La esquina

Bleak, uncompromising and hard-hitting. The quality of the acting, scripting and direction pull together to create a contemporary urban drama revolving around the lives of drug addicts and dealers living in the slums of downtown Baltimore, a figurative cancer eating away at the American heartland.

Based on the true life story of Francine Boyd (played here by the mesmerizing Khandi Alexander) from the book by Edward Burns & David Simon - subject matter experts on the Baltimore drug scene and writers for TV's "The Wire". As with real life, there aren't any easy answers or happy endings.

With "The Corner" HBO raised the bar on the quality of television drama forever.

THE CORNER is a powerful mini-series that delivers a ruthless, depressing, and depraved view of the lives of drug abusers and dealers. Told semi-narratively by a documentary crew, the viewer is delivered into the bowels of a hellish neighbourhood in America. Being based on a true story only serves to rattle the viewer further as you get to watch all the horrors of growing up on the streets from the comfort of your own home.

Truth be told, at times, I could barely watch the events of the program as the pain and suffering of each character seemed unbearable. Each has a struggle to deal with, from a father who has fallen into the depths of heroin addiction to his son who deals the same drugs on the unforgiving streets. Yet, they still try to maintain some sense of their former selves. Gary (the father) tries to get back on his feet numerous times, but failure seems to be the only result. DeAndre (the son) has had no worthy role models to teach him the value of honest living. The failure of his parents has reduced him to no more than another lost soul wandering the ghetto for his income.

Each event in the mini-series seems timeless and not easily forgotten, as I write this now, five months after I last saw THE CORNER, all I can think of is a shoot-out in the latter half of the story. We are shown kids with guns (somewhat echoing Columbine), however the shooters are scared. And you can see it, the fear in their faces and their random shooting. I was breathless watching this scene unfold as the youths who we have come to know have to defend themselves from rival dealers who have promised blood shed. All their talk and acting macho is instantly discarded as we watch them shoot up a once peaceful, beautiful neighbourhood in order to eliminate an unseen foe. There is nothing honourable about this scene and by the end I found myself lacking breath and on the edge of my seat. It is still one of the most incredible things that I have seen on television.

The fact that this story happened in Baltimore just enhances the story that much more. Usually, when people think of the drug problem in America they first think of the big cities. New York or Los Angeles, but here we are shown that the drug problem is in the backyards and backalleys of America, as well. IT SHOULD NOT BE IGNORED.

By the conlcusion of this story there seem to only be bodies left over as lifeless as they were wandering the slums for their next high. But there is no more highs after death, there is only a gap. The absence of a person has a great effect on the lives of those that surround them. But what's truly sad is that by the end the understanding is that only the dealers feel the loss...of customers. The death of their friends only serves to limit the junkie's chances of 'scoring' easier. Herein lies the saddest fact. Hope is fleeting on THE CORNER.

You want to force politicians and lawmakers to watch this film. You want high school kids considering drugs to watch this film. And you want to watch this film yourself, over and over, for the sheer drama of the story and for the tremendous performances by each and every person in it.

Equally poignant were the appearances by the people who weren't performers: at the end of the series, there's a brief meeting with the real individuals who were portrayed in the six episodes, along with a "five years later" update on what actually happened to other characters whose real-life counterparts didn't live long enough (or live free long enough) to participate in the on-camera reunion.

Dutton's direction is brilliant, presenting the cold facts of a deadly situation with great compassion as well as narrative force. Although not explicitly political and never preachy, the film makes the unpopular point that medical treatment backed up with intensive rehab works and pouring money into fruitless attempts at law enforcement doesn't.

This series is a great American tragedy and crime story combined, a fit companion to "The Godfather" and "Grapes of Wrath," combining the gritty crime story of the first with the deadly grind of verité poverty from the latter to produce an engrossing synecdoche of our culture at the end of the century.

This isn't an "inner city" movie -- this is about all of us. What Dutton shows us in the Baltimore ghetto happens in rural towns in the heartland, too. One small mistake leads to another until, all too soon and too often inevitably, the chances of a happy ending become very, very slim. A universal plot, as timeless and as touching as Shakespeare's finest.

"The Corner" was the closest, truest, most honest miniseries I've ever seen that delt with the streets, drugs, and dysfunctional families. Being a recovering drug addict, I never ever seen a film that actually put me back onto the streets, the drugs, and the dysfunction of life. The actors were superb. Their dialogue, gestures, even the look in their eyes, couldn't be more real. I can't compare it to any movies that I've ever seen. I saw what I used to be in this film and they reminded me that I don't want to ever go back. So real, too real, it is real. Thanks Mr. Dutton.

I seen this story over and over again growing up in Newark, New Jersey. I take my hat of to Charles S. Dutton for his Courageous work and dedication to be able to complete 'the Corner', based on the true story. America needed to see this, finally a story that showed the puppet act with strings attached. I recommend this story to be educational with parental guidance. The blessings of some are simply not enough. I really saw hope in the character's: Fran, Blu & Scoogie.