Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

mraculeated The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

bob the moo The corner on West Fayette Street is the heart of the community. Buzzing with life, its where to go to find out what is happening. Ironically it is also the place of death, whether it is the slow death brought by drugs or the quick pain of the bullet. In the middle of this community is one family torn apart by it. Gary McCullough once had a good job and a college education but now goes from scam to scam trying to get enough money to get his fix. Wife Fran is no different, longing for the pride she once had in her family but longing even more for drugs. Meanwhile their son DeAndre McCullough finds himself facing a future that offers little more than the easy money available to him slinging. Meanwhile in the background the corner captures Fat Curt, Ronnie, Blue, DeAndre's girl Tyreeka, Hungry and the ever hopeful Miss Ella; all part of the corner world to varying degrees.Two years before The Wire came out, The Corner came out but I, like many others, came to the latter off the back of falling in love with the sheer quality of the former. Well, in reality I actually came to the HBO miniseries off the back of reading the book and being so impressed by it that I wanted more. This is a bit of a problem because the book does such a good job of developing the characters across their experiences while also making wider points about the war on drugs that the series had a lot to live up to. It doesn't really manage it though, which is a real shame. It does get very close and the rate rating on this site is mostly deserved but the penetration into the characters is not to the same degree as the book (although this is perhaps understandable). The script is still strong though and paints mostly convincing characters, using flashbacks to good effect. It lacks dramatic highs and lows and it does tend to drift rather than have a definite direction, but that is part of the territory and part of this being a true story about the lives of those hooked on drugs – there isn't a start and an end and lots of action in between.Dutton's direction is mostly reasonably good and, although he is flat at times, he is well supported by the convincing locations and use of the street. I disliked the "to-camera" moments at the start and end of each episode. The book never resorted to it and mostly it didn't work that well in the series and just smacked of laziness. When they do work it is due to the strength of the performances and not the device suddenly becoming good. Of the cast Alexander was one of the most impressive as she delivered a convincing Fran – spinning between being a drug fiend and a mother really well. Carter works well beside her with the same quiet desperation the book brought out of him, although his wig in the flashbacks were a bit funny. Nelson was a weak link though. He didn't convince me as DeAndre and this was not the character that had come across in the book; he seemed too light for the character, too quick to smile and lacking the edge that I was looking for him to have. It was a real shame – he was such a central character and I didn't always buy it. A difficult role maybe, but he was not the right man for the job. The support cast does more than fill in the edges as they are roundly good – Ferrell, Peters, Robinson, Plummer, Rawlings, Connor and others. My personal favourite was Smith's Ronnie, who seemed frighteningly real with every look, every swagger and every irrational fight. The connection to The Wire and Homicide is welcome to a point as it does bring in a quality but occasionally it is distracting (I couldn't accept Reddick here and could only see his later turn as Daniels).Thinking of The Wire, it is a fair point that many viewers will see this as inferior to that series and they will probably be correct. In some ways you can see the formative stages of that series here, with the quote at the beginning, the casting, the attention to detail and ability to draw the viewer into the characters no matter how unlikeable they are. Of course it is not as good as The Wire but, having so far seen seasons 1-3 of it, I must confess that I can think of very little on television that can compare.That said though, The Corner is still a very strong miniseries that deserves to be seen for how real it is. There are weaknesses of course but mostly it is engaging and cries out to be seen for those who see the war on drugs as a matter of black and white (and yes I mean that in both senses). Fans of The Wire who come to it off the back of that will rightly note that it is not the standard they expect but this is more praise for that series rather than criticism of this one. An important and honest series then – it isn't as impacting as the book but it is still essential viewing for anyone with even a slight opinion on drugs.

moviefan2003va The subject matter of this miniseries was not pleasant to watch or digest but it held my attention the entire time. It was extremely gripping and wonderfully acted. Khandi Alexander in particular should be applauded for her fantastic performance.

askedforhelp When oh when will this miniseries become available on video or DVD? At least let HBO rebroadcast it so I can make a copy. It is as close to excellent a view of its topic as I have ever seen and a great tool for use in a substance abuse recovery program. (I am a drug counselor.)

DunnDeeDaGreat In one word The Corner =brillance. Charles S.Dutton displays masterful storytelling in the stories of crack addicts. Sean Nelson contunies to show his dramatic range as an actor and he has a carrer ahead of him. But the acting standouts are Khandi Alexander & T.K. Carter as the parents of Nelson's character.