Spike Lee, by mere presence, can apparently tick people off. Here he makes an excellent pilot (and man, oh man, I so wanted this story and series to continue by the time the ending came), pinpointing so many feelings and tensions that have run deep in the city since clear back into the times of the emergence of the GD. Racial tensions bubbling over, gangs intruding on each other's turf, the hapless and hopeless feel of the HP, a ghetto with a capital G, which also, thanks to the ridiculous chemicals in the ground and the cancer risk, will be the hood with the best views for probably the next 30 years (you can't gentrify cancer, sorry).
I won't do another plot spoiler, but it's very well done, this view of intersecting stories, and gang life as more than just dangerous games to make money. Lee really shows gang as also a protecting family, and the different levels of involvement people in the neighborhood have. In short, we have the ugly side, and see the scary full-bore, but also the good, loving aspect. The tensions between the neighborhoods and different races, the actions of the intelligent members who wish to avoid bloodshed vs. the hotheaded thugs who simply want blood and vengeance, it's all detailed excellently. In fact, there isn't a single badly-drawn character here.
It's all here, and it's done the way you'll really see the city as one of these people. Not everybody lives in North Beach or right at the base of a cable car (I swear, if I see another stupid movie with gratuitous shots of Telegraph and the Financial D I'm gonna scream), so there are none of the classic tourist shots, but the location shots are handled perfectly, with a real feel for the neighborhoods. Yet on the other side there are people who take exception with small details, like neighborhood layout, or the fact that many of the bangers had NY-influenced speech and dress. Yes, it wasn't perfect, but it was close enough, and I would hope that if this series was picked up they would have given it a more authentic city flavor, but it was a NY production, and give them credit for what they did--a rich, nuanced story involving three areas and subcultures which don't get much attention in the city. Plus, they actually used it, vs. some sound stage in LA with a row of generic Victorians. I especially loved the fact that the ending used that classic song ("Flowers in Your Hair") that every city native hates because of the idiotic and simplistic LA view it gives of the city, because it gave such a clear picture of the contrast of real life vs. what people expect the city to be "all about." Masterful. I was drooling for at least one more scene, shot, anything more after that ending. I can only pray that one day Showtime or someone with brains resurrects this amazing show.
I won't do another plot spoiler, but it's very well done, this view of intersecting stories, and gang life as more than just dangerous games to make money. Lee really shows gang as also a protecting family, and the different levels of involvement people in the neighborhood have. In short, we have the ugly side, and see the scary full-bore, but also the good, loving aspect. The tensions between the neighborhoods and different races, the actions of the intelligent members who wish to avoid bloodshed vs. the hotheaded thugs who simply want blood and vengeance, it's all detailed excellently. In fact, there isn't a single badly-drawn character here.
It's all here, and it's done the way you'll really see the city as one of these people. Not everybody lives in North Beach or right at the base of a cable car (I swear, if I see another stupid movie with gratuitous shots of Telegraph and the Financial D I'm gonna scream), so there are none of the classic tourist shots, but the location shots are handled perfectly, with a real feel for the neighborhoods. Yet on the other side there are people who take exception with small details, like neighborhood layout, or the fact that many of the bangers had NY-influenced speech and dress. Yes, it wasn't perfect, but it was close enough, and I would hope that if this series was picked up they would have given it a more authentic city flavor, but it was a NY production, and give them credit for what they did--a rich, nuanced story involving three areas and subcultures which don't get much attention in the city. Plus, they actually used it, vs. some sound stage in LA with a row of generic Victorians. I especially loved the fact that the ending used that classic song ("Flowers in Your Hair") that every city native hates because of the idiotic and simplistic LA view it gives of the city, because it gave such a clear picture of the contrast of real life vs. what people expect the city to be "all about." Masterful. I was drooling for at least one more scene, shot, anything more after that ending. I can only pray that one day Showtime or someone with brains resurrects this amazing show.