Can't fuck with Superman
Continuing my trip down The Guardian's Top 50 TV Shows of 2022.
#22 : We Own This City
A Baltimore-based drama about policing was nothing new for David Simon and George Pelecanos, given their work on The Wire. But this limited series, telling the true tale of drug cops who turned criminal, scaled new heights of jaw-dropping nefariousness. Excellent turns from Wunmi Mosaku as an idealistic civil rights lawyer and Jon Bernthal as a crooked cop/ego on legs added up to a gripping, weighty watch.
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I'm a big fan of The Wire - it got a lot of respect but it never quite seemed to get the views it deserved. It certainly never underestimated your intelligence and I'm expecting things to be the same here.
And, oh yes, it certainly doesn't - it's very timey-wimey. Unnecessarily so, some might claim - it does let you know before most scenes when they occur, but the dates often flash up so quickly that you don't really follow when things are happening. I found myself just going on the haircuts - they do a good job in dating people. I think a straightforwardly linear timeline might have been too simplistic, but it did feel like unnecessarily complication to me. Part of the thinking might have been that there isn't actually a huge amount of story at the core - "cops go bad, cops get caught" is about it, but it's a story that's well told and the badness is certainly taken to new levels (and it's pretty easy to see why Baltimore had an issue with public trust in the police).
Jon Bernthal is really very good - which you'd generally expect, but this just feels like an ideal role for him. He handles the journey from idealistic rookie to whatever-he-ends-up-as very well and he's well supported by the hair and make-up departments. Josh Charles is also good - he's really different here from his role in The Good Wife, which is nicely jarring.
On the side of the angels, Wunmi Mosaku is great (although her storyline is a little disappointing) - I knew I recognised her, but had forgotten she was in Loki and she also has a previous appearance here in His House. It's also nice to see Jamie Hector - I remember him best from Bosch (which is well worth a watch if you haven't seen it) but I'd forgotten he was also in The Wire (he looks a bit older now!). But the whole thing is well acted by quite a large cast. It's also, as you'd expect, well filmed - I can't say I'm overly familiar with how Baltimore has changed over the past ten years but you definitely get the impression of time passing.
Overall, I'd say this is a "good" rather than a "great" - it's an interesting story, but there's not a huge amount to it (except for one surprising twist towards the end - which may or may not be true, no-one really seems to know). Six episodes felt like the absolute maximum they could have given this - if it had been cut down to four, I don't think anyone would have really complained. If you like The Wire, then I imagine you'll like this but you may also feel a bit underwhelmed.
At the time of writing, it's available to watch on Sky/Now TV - there are certainly worse things to watch on there, but there are also better things.
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