: A
Now
considered a classic television drama, fan favorite HBO's The
Wire has
finally arrived on Blu-ray. Thankfully the series was delivered in
Complete
Series form,
so as to not have to needlessly wait to binge watch. Premiering in
2002, the series ran for 5 seasons (60 episodes) until 2008. The
drama chronicles the different institutions throughout the city of
Baltimore, Maryland. This in depth look into urban life displays the
link between these institutions and law enforcement; often times
emphasizing crime within the school system, bureaucracy, and the
state of the illegal drug trade.
David
Simon's series is a social commentary on the city of Baltimore,
exploring every nook and crevice of Urban life; from police force, to
drugs, to the (seemingly) benign middle class life. A truly engaging
and enlightening series; The
Wire manages
to highlight Urban decay in a brilliant manner.
Former
Police reporter, turned author David Simon was the show runner;
creating and writing the bulk of the series. The
Wire
featured a host guest stars (outside of the regular cast), many of
which were real-life Baltimore figures. Using actual experiences and
frustrations from his time fighting the bureaucracy at the Sun
Times,
as well as his friend/writing partner Ed Burns' time spent as a
homicide detective. The use of genuine experience gives the series a
deep, dark, gritty feel; leading many to call The
Wire one
of the best series of all time. Another aspect of the series that
heightens its realistic feel was Simon's choice to use lesser known
(character actors) as the main cast. This allowed viewers to take a
journey through crime ridden Baltimore, without being distracted by
A-listers. Actors such as Michael K. Williams (Omar Little) and
Lance Reddick (Cedric Daniels) coupled with real-life Baltimore
officials may not have been 'A-list' celebrities to start, but their
performances were exceptional to the point of cinematic.
Staring
Frankie Faison, Idris Elba, Dominic West, Michael K. Williams and
many more the series blends near unknowns with real life figures to
give the series a sense of realism like no series before.
Whereas
the series could have easily been another police procedural; instead
it used the characters and their complex, messed up lives to propel
the series’ stories forward. The stories are rich and full of
life; acting more as an exploration into the psyche of a city than
anything else. The seasons each stand on their own as excellent; and
though some think the final season was a step back, this reviewer
thinks each season has its merits that act as an integral part of a
whole.
The
technical features of this 20-disc Complete
Series
Blu-ray set are wonderfully done. Beautifully contained in one large
box with keep cases inside, The
Wire is
in line technically and aesthetically with other HBO releases such as
The
Sopranos and
Entourage.
The picture is presented in a 1080p, AVC encoded, MPEG-4, 1.78 X 1
high definition that looks great from beginning to end. Whereas
somewhat shocking to view a series in full frame at this point; the
series remains impressive. HBO has made it a point to showcase that
The
Wire has
been fully remastered in 16 X 9 Full Frame HD using the original 35mm
camera negatives. The series has an intentional dark and gritty look
(even leaning toward blue/grey scale at times), but this does not
distract and in fact heightens the realism. In fact, it is nice to
see that the HBO remastering has NOT sterilized the image to the
point of diminishing intended grit, grime, and texture. With the
series being overwhelmingly dark (taking place a night, in bars,
etc.) it is admirably visually prioritized as nothing seems to get
lost in the shadows. The solid image continues with crisp, clean
detail as the viewer can see every hair, fiber, and body fluid that
hits the screen. The audio is equally well done in its 5.1 DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) lossless track using all of the surrounds and putting
the viewer in the heart of the action. The crime drama is dialogue
heavy and each and every whisper can be heard with ease.
Concurrently the crime part of the drama rings through loud and clear
with a dynamic track that has solid directionality and panning
effects. The music (heavily hip hop) is important to the series
atmosphere and here on Blu-ray is masterfully displayed; setting the
tone for each scene.
The
extras (bonus features) for this set include much of what was on the
previous DVD sets released. This set includes:
Over
20 episodes of Audio Commentaries by cast/crew on multiple episodes
2-Part
Behind the Scenes Documentary [~1 hour]
'It's
All Connected'
'The
Game is Real'
The
Wire: The Last Word featurette
The
Wire Odyssey retrospective
Prequels
The
Wire Reunion [~85min]
In
the end, this is an amazing series that deserves a look; whether it
is for a first time viewing or a second, third, or fourth time
around, The
Wire remains
an amazingly engaging series. The
Wire will
CERTAINLY stand the test of time as it emphasizes the people of a
diverse and complicated city.
-
Michael P. Dougherty II