The Corner

"The Corner" is some wonderful television. Everyone should see this to better understand what the hopelessness of inner city life in major American cities is like. I find my self horrified but unable to turn away from the reality of the life this inner city family is trapped in. The most painful sequences are the flashbacks to the life before drugs and the eventual fall into them. It is interesting to watch as the seemingly small decisions the characters make early in their lives change the rest of their years. Watch it if you have the opportunity and if you don't, seriously consider HBO as they have wonderful programming like this all the time.

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," adapted from the true-life book, shows how drugs have infested a Baltimore neighborhood and how they have affected the residents.

Each episode starts documentary-style, with director/producer Charles S. Dutton interviewing one of the main characters off-screen. Then, Dutton stops and the audience follows the main characters around their day-to-day existence.

I was really impressed with Dutton's work. The series makes no apologies for the characters' behavior and presents things very realistically. The acting is strong throughout, and I have to single out Khandi Alexander's portrayal of Fran the addict/mother as exceptional.

After viewing all six episodes of "The Corner" I sincerely believe that this extraordinary mini-series could've been a great film. I can see this film challenging the majority of so called masterpiece films in the theater right now, probably putting most of those films to shame.

This film has everything I expect from masterpiece film-story telling. First of all, unlike a lot of the films made by African-American filmmakers, it doesn't hold back on the truth. Charles S. Dutton did a marvelous job of telling a story about real life in inner cities all across America and with out holding back on the truth. The film consists of stereotypes most African-Americans, especially those who are living safely in Hollywood away from the ghetto, want deny being reality in most Black communities. But this film doesn't apologize for the stereotypes or anything, while some of the characters are apologetic about many things in their own lives. Secondly, the acting was one of the best by an ensemble African-American cast in recent years. Thirdly, the film was shot well, using little style to the shots so that it would have that documentary feel. I also found each scene in the film to be well written, like some great scripts of the past like Good Will Hunting and the Deer Hunter, both great films. So we've seen films about the inner city before (Boyz N'the Hood, Menace II Society) this one. Who cares? Hollywood had made dozens of titles dealing with the mafia, and most of those films are great. However, this film stands alone from the rest, making viewers sympathize with and see each character as being exactly who they are: human beings that make mistakes. This film doesn't demonize the drug addicts in the film regardless of their sometimes immoral ways of getting that drug. "The Corner" ranks amongst one of the best mini series ever made for television. Despite the fact that it wasn't a feature film, I still rank it over the majority of films of recent years as well.

If you had never been to the ghetto and you want to grasp an understanding of how must people in the inner city lives, this mini series is what you should see. Out of a grade of an A+, which is super excellent, to a F, I give this film an A+. I also give it 10 stars...

I was privileged to see this movie, just a week ago. But actually I truly lived it. I grew up in the mean streets of Newark, NJ. And easily saw my life displayed in this mini-series. I too have found my way into recovery. I no longer hang on the mean corners, I am a productive member of society, trying to provide a good life for my two children. We have relocated to upstate New York, and occasionally go back to visit family. I truly hope that other's like the addicts depicted in this movie find recovery. I would like to thank all of the the people involved in this movie. It was very moving but most of all it is REALITY for a lot of people.