The Corner, 2000

Director Charles S Dutton
HBO Mini Series from 2000

sez says --this has a lot of the same cast as THE WIRE (which is a far superior production is every way).  There are 6 parts to THE CORNER -- we only watched thefirst two.  It was too boring to watch any more. And that is saying something--we seldom give up on a series, especially one this short.  But there was nothing to hold on to --or to compel you to want more.  To give it its due, it is an effort at a sympathetic portrayal of people living in a drug infested world.  It demonstrates that these people are much more than drug addicts and street punks and whores. Each person has history and all, except for the most forlorn, have urges toward decency, toward caring for others, toward being self critical, even toward having a sense of humor.  It is true we don't see these aspects of the down and out very often in our stories --- but making this point it is not enough, all by itself, to make a story interesting.   The truth is, it is no big secret that good people get lost in bad situations. GRADE D

mjc says:  Maybe I've just seen too many films about drugs: users, pushers, good cops, bad cops, politicians, but it is time to move on as, from a recent report I saw on LA, the users, pushers, etc seem to be doing.  Perhaps a series like this has contributed to the ability of folks to move on, I hope so but I can't watch any more of this.