Browse HBO. The Wire

List Price: $59.99
Price: $38.99
You Save: $21 (35%)

The Wire - The Complete Fifth Season

Actors: Dominic West, Clark Johnson, Aidan Gillen, Clarke Peters, Wendell Pierce
ASIN : B00123BY6S
Sales Rank : 354
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Hbo Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0883929015368
UPC : 883929015368
Release Date : December 12, 2008
Publisher : Hbo Home Video
Manufacturer : Hbo Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Hbo Home Video
Running Time : 630

Description

In the projects. On the docks. In City Hall. In the schools. And now, in the media. The places and faces have changed, but the game remains the same. Times are tough for the detail. Mayor Carcetti has slashed the departments budget to the bone. Police are operating without overtime some without cars and radios. Angered, McNulty is off the rails again and headed down a dangerous path of deception and lies that will ally him with an unscrupulous reporter. The drug trade still rules the corners, all you have to do is read between the lines.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Featurette

Amazon.com

A barroom toast to Det. Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), a one-man good cop/bad cop, offered in The Wire's final episode could very well serve as this series' epitaph: "When you were good, you were the best we had." Season five bears witness to this. The 10 riveting, wrenching episodes focus on yet another beleaguered Baltimore institution, The Baltimore Sun daily newspaper, whose staff, much like the police, is forced to do more with less. One editor (Clark Johnson) struggles to maintain the paper's journalistic standards in the face of declining ad revenues, employee buyouts and bureau closures. An ambitious reporter (Tom McCarthy) undermines him by taking a page out of the Stephen Glass/Jayson Blair playbook, manufacturing sensational quotes, and eventually, whole stories, while bean-counter management encourages its rising star and keeps its eye on the (Pulitzer) prize. Meanwhile, on the streets, the year-long investigation of rising drug lord Marlo Sansfield (Jamie Hector) and the 22 bodies found in "the vacants" has been discontinued and police morale is at an all-time low (the money promised to the department has been diverted to the schools). McNulty manufactures a serial killer case that will have far-reaching repercussions in the mayor's office, where Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen) is mounting a run for governor a mere two years into his term. "I wonder what it would be like to work at a real police station," McNulty rages at one point. The Wire, as ever, is all about real. It's a gritty and unflinching look at life in one of roughest districts of a "broke-ass city." There is street justice for some characters, and street injustice for others. Some meet sad, sudden, or shocking ends that defy TV convention. Referring to Marlo, McNulty declares early on, "He does not get to win; we get to win." The hard-earned victories are mostly small, or come with a price. Not that The Wire does not offer glimmers of hope. Bubbles (Andre Royo) struggles to maintain his sobriety (Steve Earle portrays the leader of his 12-step program and also does the theme song honors this season), and the final episode features a cameo by Jim True-Frost as the once overwhelmed teacher, "Prez," who now seems to have the hang of the job. The ratings-strapped and criminally Emmy-snubbed The Wire has always been a critic's darling with a passionate fan base. To the show's credit, it did not make itself more accessible in its final season (consequently, its send-off did not receive near the fanfare of The Sopranos or Sex and the City). That should not dissuade newcomers to the show. It is heavy lifting, and if you're just joining The Wire, a visit to the show's official website for orientation is recommended. But buy it, watch it, and be patient. It's so worth it. From the masterful storytelling to the peerless ensemble, it just doesn't get any better than The Wire. But that's not exactly news. --Donald Liebenson

List Price: $59.98
Price: $39.49
You Save: $20.49 (34%)

The Wire - The Complete First Season

Actors: Dominic West, Sonja Sohn, Jr. Larry Gilliard, Wendell Pierce, Idris Elba
ASIN : B0002ERXC2
Sales Rank : 682
Director : Clark Johnson
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : HBO Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780783127927
ISBN : 0783127928
UPC : 026359887321
Release Date : December 12, 2004
Publisher : HBO Home Video
Manufacturer : HBO Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : HBO Home Video
Running Time : 775

Product Description

Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 06/06/2006 Run time: 780 minutes Rating: Nr

Amazon.com

After one episode of The Wire you'll be hooked. After three, you'll be astonished by the precision of its storytelling. After viewing all 13 episodes of the HBO series' remarkable first season, you'll be cheering a bona-fide American masterpiece. Series creator David Simon was a veteran crime reporter from The Baltimore Sun who cowrote the book that inspired TV's Homicide, and cowriter Ed Burns was a Baltimore cop, lending impeccable street-cred to an inner-city Baltimore saga (and companion piece to The Corner) that Simon aptly describes as "a visual novel" and "a treatise on institutions and individuals" as opposed to a conventional good-vs.-evil police procedural. Owing a creative debt to the novels of Richard Price (especially Clockers), the series opens as maverick Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West, in a star-making role) is tapping into a vast network of drugs and death around southwest Baltimore's deteriorating housing projects. With a mandate to get results ASAP, a haphazard team is assembled to join McNulty's increasingly complex investigation, built upon countless hours of electronic surveillance.

The show's split-perspective plotting is so richly layered, so breathtakingly authentic and based on finely drawn characters brought to life by a perfect ensemble cast, that it defies concise description. Simon, Burns, and their cowriters control every intricate aspect of the unfolding epic; directors are top-drawer (including Clark Johnson, helmer of The Shield's finest episodes), but they are servants to the story, resulting in a TV series like no other: unpredictable, complicated, and demanding the viewer's rapt attention, The Wire is "an angry show" (in Simon's words) that refuses to comfort with easy answers to deep-rooted societal problems. Moral gray zones proliferate in a universe where ruthless killers have a logical code, and where the cops are just as ambiguous as their targets. That ambiguity extends to the ending as well; season 1 leaves several issues unresolved, leaving you begging for the even more impressive developments that await in season 2. --Jeff Shannon

List Price: $59.99
Price: $39.49
You Save: $20.5 (34%)

The Wire - The Complete Fourth Season

Actors: Dominic West, Wendell Pierce, Sonja Sohn, Lance Reddick, Aidan Gillen
ASIN : B000QXDJLI
Sales Rank : 853
Director : Daniel Attias
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Hbo Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0026359392726
UPC : 026359392726
Release Date : December 04, 2007
Publisher : Hbo Home Video
Manufacturer : Hbo Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Hbo Home Video
Running Time : 780

Description

With the fall of Barksdale and the ascent of young Marlo Stanfield as West Baltimore's drug king, the detail continues to "follow the money" up the political ladder in the midst of a mayoral election that pits the black incumbent, Clarence Royce, against an ambitious white councilman, Tommy Carcetti. The theme of urban education is explored through four new characters â€" Michael Lee, Namond Brice, Randy Wagstaff and "Dukie" Weems as they traverse adolescence in the stunted, drug-saturated streets of West Baltimore. The world that awaits these boys and the American commitment to equal opportunity are depicted brilliantly in the edgy, all too realistic Season 4 of The Wire.

Amazon.com

Even if you missed the first three seasons (the character guides and thorough episode recaps on HBO's website are recommended), and with only one season left, it's not too late to get in under The Wire. In fact, season 4 is an accessible introduction for those who know The Wire only by its street cred as arguably the very best show on television. For them especially, this season will be, as befitting its theme, a real education. Without resorting to melodramatics that other ratings-challenged series employ to gain that frustratingly elusive audience, The Wire shakes things up this season in a way that is true to the series and its characters. A major character, Dominic West's McNulty, plays a minor role as a contented street cop and family man, while a former supporting player, Jim True-Frost's Roland Pryzbylewski, goes to the head of the class as a new eighth grade teacher at beleaguered Edward Tilghman Middle School. It may take a couple of episodes to orient yourself to the Baltimore backrooms, squad rooms, classrooms, and street corners where The Wire's intense dramas play out, and new viewers may miss something in character nuance, but they will easily grasp the big picture. A politically motivated shake-up sends Major Crimes detectives Freamon (Clarke Peters) and Greggs (Sonja Sohn) to Homicide. The gloves come off in the mayoral race between black incumbent Clarence Royce (Glynn Turman) and idealistic white challenger Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen). Gang leader Marlo (Jamie Hector) quietly and deliberately becomes the city's new drug kingpin, managing to subvert all surveillance efforts. Meanwhile, while "Prez" tries to reach his students, four highly at-risk kids will be drawn into the drug trade.

Mere synopsis does not do The Wire justice. The series deftly juggles its myriad storylines and characters, all of whom make an impression, from Marlo's cold-blooded enforcers, Snoop (Felicia Pearson) and Chris (Gbenga Akinnagbe), to boxing instructor "Cutty" (Chad L. Coleman), determined to keep his young charges off the corners. There is not a false note in the performances or the writing. Richard Price (Clockers) and Dennis Lehane (Mystic River) again contributed episodes. That this series has only been nominated for only one Emmy (for writing) is a travesty. As engrossing as the finest novels and in a class by itself, this isn't television; it's The Wire. --Donald Liebenson

List Price: $59.98
Price: $39.49
You Save: $20.49 (34%)

The Wire - The Complete Third Season

Actors: Dominic West, John Doman, Idris Elba, Aidan Gillen, Wood Harris
ASIN : B000FTCLSU
Sales Rank : 1480
Director : Tim Van Patten, Ernest Dickerson, Agnieszka Holland
Brand : WIRE
Studio : HBO Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0026359277627
UPC : 026359277627
Release Date : December 08, 2006
Publisher : HBO Home Video
Manufacturer : HBO Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : HBO Home Video
Running Time : 720

Description

The heat is on in Baltimore. The drug war is being lost, bodies are piling up, and a desperate mayor wants the tide turned before the election. But the police department hasn't got any answers. With the demolition of the Franklin Terrace towers, Stringer Bell and the Barksdale crew have been forced to improvise. But no matter how hard McNulty and the detail try, the dealers always seem to be one step ahead of the game.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Episodic Previews
Episodic Recaps
Other
Audio Commentary:Five audio commentaries with creatorDavid Simon, director Joe Chappelle, writers Richard Price and George Pelecanos, and producers Karen L. Thorson and Nina K. Noble
Interviews:Q&A with David Simon and Creative Team, Courtesy of the Museum of Television & Radio Conversation with David Simon at Eugene Lang Collete, The New School for Liberal Arts

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

List Price: $59.98
Price: $39.49
You Save: $20.49 (34%)

The Wire - The Complete Second Season

Actors: Dominic West, Chris Bauer, Paul Ben-Victor, Idris Elba, Amy Ryan
ASIN : B0006IUD9Y
Sales Rank : 1823
Director : Ernest Dickerson
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : HBO Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Full Screen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780783130262
ISBN : 0783130260
UPC : 026359235825
Release Date : December 25, 2005
Publisher : HBO Home Video
Manufacturer : HBO Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : HBO Home Video
Running Time : 720

Description

(HBO Dramatic Series) The most unvarnished, uncompromising and realistic police drama ever returns for another hard hitting season. McNolty has been demoted to harbor patrol, Daniels is in the police archive dungeon, Prez is chafing in the suburbs and Gregs is stuck behind a desk. Meanwhile, on the docks of the Baltimore harbor, the rank and file scrounge for work and the union bosses take illegitimate measures to reinvigorate business, but a horrific discovery is about to blow the whole port inside out. While the detail is on ice, a new case begins...

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Audio commentaries with Dominic West and Michael K. Williams, executive producer Karen Thorson and editor Thom Zimny. Episodics and Recaps
Episodic Recaps

Amazon.com

It hardly seems possible, but The Wire's second season is even better than the first. The "visual novel" concept of this masterful HBO series is taken even further in a rich, labyrinthine plot revolving around the longshoremen of Baltimore's struggling cargo docks, where corruption, smuggling, and murder draw the attention of detective McNulty (Dominic West). What follows is a series of events which at first seem unrelated (including 13 bodies found in a cargo container), and then the ongoing effort to topple the drug empire of "Stringer" Bell (Idris Elba) and the imprisoned Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris), whose business is suffering from short supply, high demand, and disruption of distribution. The dutiful diligence of a Marine Police Patrol Officer and the moral outrage of the longshoremen's union leader are also factored into the suspicious goings-on at the loading docks, and what unfolds in these 12 episodes is an American crime epic easily on par with the Godfather saga. Yes, it's that good.

Detailed synopsis is pointless; The Wire must be seen, heard, and absorbed to fully appreciate the way in which over 40 characters are flawlessly incorporated into a sprawling but tightly disciplined plot that deals, in the larger sense, with the deindustrialization of America and the struggle of longshoremen in a changing economical climate. Offering a privileged and occasionally frightening glimpse of the inner workings of shipping ports and cargo transports, The Wire is also a detailed exposé of organized crime and blue-collar corruption, and an authentic, well-informed study of political maneuvering among police and city officials. There's not a single false note to be found in the cast, direction, or writing of this phenomenal series, hailed by many critics as "the best show on television." With all due respect to HBO's other excellent series, The Wire tops them all. --Jeff Shannon

List Price: $238.98
Price: $170.99
You Save: $67.99 (28%)

The Wire - Seasons 1-4

Actors: Dominic West, John Doman, Frankie Faison, Aidan Gillen, Deirdre Lovejoy
ASIN : B000X25F7I
Sales Rank : 11661
Director : Agnieszka Holland, Alex Zakrzewski, Anthony Hemingway, Brad Anderson, Christine Moore
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : Hbo Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Full Screen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0026359794421
UPC : 026359794421
Release Date : December 04, 2007
Publisher : Hbo Home Video
Manufacturer : Hbo Home Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Hbo Home Video
Running Time : 3015

Product Description

Unlike most television crime dramas which neatly introduce and then solve a case all in the space of one hour HBO's THE WIRE follows one single drug and homicide investigation throughout the length of an entire season. Focused on the drug culture of inner-city Baltimore the series' ultra-realistic storyline unfolds from the points of view of both the criminals lording the streets the police officers determined to bring them down and occasionally the politicians who often obstruct the process. Created by writer David Simon (THE CORNER HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET) THE WIRE's multifaceted approach offers a profoundly humane and wonderfully nuanced view of every aspect of the drug trade and the complex morality of its participants. The first four seasons of the show are included here.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/HBO UPC: 026359794421 Manufacturer No: 97944

List Price: $59.98
Price: $53.99
You Save: $5.99 (10%)

Wire In The Blood: The Complete Fifth Season

Actors: Robson Green, Simone Lahbib
ASIN : B00175GAKQ
Sales Rank : 10112
Brand : Koch International
Studio : KOCH Vision
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0741952653998
UPC : 741952653998
Release Date : December 08, 2008
Publisher : KOCH Vision
Manufacturer : KOCH Vision
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : KOCH Vision
Running Time : 345

Description

Dr. Tony Hill (Robson Green) is a clinical psychologist with an extraordinary understanding of the criminal mind. Working alongside Detective Inspector Alex Fielding (Simone Lahbib), Tony must race against time to profile and track down vicious killers before they strike again.

Disc 1: The Colour of Amber
When a woman sees a young girl being snatched by a man in a car, Detective Inspector Alex Fielding fears they may only have hours to get her back alive. Will Tony be able to find the abductor in time?

Disc 2: Nocebo
Alex investigates the murder of two children who bear signs of ritual killings. Tony puzzles over what the killer might want to gain and why. And is it one killer or two?

Disc 3: The Names of Angels
Two women are found raped and strangled, wearing the clothing of victims killer years earlier in Europe. As Tony tries to unravel the deadly puzzle, he’s confronted by an unpleasant distraction – an 18-year-old released killer turns up on his doorstep.

Disc 4: Anything You Can Do
When a vulnerable elderly woman is suffocated in her home, Alex and Tony suspect a security guard who was seen at the scene of the crime by several witnesses. But when the killings escalate, it appears to be the work of more than one murderer.

DVD Extras:
Interviews with Robson Green, Simone Lahbib and cast, author Val McDermid and production staff

List Price: $59.98
Price: $53.99
You Save: $5.99 (10%)

Wire in the Blood: The Complete Third Season

Actors: Robson Green, Hermione Norris
ASIN : B000C6NP4A
Sales Rank : 35902
Director : Declan O'Dwyer, Andy Goddard, Alex Pillai, Roger Gartland
Brand : Koch International
Studio : Koch Vision
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Color, Content/Copy-Protected CD, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0741952664697
UPC : 741952664697
Release Date : December 07, 2006
Publisher : Koch Vision
Manufacturer : Koch Vision
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Koch Vision
Running Time : 340

Description

Brilliant, passionate and eccentric, clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill (Robson Green) has an extraordinary understanding of the criminal mind. It enables him to empathize with both victim and murderer ? and even to visualize the crimes. Working alongside Detective Inspector Carol Jordon (Hermione Norris), Dr. Hill helps the police profile and track down vicious killers in northern England.

New Price: $229.99

The Wire - The Complete First and Second Seasons

Actors: Stephen Zaleski, Michael Stone Forrest, Steve Staiger
ASIN : B0006V4KY0
Sales Rank : 50854
Studio : HBO Home Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 9780783133775
ISBN : 0783133774
UPC : 026359865428
Release Date : December 25, 2005
Publisher : HBO Home Video
Manufacturer : HBO Home Video
Label : HBO Home Video
Running Time : 1495

Amazon.com

It hardly seems possible, but The Wire's second season is even better than the first. The "visual novel" concept of this masterful HBO series is taken even further in a rich, labyrinthine plot revolving around the longshoremen of Baltimore's struggling cargo docks, where corruption, smuggling, and murder draw the attention of detective McNulty (Dominic West), who's been demoted to harbor patrol while his former colleagues have been similarly reassigned following season 1. What brings them back together is a series of events which at first seem unrelated (including 13 bodies found in a cargo container), and their ongoing effort to topple the drug empire of "Stringer" Bell (Idris Elba) and the imprisoned Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris), whose business is suffering from short supply, high demand, and disruption of distribution. The dutiful diligence of a Marine Police Patrol Officer and the moral outrage of the longshoremen's union leader are also factored into the suspicious goings-on at the loading docks, and what unfolds in these 12 episodes is an American crime epic easily on par with the Godfather saga. Yes, it's that good.

Browse The Wire Online

The Wire - The Complete Fifth Season

Description

Amazon.com

The Wire - The Complete First Season

Product Description

Amazon.com

The Wire - The Complete Fourth Season

Description

Amazon.com

The Wire - The Complete Third Season

Description

Amazon.com

The Wire - The Complete Second Season

Description

Amazon.com

The Wire - Seasons 1-4

Product Description

Wire In The Blood: The Complete Fifth Season

Description

Wire in the Blood: The Complete Third Season

Description

The Wire - The Complete First and Second Seasons

Amazon.com

The Wire - The Complete First Three Seasons

Product Description