Directed By: Charles S. Dutton. Written by: David Simon, Edward Burns, David Mills. Starring: T.K. Carter, Khandi Alexander, Sean Nelson..
This review is SOOO biased, it may feel at times that I'm banging my head against a brick wall!!
I think it is fair to say that I am a huge, huge, huge, huge admirer of David Simon's work. From watching "Homicide: Life on the Street" to reading the wondrous book it was based on, to subsequent book and mini-series "The Corner", there has been a genuine heartfelt empathy to the emotions expressed heavily through the respective works of a former Baltimore newspaper reporter who spent his tenure covering police stories.
Sadly, Simon must have annoyed some TV exec somewhere in the higher echelons of TV land, because the shows that he has worked on in the past, have been largely ignored by plaudits and audiences alike in favour of less inspiring shows. Homicide was largely regarded as the 'Best show on Television that no-one's watching'; The Corner itself during its TV run both in the UK and US, has in the long term been usurped by the slightly inferior 'Sopranos' but did manage to win 3 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Mini-Series, Direction and Writing; and the excellent "The Wire" was completely ignored in the nominations process this year for the Emmys, whilst receiving plaudits galore from media critics.
It is fair to say that unless something changes, Simon will always appeal to a cult following. This is a shame, considering the TV adaptation of "The Corner" is a cavalcade of emotions, from dark humour to the saddening plight of some of the 'characters' of this depiction of real junkies Simon met whilst he and co-writers David Mills and Edward Burns (a retired police officer) observed a Baltimore drug corner for a year.
The Film
Originally a six-part mini series, shown on HBO in the US (and later shown on E4 in the UK), The Corner follows the struggles of mainly three characters; Gary McCullough(played by T.K. Carter); a 34 year old former construction worker struggles with his addictions having been dragged down by ex-partner Fran Boyd (Khandi Alexander); herself a long-time addict who tries to get herself clean to impress the need to get away from the Corner to her son Deandre McCullough(Sean Nelson); a 15 year old Corner boy schooled in the game of distribution, whilst dealing with the impending overtures of fatherhood to his on/off girlfriend Tyreeka Freemon (played by Toy Connor). All these actors turn in superb performances, especially
Carter and Alexander, who really express the selfish desire of addiction in such a powerful manner, you really do sympathize with their cravings for 'the ready rock', 'the heron', 'the pipe', 'the hype' and other drug slang as they search for the righteous high - the high that was as good as the first time. However, more clearly is the aim of the writers and producers to create an understanding of the effects that the addictive qualities of the Corner has in the downward spiral of its inhabitants.
From the moment Director Charles S. Dutton finished his opening monologue, I was sold. I knew this was going to be something special. Thankfully with a supporting cast of extras from other great shows such as OZ, Homicide, ER (like Clarke Peters as veteran junkie Fat Curt, Tyra Ferrell as community volunteer Ella Thompson, Reg E. Cathey as junkie Scalio, Glenn Plummer as George 'Blue' Epps, and Clayton LeBouef as Fran's reformed junkie Scoogie), the Corner is shown to be the star, with the characters merely the parasites feeding their habits. You also have cameos from former junkies Fran, and George 'Blue' Epps in minor roles, and the interaction between themselves and their characterizations is truly inspirational.
As a body of work, the Corner truly deserves to be landmark in TV history, from it's documentary direction, to the deeply emotive scripts, and the incredibly powerful performances from Carter, Alexander (who was always under-used in ER), and Nelson (who was great in both Homicide and the movie “Fresh").
The Dvd
Presented in a standard 4:3 Aspect Ratio, having been largely recorded on hand-held format, the format transitions to DVD acceptably, the colour matches the bleakness of the story in its documentary mode, but at times, shows vibrancy in flashbacks, and is clear enough to watched comfortably.
The Audio
Presented in both English and Spanish DD mixes, again is adequate. With the exception of background music as part of the documentary format, there is no soundtrack, and all dialogue is audible. Subtitles are also included in English, Spanish, and French.
The Extras:
Sadly, this is where the DVD falls down. Only the bog standard character and crew bios are included. Whilst the 6 one-hour episodes are a joy to watch again and again, the DVD could have been perfectly complemented with additional commentaries from Dutton, Simon, Mills, Burns, and any number of actors (particularly Carter and Alexander). A Behind the Scenes, or featurette with the actual members of the Corner would have really insightful, especially if allowed to go into depth on how the mini-series has affected their view of the life they left behind.
Ratings (Out of 5):
The Film: *****
The Dvd: ***
The Audio: ***
The Extras: *
Conclusion:
If ever there was such a powerful depiction of the effects of drug addiction, this is it. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll think, you'll feel. You will enjoy.
Rating: 9.0
Craig Aston.
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