The Wire - The Complete Third Season
starring: Dominic West, John Doman, Idris Elba, Aidan Gillen, Wood Harris
directed by: Tim Van Patten, Ernest Dickerson, Agnieszka Holland
directed by: Tim Van Patten, Ernest Dickerson, Agnieszka Holland
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Product Description:
Studio: Hbo Home VideoRelease Date: 05/08/2007Run time: 720 minutesRating: Nr
Amazon.com:
With volatile issues of Baltimore city political reform as its narrative focus, the third season of The Wire superbly maintains the series' astonishingly consistent status as the greatest "novel for television" ever created. While the Baltimore police department's wire-tapping investigations continue to monitor the intricate and now legitimately fronted drug ring of Russell "Stringer" Bell (Idris Elba, smooth as ever), detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) continues his loutish ways, navigating through a series of shallow sexual conquests while doing some of the best cop-work of his career. Stringer's ex-convict partner Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris) is back in the picture and bent on eliminating a drug-dealing competitor named Marlo (Jamie Hector), and Baltimore P.D. Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin (Robert Wisdom) tries his own defiantly independent brand of street justice by essentially legalizing drugs in "Hamsterdam," where isolated sections of the city are established as open drug-dealing zones, utterly without the knowledge or approval of Colvin's superiors. As city councilman Tommy Carcetti (Aiden Gillen) plots his own ruthlessly ambitious strategy for the mayor's seat, Baltimore officials, McNulty's wire unit, and the entire Baltimore P.D. stand poised for the inevitable fallout from street-level and executive-level manipulations of power.
Of course, this is just the tip of a very large iceberg, as The Wire continues its labyrinthine yet tightly controlled chronicle of over 50 characters, major and minor, who are all flawlessly woven into the fabric of these 12 remarkable episodes. For season 3, series creator David Simon continued to recruit a top-drawer lineup of reputable writers (including novelists Richard Price, Dennis Lehane, and George Pelecanos) and directors (including Ernest Dickerson, Tim Van Patten, and Agnieszka Holland), and by the time a major character is killed in the season's penultimate episode (arguably the series' finest yet), it's clear that The Wire has earned its crown as the most ambitious and intelligent crime drama in the history of American television. DVD extras are excellent, as usual, including five illuminating episode commentaries (an absolute must for devoted fans of the series), a Q&A session with cast & crew moderated by renowned TV critic and author Ken Tucker, and a classroom conversation with Simon that delves deeper into the creative process of the series. Having deservedly earned its renewal for a fourth season (out of a projected five, according to Simon), The Wire delivers surprises aplenty (keep a close watch for startling revelations) while proving, yet again, that cable-TV is the place to be for anyone seeking respite from the relative mediocrity of mainstream network programming. --Jeff Shannon
Studio: Hbo Home VideoRelease Date: 05/08/2007Run time: 720 minutesRating: Nr
Amazon.com:
With volatile issues of Baltimore city political reform as its narrative focus, the third season of The Wire superbly maintains the series' astonishingly consistent status as the greatest "novel for television" ever created. While the Baltimore police department's wire-tapping investigations continue to monitor the intricate and now legitimately fronted drug ring of Russell "Stringer" Bell (Idris Elba, smooth as ever), detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) continues his loutish ways, navigating through a series of shallow sexual conquests while doing some of the best cop-work of his career. Stringer's ex-convict partner Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris) is back in the picture and bent on eliminating a drug-dealing competitor named Marlo (Jamie Hector), and Baltimore P.D. Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin (Robert Wisdom) tries his own defiantly independent brand of street justice by essentially legalizing drugs in "Hamsterdam," where isolated sections of the city are established as open drug-dealing zones, utterly without the knowledge or approval of Colvin's superiors. As city councilman Tommy Carcetti (Aiden Gillen) plots his own ruthlessly ambitious strategy for the mayor's seat, Baltimore officials, McNulty's wire unit, and the entire Baltimore P.D. stand poised for the inevitable fallout from street-level and executive-level manipulations of power.
Of course, this is just the tip of a very large iceberg, as The Wire continues its labyrinthine yet tightly controlled chronicle of over 50 characters, major and minor, who are all flawlessly woven into the fabric of these 12 remarkable episodes. For season 3, series creator David Simon continued to recruit a top-drawer lineup of reputable writers (including novelists Richard Price, Dennis Lehane, and George Pelecanos) and directors (including Ernest Dickerson, Tim Van Patten, and Agnieszka Holland), and by the time a major character is killed in the season's penultimate episode (arguably the series' finest yet), it's clear that The Wire has earned its crown as the most ambitious and intelligent crime drama in the history of American television. DVD extras are excellent, as usual, including five illuminating episode commentaries (an absolute must for devoted fans of the series), a Q&A session with cast & crew moderated by renowned TV critic and author Ken Tucker, and a classroom conversation with Simon that delves deeper into the creative process of the series. Having deservedly earned its renewal for a fourth season (out of a projected five, according to Simon), The Wire delivers surprises aplenty (keep a close watch for startling revelations) while proving, yet again, that cable-TV is the place to be for anyone seeking respite from the relative mediocrity of mainstream network programming. --Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - absolutely the best
I know that it's a phrase that is said often regarding The Wire-but it is or was the best show on television. In a world dominated by reality and competition shows-the art of good scripted television is falling by the wayside. Every time I fall in love with a series its yanked off the air. Being a big Dennis Lehane fan it's no surprise that I would like this series. Not only is the writing pitch perfect but the performances appears effortless while being spellbinding at the same time. Bravo for all ... Read More
Rating: 
- Still riveting but a little off the standard
The third season of "The Wire" takes aim at City Hall and the way politics subverts efforts to fight crime and put the bad guys away.
Most of the familiar characters are back, both good and bad guys (if you can tell the difference) and a few new ones are added.
The plot revolves around the decision by Police Major Colvin, who controls western Baltimore, to try a new experiment to cut the crime waves destroying his community. He designates three small areas as drug zones where police will ... Read More
Rating: - Powerful conclusions
Seasons 1, 2 and 4 lend themselves to solitary viewing one can do without having seen prior seasons and not getting the feeling you missed crucial plot elements.
Seasons 3 and 5 of "The Wire" conclude cliffhanger endings that will only add up if you watched prior seasons.
David Simon planned a five-part, five-season series here but by 2004, he wasn't completely sure if they'd be renewed yet (of course, they were), so he wrote this season powerful and complete enough to be a ... Read More
Rating: - No fake actors
This is real, second to none....CSI,24 all those types of shows are fake if you want a real show with real people as actors this is it trust me I've watched season one through five...
Rating: - Great Series, Weakest Season
This season for me was the weakest season even if it ends a great note.Too much of the beginning was confusing and boring and not as interesting as the two previous seasons.Even as the beginning of the season is slow, the story soon pulls together and goes out on a great bang.A very touching one.Idris Elba is an amazing actor and is a great asset to this show.
- absolutely the bestI know that it's a phrase that is said often regarding The Wire-but it is or was the best show on television. In a world dominated by reality and competition shows-the art of good scripted television is falling by the wayside. Every time I fall in love with a series its yanked off the air. Being a big Dennis Lehane fan it's no surprise that I would like this series. Not only is the writing pitch perfect but the performances appears effortless while being spellbinding at the same time. Bravo for all ... Read More
- Still riveting but a little off the standardThe third season of "The Wire" takes aim at City Hall and the way politics subverts efforts to fight crime and put the bad guys away.
Most of the familiar characters are back, both good and bad guys (if you can tell the difference) and a few new ones are added.
The plot revolves around the decision by Police Major Colvin, who controls western Baltimore, to try a new experiment to cut the crime waves destroying his community. He designates three small areas as drug zones where police will ... Read More
- Powerful conclusionsSeasons 1, 2 and 4 lend themselves to solitary viewing one can do without having seen prior seasons and not getting the feeling you missed crucial plot elements.
Seasons 3 and 5 of "The Wire" conclude cliffhanger endings that will only add up if you watched prior seasons.
David Simon planned a five-part, five-season series here but by 2004, he wasn't completely sure if they'd be renewed yet (of course, they were), so he wrote this season powerful and complete enough to be a ... Read More
- No fake actorsThis is real, second to none....CSI,24 all those types of shows are fake if you want a real show with real people as actors this is it trust me I've watched season one through five...
- Great Series, Weakest SeasonThis season for me was the weakest season even if it ends a great note.Too much of the beginning was confusing and boring and not as interesting as the two previous seasons.Even as the beginning of the season is slow, the story soon pulls together and goes out on a great bang.A very touching one.Idris Elba is an amazing actor and is a great asset to this show.
