A Cidade é Nossa

Based on the nonfiction novel by Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton, We Own This City centers on the infamous Gun Trace Task Force from the Baltimore Police Department and the illegal and corrupt behaviour of the officers involved, most of whom are now in prison. The Baltimore Police Department Gun Trace Task Force was created to combat Baltimore's high crime rate involving drugs and firearms however the officers involved exploited it instead by robbing criminals they stopped on the streets and during raids, planting evidence such as drugs and guns on innocent people, brutalising and assaulting suspects, and fraudulently claiming overtime. Though it was a small group of officers, their corrupt actions was a black eye for the Baltimore Police Department and the city.

Jon Bernthal was fantastic as Sergeant Wayne Jenkins who was entrusted to take charge of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force. Joining the Baltimore Police Department in 2003, Wayne Jenkins had a reputation as a hard charger and a good officer who was well respected by fellow officers and upper rank and file. After he was arrested, he turned out to be the one of the worst officers after his illegal actions were exposed.

Sergeant Wayne Jenkins felt he could act with impunity and took advantage of the task force for his personal gain while arresting criminals and taking them off the street, though innocent people were caught up in the middle by being framed or harmed or killed. Following an investigation by the FBI, Wayne Jenkins along with other corrupt police officers who were involved were convicted and are now serving prison sentences.

Jon Bernthal is always enjoyable to watch on screen especially for his roles in the TV series The Walking Dead and The Punisher as well as other movies such as The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Fury (2014), The Accountant (2016), and Ford v Ferrari (2019). Though he often plays volatile anti heroes, Jon Bernthal's portrayal of Sergeant Wayne Jenkins shows that he is a very unlikeable brute who thought he was untouchable and thought he could act with impunity.

The mini series also stars Josh Charles, Jamie Hector, Don Harvey, Wunmi Mosaku, Gabrielle Carteris, Domenick Lombardozzi, Dagmara Dominicczyk, Delaney Williams, Treat Williams, McKinley Belcher III, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Rob Brown, Bobby J. Brown, Jermaine Crawford, Larry Mitchell, Lucas Van Engen, and David Corenswet.

David Simon and George Pelecanos who both were producers for another HBO TV series The Wire, also set in Baltimore, did a great job bringing the mini series to life on the big screen.

One criticism I have however is that the show should have kept it straightforward instead of jumping around all over the place, which can make it tricky to keep following who's who and what's occurring.

If you are a fan of crime shows, nonfiction shows, or even The Wire, you will enjoy We Own This City.

8/10.

It's 2017 Baltimore. The Freddie Gray killing has put police brutality on the front pages. The Gun Trace Task Force has been using questionable tactics to take out guns and drugs. Most of all, they are stealing from criminals and regular folks alike. Sgt. Wayne Jenkins (Jon Bernthal) is a central figure in the ensuing scandal.

It's another Baltimore crime drama from David Simon. This one is really ripped from the headlines. It's a little more contained than The Wire. It's only six episodes long. As always, it is an interconnected story with the reality of the world. This is a must-see for fans of The Wire.

We Own This City is every bit as good as people say it is. Jon Betnthal is such an underrated actor, he's great in just about everything he does and is definitely great here. A lot of people are comparing this to The Wire, while not nearly as good I can see the similarities. The writing and acting are what makes this show so good. The fact that this based off a true story makes the show that more exciting. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season!

Sometimes you just know a show is going to be great. 5 minutes in, the dialogue rings clear, and you just know the cast has it. I had high expectations from this series and it did not disappoint.

View this show as its own entity - despite it being as ambitious and involved as The Wire. The writing is spectacularly good and thankfully avoids cliches and so many other pitfalls that are the standard of network 'cop shows', which has also been creeping into non-network shows of late. And the acting talent meets the quality of the writing and direction. Hopefully people can just sit back and enjoy the show for what it is and not politicize it - taking sides, etc. Just the fact that it tackles a specific subject in a way that hasn't been done in this style is such a breath of fresh air and this show is worth watching.