David Simon and Georges Pelecanos are back. Their new production focuses on corruption and police blunders, themes reminiscent of a series that has become cult.
Everyone knows The Wire. It’s the kind of series that appears in the list of “100 works to see before you die”, which is watched, advised, and remains in the head for years. In 2002, David Simon, Ed Burns and Georges Pelecanos turned the serial world upside down. The first was an investigative journalist at the Baltimore Sun for 20 years, and the second is a former police officer and professor. Together, they created one of the best detective series of all time.
What struck the critics and the public was its accuracy and realism. The story and characters are inspired by the experiences and observations of the creators. For five seasons, they describe the daily life of the streets of Baltimore, its gangs, its police, its justice, its drug trafficking, its dockers, its politicians, its journalists or even its school. 20 years later, David Simon and Georges Pelecanos once once more immerse us in these hectic streets.
Corruption, blunders, and fabrications of evidence
We Own This City is inspired by the eponymous book by Justin Fenton. In this investigation, the criminal reporter of the Baltimore Sun focuses on the Gun Trace Task Force, an elite unit of the Baltimore police. The crime mini-series tells this true story, which is as frightening as it is fascinating. She tells us (among other things) regarding abuse of power, mass arrests, racism and racketeering. This prestigious branch of the police is affected by corruption and multiplies blunders, obstructions to justice and the fabrication of evidence. According to the official synopsis, “ the scandal that this case will cause will highlight the dysfunctions of the policy of numbers and repression of the American police”.
The series is particularly interested in Sergeant Wayne Jenkins, a “rogue” cop who has great importance in the unit. He is played by Jon Bernthal, who had shone in The Punisher with his anti-police persona. He replies to another follower of the Marvel universe: Wunmi Mosaku (Loki). We also find Josh Charles (The Good Wife), David Corenswet (Hollywood), Jamie Hector (The Wire), et des guests stars dont Treat Williams, Jermaine Crawford et Domenick Lombardozzi.
The screenplay is provided by David Simon and George Pelecanos, and Reinaldo Marcus Green is behind the camera. The filmmaker recently shone with The Williams Method (which won an Oscar for Will Smith). The first spectators were able to see the series in preview during the last edition of Series Mania, but its official broadcast is set for April 26 on OCS (in US+24 broadcast).