We Own This City

Starring: Jon Bernthal (6 episodes), Wunmi Mosaku (6 episodes), Jamie Hector (6 episodes), Josh Charles (6 episodes), McKinley Belcher III (6 episodes), Darrell Britt-Gibson (6 episodes), David Corenswet (6 episodes), Dagmara Dominczyk (6 episodes), Don Harvey (6 episodes), Larry Mitchell (6 episodes), Delaney Williams (6 episodes), Lucas Van Engen (5 episodes), Ian Duff (5 episodes), Rob Brown (4 episodes), Robert Harley (4 episodes), Seth Hurwitz (4 episodes), Celeste Olivia (4 episodes), Ken Arnold (4 episodes), Joey Palestina (4 episodes), Bobby J. Brown (3 episodes), Treat Williams (2 episodes)
Directed by: Reinaldo Marcus Green (6 episodes)
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Drama, Crime
2022

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Follows the corruption of Baltimore's infamous Gun Trace Task Force.

Review:
Tim: I thoroughly enjoyed this unflinching look at police corruption, specifically in the city of Baltimore. George Pelecanos and David Simon create a compelling, bleak look at what absolute power can do when there's little to no accountability in place. This miniseries felt timely, with the appropriate questions about the police circulating the country after far too many police-inflicted homicides. This series examined the Gun Trace Task Force specifically, but this could be any group of people who are given immense power, rewarded very little for continually placing their lives on the line, and creating a no accountability culture that rewards outcomes with no focus on the means in which they were achieved. It's a sad series in many ways- to see the people we all grew up being told were there to protect us- blatantly robbing people and arresting them without cause.

That's a hard facet of this series- I'm really glad I watched it and it was well made, but it's bleak and a major downer. That's okay, it's supposed to be- but I have no desire to ever rewatch this. I sat through the 6 episodes, I followed the story, but I'm glad it's a miniseries. It's hard to watch blatant police corruption. It does make you question the law and justice- many of the people being victimized here are "bad" guys- drug dealers, drug addicts, etc. The law still needs to protect their personal property, though. It was hard to see the "bad" guys being victims of the cops. It was even harder to see the many innocent Baltimore civilians being victimized, too. I did find it fascinating to see the longer-term implications of this corrupt police action. Protests in the streets, yes, I expected that. An inability to field an impartial jury was not something I ever considered. I appreciated this behind-the-scenes look at corruption in the Baltimore police department. It felt like we truly got the insider's view. The problem is that under the hood is something you don't want to see. Still, we need to see it and I so appreciate Pelecanos and Simon putting it out there for people to experience.

The cast is really good, but it's tough because they are mostly unlikable characters. I do feel like Reinaldo Marcus Green did a good job directing all the episodes, but I don't think he quite hit a home run. The writing was good, but he never manages to balance all of these characters effectively enough. Jon Bernthal is the star, the corrupt and infuriating Wayne Jenkins. I truly believe Bernthal can do anything- I've loved him in so many things, but here, he's aggravating, terrible, the exact epitome of toxic masculinity in the police force. It's not a "fun" performance, but it's a believable and effective one. Bernthal is a big reason why I watched this miniseries in the first place and he does not disappoint. There's a few scenes, him making a speech, or interacting with his "buddies" where he's so jaw-droppingly good I couldn't believe it. He feels completely authentic as he brings the larger-than-life character of Wayne Jenkins to life. Bernthal is a stunningly good actor and I loved his performance here.

The supporting cast is solid. I liked what Wunmi Mosaku did, but it felt like she was too much on the sidelines. She does a lot of talking and attending meetings, but her scenes carried less weight, felt like urgent than the others. I don't think Green did a good enough job of amplifying her importance. Her scenes often felt dragged out and boring to me. Jamie Hector emerged as one of the highlights of the series. His performance was nuanced and powerful. It builds to a crescendo that I'll think about for a long time. Josh Charles did a great job as the most unlikable character in the cast. His Daniel Hersel was just awful, yet so accurate for many in the police force. I love that Charles embraced the dark side of this character and allowed us to see his despicable displays. I thought David Corenswet did an outstanding job as well. His role was minimal, but he drew your attention to him. He represented the "good" police that the Baltimore force so desperately needed more of- I really enjoyed his performance here. Delaney Williams added a nice supporting performance, and Larry Mitchell was fantastic. I wish more of the supporting players had greater screen time- Green has to juggle quite a bit in six episodes and it feels like some of the characters get a bit shortchanged.

I really did enjoy We Own This City. It's a timely look at police corruption in Baltimore. I loved how the city itself became almost a character- Baltimore is stamped on every scene and felt like we were truly transported to those streets. This isn't the easiest watch, but it's an absolutely memorable one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: The Wire, The Punisher, Aquarius