The Bronx Is Burning

Bronx is Burning, The (Pt. 1) *** 1/2 (out of 4) The first part in this eight part mini-series gets off to a good start as we see George Steinbrenner (Oliver Platt) hiring Billy Martin (John Turturro) only to see the two start fighting over Reggie Jackson being brought in. Also brought up in this episode is the Son of Sam killings starting. I'll hold most of my comments until the mini-series is over but Turturro seems to be excellent as Martin but Platt isn't impressing me too much as the big guy. The supporting players seem to be fitting their roles just fine so we shall see how the series moves along.

Bronx is Burning, The (Pt. 2) *** 1/2 (out of 4) George Steinbrenner (Oliver Platt) and Billy Martin (John Turturro) come to an understanding days after Martin is fired but this doesn't stop Martin's hatred for Reggie Jackson. Also, the Son of Sam killer is now taunting the police with notes saying he's going to kill more. This second part (of eight) really picks up steam with Turturro becoming terrific as the legendary Martin. I've noticed that Platt plays the part a lot better during the quiet scenes but whenever he tries to be the "Big Boss" he gets a bit campy. The stuff in the locker room between Jackson and his teammates is also very well done. Again, I'll post more when the mini-series is over.

Bronx is Burning, The (Pt. 3) **** (out of 4) Things heat up when Billy Martin (John Turturro) pulls Reggie Jackson out of a game in Boston on live television. This leads to Steinbrenner (Oliver Platt) traveling to Detroit to fire Martin. Back in NYC, Son of Sam kills two more people. This part is certainly the best so far with a lot of drama and the notorious event of Martin pulling Jackson makes for some great entertainment. There's also one nicely suspenseful scene dealing with Son of Sam. What's really standing out about this mini-series is the performance of Turturro who is turning in the best work of his career as the troubled Martin. His breakdown towards the end of this episode was really, really heartbreaking.

Bronx is Burning, The (Pt. 4) *** (out of 4) Steinbrenner (Oliver Platt) promises Billy Martin (John Turturro) he won't fire him, the first anniversary of the Son of Sam killing approaches and NYC is hit with a blackout in this fourth part of the mini-series. This was the weakest of the four parts so far but the acting is still top-notch but none of the three main parts are really hammered home like in the previous parts.

Bronx is Burning, The (Pt. 5) *** 1/2 (out of 4) A terrorist plot hits NYC as record high temperatures do as well. The Son of Sam killer is finally caught as the Yankees take over first place after Martin bats Jackson clean-up. After the good but weakest segment last week, this weeks episode picks back up with a great reenactment of the capture of Sam and the Miller beer commercial with Steinbrenner and Martin is still funny.

Bronx is Burning, The (Pt. 6) *** (out of 4) The Son of Sam killer is trying to make money off his killings while the Yankees finally beat out Boston for the Eastern Division but things start to unravel against Kansas City. This is yet another good episode but I was expecting so much more since we've been building up to the playoffs. There's really nothing too overly important that stands out here except for a great scene where Steinbrenner watches one of the playoff games with a group of college kids in their dorm. This scene is also the best Oliver Platt has been as The Boss.

Bronx is Burning, The (Pt. 7) *** 1/2 (out of 4) The next to last episode has the Yankees in the World series against the Dodgers but Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin must come to some sort of understanding while Steinbrenner wants to offer Martin an extension. This episode picks up a lot more of the baseball action and I'm glad to see that this episode goes into more details about what was going on in the dugout. Each game is given plenty of time for us to see all the action and see how the characters were going through it.

Bronx is Burning, The (Pt. 8) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Final episode has the Yankees entering Game 6 and trying to clinch it while a report in Time magazine has Jackson saying he won't return to the team if Martin is still coaching. Before the game Steinbrenner gives Martin a two year contract while Jackson goes out and hits three home runs. This final episode picks up a lot more steam and caps off the series very nicely, although I wish they would have used more new footage instead of all the real life clips. It would have been nice to see more of the reactions after the game but the episode is still quite strong.

It's an incredible story. Each one of the three main characters could star in their own movie, but put them together on one stage, and it's "Clash of the Titans". "The Bronx Is Burning" is a study in how talent can overcome massive ego, meddling, childishness and pettiness played out on the biggest stage in the world. Of the three, Martin comes out looking the best. How he was able to keep his hair and his sanity, much less win, when caught between the unstoppable force called Reggie Jackson and the immovable object called George Steinbrenner is a wonder. Jackson comes off as a prima donna's prima donna. Tyrell Owens standing on Dennis Rodman's shoulders wouldn't reach to Jackson's chin. Steinbrenner was simply a bull in a china shop. He cared about the team, but his attempts to bring the boardroom to the baseball diamond almost wrecked it. This movie is King Kong versus Godzilla versus Rodan. I wouldn't have wanted to be in the same room with any two of the real guys, but you won't be able to take your eyes off of Turturro, Platt and Daniel Sunjata.

I think this series is the best thing to hit commercial TV in the last 2 years. The casting is perfect, the acting superb, the script par excellence. I think including the Son of Sam storyline adds to the overall feeling of sweat, fear, frustration and anger in New York that the summer of 1977 seemed to engender. If John Turturro and Oliver Platt don't both get Emmys for their performances, there just ain't no justice! I remember that year, I remember being blow away by Reggie Jackson's ability, and Billy Martin's short temper, but of course knew nothing of what went on in the back office. Interestingly, my first glimpse of Steinbrenner as something other than a name came from the old Seinfelds, and Platt has borough him to life as no one else could. What a marvelous series.

Although Jose Cardenal first used the "cupped out" bat design in 1972, the design was still not in popular use in 1977. Photos I have seen of Jackson in 1977 suggest he was still using the conventional "rounded out " cap bat design. Yet,in this series he is always shown using the now prevalent " cupped out " bat. Did Jackson ever use the " cupped out " bat in 1977? Nevertheless, the series does strive for authenticity and seems to capture the very mercurial personalities ( each for different reasons that students/experts in psychology and human behavior could have their own "field day" discussing ) of George, Billy and Reggie. Add to this mercurial mixture the spotlight and heat and resulting pressure of the New York Media, "Yankee" tradition/culture and the times and it is not surprising that the Bronx was burning. Nor is it surprising that the Bronx was exploding and this Series captures and does not try to contain that explosion.

"The Bronx is Burning" juxtaposes the story of the Yankees' run for the AL Pennant (and ultimately the World Series) with the Son of Sam murders, the infamous blackout and other notable events during this tumultuous time in the city's history. This miniseries mirrors the book "Damned Yankees" written by Moss Klein and Bill Madden, beat writers for The Newark Star Ledger and The New York Daily News respectively, who depicted all the craziness on those Yankee teams from the 70's through the 80's.

George Steinbrenner's tyrannical ownership of the Yankees was marked by a mixture of great success and turmoil during this time. Frequent managerial firings, front office turnover and overpayment of free agents all contributed to a circus atmosphere which was dubbed "The Bronx Zoo" by members of the media. "The Bronx is Burning" does a great job of depicting the principal characters and storyline of the '77 Yankee team. Particularly good is the work of John Turturro as the tactically brilliant but personally troubled manager Billy Martin. His striking resemblance lends immeasurable credibility to the show. Also very good is Oliver Platt as Steinbrenner. His mannerisms and speech closely mirror those of the real George.

If you are a baseball fan or Yankee follower, this is worth your while.