Louis Theroux: Law and Disorder in Philadelphia

If you've watched any of Louis Theroux's quests before you know what to expect with 'Law and Disorder in Philadelphia'. Having mainly saw his voyages into lighter topics that entertained - sex work, gambling, porn - it was a much different feel watching him question hardened police officers and low level drug dealers, suspects, dirtbags.

Released in 2008, it doesn't present any answers just a straight ahead view of what's going on in a major US city with a drug problem. Users are gonna use, pushers are gonna push. Both end up incarcerated or in body bags. You've got cops flexing to maintain order. An ignorant code of the streets. Guns. Poverty. Somewhere is the decent citizen.

You get some good sounds bites. How young African American men choose to work corners because it's seen as cool even though it pays less than McDonalds. Street mentality of not appearing weak. He talks to junkies. Relatives of victims. One rare young woman who agreed to testify against the man who shot her and killed her sister & boyfriend.

You might find yourself eye rolling, sighing or saying "give me a break" when it comes time for talking to drug dealers or militant residents who think the police are the real problem. Louis has the habit of appearing naive. The proceedings are somewhat depressing (which partly might have been the point), but it makes for a decent view if this sadness isn't already all too familiar to you.

Such an obscene waste of money and time trying to control what substances people choose to put in their own bodies. Stupid laws (and stupid "law enforcers") always equals "disorder". The bad laws (and bad enforcement) will always create slums and poor living environments. The bad laws come first. Massive police corruption involved, always is. Where there is power/money there is always corruption. The more money/power, the more corruption. Louis, who is normally insightful and questioning, does not offer any intelligent perspective. He just walks around like a stunned 4th grader on a field trip. Not a journalist in this one. A tourist. He asks "why this, why that?", but doesn't ask the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th "why's" that it takes to completely understand why South Philly is a mess. Did no one study what happened during Prohibition? Same. damn. thing.

This is more like a movie than a documentary. The characters, from the cops, to the gangsters, to the junkies, to the gang boss all seem like they were cast for their parts and given lines such is the quality of what is caught on film. Lots of charismatic characters whether they're the good guys or the bad guys or the somewhere in the middle guys. It has some beautiful scenes with the combination of a melancholy score and the run down streets of South Philly. An overlooked masterpiece.