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March 28, 2024, 12:13:44 PM

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We Own This City

Started by Mobius, March 18, 2022, 03:29:38 AM

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Mobius

We Own This City is an upcoming American miniseries based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton. Like the book, the miniseries details the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force and the corruption surrounding it. The miniseries was created and written by David Simon and George Pelecanos, and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. The six-episode series is set to premiere on HBO on April 25, 2022

Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tOz3dn3vuU

From the creators of and featuring guys from The Wire. Set in Baltimore, with some The Shield overtones.

Looks pretty fantastic!

Inspector Norse

On paper it looks like it could be great, I've not really been able to get into any of Simon and co's stuff since Generation Kill but this sees them going "home" so to speak.
Not entirely sure about the trailer leading with an image of Jon Bernthal looking like one of Peter Jackson's Hobbits:


Ferris

Dead excited about this, looks great.

Ferris

Just watched the first ep, brilliant. Can't wait for the rest of it

Mobius

Good to hear! Downloaded it last night but was too tired after watching Saul so gonna do it after work.

Ferris

Are you aware of the Gun Trace Task Force? I (foolishly?) listened to a podcast that went in depth on the twists and turns of the story so some of the plot beats landed a bit flat for me (but only because of my own stupid fault).

It was excellent though. The first thing I've looked forward to watching in a long time.

Mobius

I don't know too much about it, so unsure where the series is going which is nice I suppose!

Watched episode 1 last night, great stuff. The Wire alumni, familiar filming locations and the whole vibe... just had a big smile throughout, felt like putting on an old coat.


Ferris

Yes! Same. Big cheesy grin throughout (in spite of the awfulness of the police behaviour being depicted).

Great telly, loved it. Going to watch it again before the next ep comes out I reckon.

studpuppet

Quote from: Ferris on April 27, 2022, 02:16:27 PMAre you aware of the Gun Trace Task Force? I (foolishly?) listened to a podcast

I must have listened to the same podcast (via a recommendation off here) - can you remember which one it was?

EDIT: It was Bad Cops on BBC Sounds.

Ferris

Quote from: studpuppet on April 29, 2022, 11:26:41 AMI must have listened to the same podcast (via a recommendation off here) - can you remember which one it was?

EDIT: It was Bad Cops on BBC Sounds.

Yes same, I recommended it on the podcast thread end of last year so may be responsible. Good listen, but wish I'd missed it now.

Ferris

Ep 2 out.

It's still superb. I'm sure I'll look back and reevaluate my opinion but right now I'm just enjoying it as it happens. Love it. More please.

Ferris

Ep 3, I'm enjoying the character development.

Not a huge fan of the flashback style, but considering this is a known story what else could they do? It's not fictional and the story has already happened. Difficult one.

Jamie Hector is a lot better in this - the first two episodes he has an understated style which only works if he's playing off someone else's energy. It makes a huge difference when he's working as a conversational foil.

Still absolutely loving this, first time I've gone out of my way to watch/listen to a new piece of media in a long time.

Sebastian Cobb

Caught up with this, ironically the delay was due to me working through the tail end of Treme.

Enjoying it a lot, well drawn so far, the scenes with the FBI and the DoJ are captivating me more than the actual cop action so far.

One minor thing I noticed is that some of the flashbacks cross over into the same early/mid 2000's period The Wire took place in, but doesn't quite have the same dank, crumbling feel of a city falling apart;the stations look bright and airy and like they came from the era they were set in, whereas in the wire they looked like they'd seen 20 years of neglect. I can overlook it, like.

Mobius

Yes I am liking this. The time jump stuff was jarring but after 3 episodes you have a good understanding of the players involved so it makes it easier to digest and understand the timeline.

Absolutely fucked though, watching them pull people over and rob them. Very satisfying to watch the feds uncover it and witness them doing it.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Mobius on May 16, 2022, 02:50:19 AMAbsolutely fucked though, watching them pull people over and rob them. Very satisfying to watch the feds uncover it and witness them doing it.

I liked how
Spoiler alert
nonchalant and matter of fact the delivery of the inevitable part where a gangster ends up getting killed for debts due to the cop's theft played out. And the cop's angry reaction to the consequences being pointed out.
[close]
.

Ferris

Latest ep felt a bit like filler - didn't tell me anything it hadn't explained already (these cops were crooked, they did robberies and they're not nice people; these lawyers are the goodies, they do goodie stuff, etc) and I don't feel like I'm further forward in the story until the last 5 minutes where a lot of plot happened very quickly.

It's still good and some of the performances are great, but hopefully the final episode gets back to normal pacing.

Sebastian Cobb

I feel like a right thicko because I didn't realise that the GTTF guy played by Marlo Stanfield was the same guy as the homicide detective, he looks fairly different with the beard and glasses.

Ferris

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on May 25, 2022, 08:53:44 PMI feel like a right thicko because I didn't realise that the GTTF guy played by Marlo Stanfield was the same guy as the homicide detective, he looks fairly different with the beard and glasses.

He's a funny one - as Marlo, his quiet/understated style gave his character unspoken menace. As a cop it's just like he's scared of speaking and mumbling - I don't buy him in homicide or a tactical unit at all because he acts like the new HR guy at pub quiz who doesn't know anyone and is a bit lost.

Anyway, it's still a great show and I'll rewatch it a few times just because. I'm hoping the last episode is a fitting send off.

Sebastian Cobb

Yeah I think that was part of it too, he was quiet in the GTTF as he clearly didn't want to be pushed into being bent but didn't really want to get on the wrong side of them, fair enough. But he also had new worker vibes as the homicide detective, which I get he was new in that team but he looked new to police full stop still.

Ferris

Something about him doing LOUD acting in the tactical unit had the feel of an HR exercise where you practice being assertive and it feels dead unconvincing.

The rest of the performances have been pretty good, and Darrel Britt-Gibson in particular has been brilliant.

Mobius

It cam be a bit jarring seeing guys you associate with their Wire characters playing against type. I feel like some of them aren't the greatest actors, but suited the gritty natural sort of feel of The Wire. I know Marlo is in other stuff like Bosch so presumably pretty solid, but yeah does feel a bit off in We Own This City.

I've got this week's episode to watch then the finale next week. I've enjoyed it but it's felt too brief and as Ferris said definitely a bit samey on occasion, just the exact same scenarios playing out each week. Not sure the time jumpy stuff was that necessary, feel like the story could have just been told in chronological order.

Quote from: Ferris on May 25, 2022, 09:07:54 PMDarrel Britt-Gibson in particular has been brilliant.

He's probably the most interesting character yeah, decent actor too. I'd never seen the guy before but just started watching Barry last week and he's in that too.

Ferris

@Mobius yeah the Wire connection has been interesting. In the Wire, Poot was perfectly serviceable - his performance was a stilted but it fit the show and he had some really strong showings ("these kids, they're a new breed! It's the end of the world now!" being a brilliant line, really well-delivered). He struggles to fuck in this though.

I wonder if the sprawling nature of the wire meant there was so much happening actors had fewer scenes and they were shorter, which gave them more room to "hide" if they weren't as strong. Maybe that's total bollocks.

Annoyingly, I read a major spoiler that I'd forgotten so have likely ruined the finale for myself. Fantastic.

Ant Farm Keyboard

It's interesting to have Treat Williams as the cop who's written a book and teaches law at the police academy. Williams' best part was in Sidney Lumet's Prince of the City (notice the similarities in the titles), about an operation against police corruption in New York. It's based on an investigative book written in non-linear fashion, while We Own This City (notice the similarities) is told in non-linear fashion (but I don't know if it was the same with the source material).

Spoiler alert
PotC was quite pessimistic, and it was actually structured like a Greek tragedy (Asghar Farhadi borrowed a lot from it too for A Hero). All the work achieved, for reasons that initially look idealistic, by the main character during an undercover investigation on police corruption, gets compromised during the second half of the film, as his past gets exposed and he has no choice but to cross the few lines that he was adamant on never crossing when he took the job. Despised by the entire police community, even if was instrumental into indicting more than 50 people, he's shown in the final scene to be an instructor at the police academy, as he's basically scorched earth, while some students leave the room as soon as they hear who he is. So, to see him in that particular role in We Own this City acts as a de factor belated sequel to that other police corruption story.
[close]

Ferris

Good ep, that. Capped off a good series.

I'll be watching it again at some point soon I'm sure so will recap my thoughts then.

niat

I'm glad to report that this starts on Sky Atlantic in the UK on Tuesday 7th June. I think all episodes will be available from this date.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Ferris on May 31, 2022, 03:17:56 AMGood ep, that. Capped off a good series.

I'll be watching it again at some point soon I'm sure so will recap my thoughts then.

I didn't really know the underlying story

Spoiler alert
So the bits where Jay Landsman who was broadly supportive of police reform immediately got hung out to dry over something that he'd inherited only to be replaced by someone who bought back the plainclothes squands and then for both him and the mayor to get implicated in tax evasion felt a lot like life imitating David Simon art.

I was hoping when things were turning sour and the mayors advisers were trying to get him to implement the reforms while slashing everything to pay for them that he was going to tell them to get bent and then resign, would've satisfied me more than the DOJ lady realising she was on a hiding to nothing and wandering off into the sunset.
[close]

Baltimore just seems irreparably fucked though.

Ferris

I chuckled when they introduced
Spoiler alert
Mayor Pugh, because her political downfall made national news. I think the charging documents against her included the phrase "cartoonish corruption" which I've always admired as a collection of words.
[close]

If you can't be arsed to look it up (fair enough)
Spoiler alert
she wrote a children's book that never sold a copy to the public, but just so happened to get an order of 250,000 units from Baltimore's school system (which she oversaw). Other organizations bought huge numbers of the books, then asked for contracts from the city that were duly awarded. Going off memory, maybe it was worse than that. Bonus, the LLC she incorporated to do the deed used her real name and address so you can see her house if you like because she made it public record.

A previous mayor was on the take for gift cards that were supposed to be given as awards to community members and organizations. Like "win a trophy and a $50 gift card to restaurant" and she'd give out the trophy and pocket the card, but she did it a lot. She resigned, so she keeps her $83k per year pension.
[close]

To your point - yeah Baltimore is quite fucked.

Sebastian Cobb

Cheers for the explainer!
Spoiler alert
That makes the 'oh no, the schools are my babies' stuff a bit more of a pointed jibe, can't be cutting budgets from places I'm planning on embezzling from!
[close]

Ferris

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on June 01, 2022, 05:48:39 PMCheers for the explainer!
Spoiler alert
That makes the 'oh no, the schools are my babies' stuff a bit more of a pointed jibe, can't be cutting budgets from places I'm planning on embezzling from!
[close]

Hadn't considered that! Yeah you're absolutely right haha.

Cops? Pah, I can't embezzle anything from you lot so kiss goodbye to your budget.

Mr Farenheit

Quote from: Ferris on June 01, 2022, 05:37:38 PMIf you can't be arsed to look it up (fair enough)
Spoiler alert
she wrote a children's book that never sold a copy to the public, but just so happened to get an order of 250,000 units from Baltimore's school system (which she oversaw). Other organizations bought huge numbers of the books, then asked for contracts from the city that were duly awarded. Going off memory, maybe it was worse than that. Bonus, the LLC she incorporated to do the deed used her real name and address so you can see her house if you like because she made it public record.
[close]


Spoiler alert
that is amazing. Who says authors can't make money by self-publishing
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