After viewing all six episodes of "The Corner" I sincerely believe that this extraordinary mini-series could've been a great film. I can see this film challenging the majority of so called masterpiece films in the theater right now, probably putting most of those films to shame.
This film has everything I expect from masterpiece film-story telling. First of all, unlike a lot of the films made by African-American filmmakers, it doesn't hold back on the truth. Charles S. Dutton did a marvelous job of telling a story about real life in inner cities all across America and with out holding back on the truth. The film consists of stereotypes most African-Americans, especially those who are living safely in Hollywood away from the ghetto, want deny being reality in most Black communities. But this film doesn't apologize for the stereotypes or anything, while some of the characters are apologetic about many things in their own lives. Secondly, the acting was one of the best by an ensemble African-American cast in recent years. Thirdly, the film was shot well, using little style to the shots so that it would have that documentary feel. I also found each scene in the film to be well written, like some great scripts of the past like Good Will Hunting and the Deer Hunter, both great films. So we've seen films about the inner city before (Boyz N'the Hood, Menace II Society) this one. Who cares? Hollywood had made dozens of titles dealing with the mafia, and most of those films are great. However, this film stands alone from the rest, making viewers sympathize with and see each character as being exactly who they are: human beings that make mistakes. This film doesn't demonize the drug addicts in the film regardless of their sometimes immoral ways of getting that drug. "The Corner" ranks amongst one of the best mini series ever made for television. Despite the fact that it wasn't a feature film, I still rank it over the majority of films of recent years as well.
If you had never been to the ghetto and you want to grasp an understanding of how must people in the inner city lives, this mini series is what you should see. Out of a grade of an A+, which is super excellent, to a F, I give this film an A+. I also give it 10 stars...
