Amazon.com

The bleak reality of drug addiction is captured with unflinching authenticity in The Corner, an excellent, reality-based HBO miniseries. Having lived on the streets of West Baltimore, Maryland, where this compelling drama takes place, actor-director Charles S. Dutton knows the territory, physically, socially, and emotionally, and his compassionate approach is vital to the series' success. Dutton cares for his characters deeply enough to give them a realistic shred of hope, even when hope is consistently dashed by the ravages of addiction. This is, at its root, a family tragedy, focusing on errant father Gary (T.K. Carter, in a heartbreaking performance) a once-successful investor trapped in a tailspin of heroin dependency. His estranged wife Fran (Khandi Alexander) was the first to get hooked, and she's struggling to get clean, while their 15-year-old son DeAndre (Sean Nelson, from the indie hit Fresh) deals drugs, temporarily avoiding their deadly allure while facing the challenge of premature fatherhood.

Through revealing flashbacks and numerous local characters, we see the explicit fallout of addiction, and while violence occasionally erupts, its constant threat is secondary to Dutton's dramatic vision, which remains steadfastly alert to the humanity and neglected potential of these lost and searching souls. The Corner is, essentially, the civilian flipside of HBO's equally laudable series The Wire, which approaches a similar neighborhood from a police-squad perspective. Performances are uniformly superb, details are uncannily perfect, and for all of its human horror, The Corner is riveting, not depressing. A closing interview with the characters' real-life counterparts bears witness to the fact that these lives--with inevitable exceptions--need not be lost forever. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Depth&Realness
first I gotta give Charles S Dutton Much props.the Brother truly nailed it here.the Cast of this Show Knocked it out the Box.I can't think of another Mini-Series over the past Decade that has matched this Show in recent time.this Show had me locked in from the first show.truly High Quality of Writing,Acting&Direction.I can't even begin to tell you how sad I was when this Show ended on HBO because it truly captured so much for me&now it's on DVD&Now I can watch it Over&Over again.The Corner is On Point all the way.

Riveting and Heartbreaking
Every time this series runs on HBO Signature, I can't help but be drawn in. It's one of those things you can watch over and over, wanting to look away from the graphic depiction of heroin use, but unable to tear yourself away. What Dutton and the producers/screenwriters have done is to bring a human face to addiction, something that is rarely seen. The central character of Gary is at the same time sweet, tragic, and hopeless. He is an intelligent, vibrant man, once so successful but now numbed by his addiction. What is even all the more heartbreaking is that these are/were real people, not just a fictional concept. It also goes to show the viewer that no one is completely safe from addiction; if someone like Gary can come so close to success only to have it all fall away, anyone can walk down that same road. I also HIGHLY recommend the book this miniseries was based on, although it is very lengthy. What is ironic is that I grew up in an affluent suburb only an hour away from where The Corner took place, and until I read the book and saw the miniseries, I had no idea that places this stark and brutal actually existed. No matter what walk of life you come from, you can appreciate and be affected by this story. All you have to be is human.

Real life events
I really enjoyed watching the show because is brought how the truth about American cities. Growing up me Moter was a victim to a crack addiction. She died when I was 10. My family sent me to live with my Father who dealed crack (was the one that got my Mother hooked) until he was later guned down in Newport News, VA behind a drud deal gone bad. After being sent to live with my brother. When I was 17 he was shot to death in a drive by. This made me want to do good with my life and this series really touched me. To everyone that was behind this movie, Big up. Mabe a show should spin out of this.

No words Could Express
This was the most intriguing, mind-boggling, and soul reaching show I've ever watched. I truly appreciate the people, who showcased it, and even more the ones who it was based upon. Thank-you, because that was as close to the corner, that I would ever get. Once again, I thank you all so much, because, personally, I never knew it was that hard for addicts. This is most definitely worthy of an Oscar. It would also, make good for more than a six episode t.v. series.

lived it
Igrew up in Baltimore City and still live in Baltimore County! I have a brother who has gotten lost in this world..I could not believe the things how real they are. I also worked in the Hotel where most of the cast was staying including Charles Dutton.. What a great job ... Read more

Reviews (33)

A LESSON FOR ALL
Fresh is more than just another film about urban decay and the harsh realities of New York street life. It's a story that is as real as anything you've seen on the nightly news. It's the story that doesn't make it to the Sunday paper. Depending on who reads this review and where there from, Fresh truly hits close to home. Brooklyn NY is the setting and Fresh played by Sean Nelson is "the little man running the streets" Although younger than any main character in a film that covers the topic of drugs, He is a lot mature and focused than many of the sterotyped characters that Hollywood loves to portray black youths as. Working as a runner for two notorious drug dealers, Fresh finds himself caught in a deadly game of chess. It's a story that is rich with raw power and director Boaz Yakin gives it to the audience without the sugar frosting. With powewrful performances by Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson, and N, Bush Wright, Fresh brings you face to face with a reality that many parents of todays youth hope is just all blown out of perportion. So go cop it Aiight.

Fresh - what an apt title
this movie was outstanding. I've seen it many times and cannot wait for the DVD to come out, as my tape is on its last loop.

I will defend the music and say that works really well in this film. It's not the kind of thing you would go out and purchase seperately, however. The writing is also superb, nary a wasted word, although some lines seem kind of awkward, forced or inauthentic - one of the three. The director Yakin apparently did a lot of research on the streets of some tough neighborhoods in New York to prepare himself to write this drama. All things considered, I think he did a fine job.

Sean Young puts in a better than adequate showing, Giancarlo Esposito is captivating as Esteban and Samuel Jackson is wonderful as Fresh's deadbeat, chess-sparing father. Chess, by the way, is a theme tailored to the plot in this coming of age story, as the pieces on the chess board come to represent figures in young Fresh's life; some, er, most of whom he must sacrifice in a gambit that will get him and his heroin-addict sister out of the ghetto.

Must See
The previous reviewers have pretty much summed it all up. This is a great American movie. The theatrical release completely passed me by, and I only recently discovered 'Fresh' by reading the reviews on Amazon. Buy this movie, it will have you rapt with attention. The story is deep and the details many, so much so you will need more than one viewing to take it all in. Great performances all around.

"Anything lost can be found again, except for time wasted."
Michael, a.k.a. "Fresh", is a 12-year-old drug dealer who lives in a run-down house with his aunt and other orphaned children in a dangerous Brooklyn neighborhood. Having grown up in a harsh culture, he is a boy who shows little emotion despite witnessing the revulsion of street life on a regular basis. His mother is long gone, his sister has resorted to prostitution, and his father is completely estranged-although every now and then he meets with his father to play speed chess, through which he is taught street knowledge. At first Fresh aspires to live the life of a powerful drug dealer, but one day a heartrending incident causes him to rethink his dreams and consider a better possible future.

Directed by Boaz Yakin (who also directed "Remember the Titans"--a *completely* different film), "Fresh" is an astonishingly well-done film that left me stunned long after it ended. By depicting a brutal life through the eyes of a young boy, the film tells a bleak story by taking its viewers on a roller-coaster ride of gut-wrenching scenes, and yet in the process it still manages to engage the audience and finally arrive at a surprising conclusion.

Although the first third of the film is basically used to give the viewer a tour of Fresh's neighborhood, the plot soon becomes very complex after one particular scene. Fresh's life literally becomes a game of chess, represented by the moves the pieces make and the strategy used to stay alive. Despite the film's quiet atmosphere, it moves at a rapid pace and forces the audience to listen closely in order to keep on track with the plot. The plot moves unpredictably throughout, but every one of its elements makes perfect sense after a bit of thinking. And although the script is heavy on profanity, it is totally realistic in depicting the everyday life of the characters, and the dialogue between Fresh and his father during their chess matches is especially good.

The picture is shot on low-budget film, making the Brooklyn neighborhood feel all the more dark and unwelcoming. But there are no prolonged fight scenes, nor is there a lot of on-screen brutality. There are, however, a lot of tragic scenes that really hit home, and they are shot with rapid film editing and camera work that didn't require any computer enhancements. Simply put, no unnecessary visual techniques are used.

The acting is superb all around. Sean Nelson, in his debut role, is stunning as Fresh; he is so compelling in the way he conveys his emotions without having to say anything, and he feels so natural that it seems as if he doesn't even know the camera's on him for more than 90% of the film. For this to come out of a debut performance is impressive enough; but for it to come out of such a young actor is truly astonishing. Supporting roles include Samuel L. Jackson, who expresses a great sense of authority as Fresh's father, and Giancarlo Esposito, who is absolutely chilling as the "black king" of the film.

And the ending is unforgettable. In fact, it is not the unpredictable denouement that the viewer remembers best; it is the very last image. In one final shot, all the emotion that had built up to that point bursts out in a brief, silent moment. It is a deeply moving way to end the film, and it gave me a faint sense of hope despite all the sorrow and horror that had already happened.

"Fresh" is a tiny film that manages to be riveting, frightening, disturbing, contemplative, poignant, and faintly uplifting all at once, and that alone makes it one of the most memorable films I have ever seen. But with acting, filming, and screenplay all being top-notch without any other frills, "Fresh" is also a brilliant work that uses only the most basic aspects of film to their fullest extent. It features many upsetting scenes and is definitely not for all viewers, and due to the plot and script it can be a very challenging film to watch at times, but it is an unconventional example of a director and cast at the top of their form. I easily recommend "Fresh" to film lovers everywhere.

Incredible!
It was one of those movies that cames on late on a night that I couldn't sleep. After 3 minutes, I was hooked and could not even make an attempt at sleeping.
This movie is worthy of any award.
It is incredible! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

More like "The Film that Stumbled"....
The significance of Kent State begs that a serious film be made chronicling that event---this is not that film. Rather, I found myself wondering if "The Year that Trembled" was a student film project, the script often breaking down into amateurish muddles and clumsy dialogue.

Issac, the undercover FBI character was a complete confusion of motives and suggested unintended multiple personalities. Clips of Bobby Kennedy and MLK are injected into the middle of the film to substantiate the popular call for a lottery based Draft----but the year is 1970 and both of those icons died in 1968, producing a momentary non sequitur.

And then there is Martin Mull as a lead FBI agent---Martin Mull as an FBI agent? Pleeeese! Martin Mull, at one point, allows to his friend played by Fred Willard, that sure, at an earlier age he had had long hair and smoke some weed. But looking at an aging Mull, when did this occur? In the early 1950's? Perhaps this was just a "Fernwood Tonight" gag the two actors nostalgically threw into the film.

The DVD jacket states that the film is "punctuated by 17 songs from the era," and in fact the song titles are listed in the credits. But, I have no recollection of my viewing experience being punctuated by any authentic music selections. A little Buffalo Springfield would have been a nice touch.

This is a pretty thin effort. However, if it was in fact, a high school film project, then I would be more charitable in my assessment.

The way it kinda was
War protests, Vietnam, Kent State. This Indie film tries to capture the time through actual footage of the events taking place and through the eyes of young men facing the scariest rite of reaching manhood - the draft - and almost succeeds. Deduct points for the whole thing being too clean and pretty. It wasn't either.
The acting ranges from awful to outstanding, but the stiffness of the younger cast members improves as the movie progresses, especially in scenes with veterans like Fred Willard, Martin Mull and Henry Gibson onscreen to steady them down. Marian Hinkle is quite good as the teacher who is fired for her anti-war sentiments. Even better, is Jonathan M. Woodward as her husband, a decent guy who is systematically betrayed by his government, his employer and his wife. Although not one of the stars, Woodward's performance carries the film, and it is a mystery why his name doesn't appear on the front cover of the DVD at all. Bill Raymond is also excellent as a bitter disabled vet who offers practical, if not legal, advice to the young men, and it's a shame he isn't seen more.
Biggest letdown comes when the life-shattering effects of dodging the draft are reduced to a happy ride to Canada on a motor scooter and the decent guy pays the price for doing the right thing, but since sympathy in the film lies with the dodgers and not the men who did their service, this is not surprising.
The DVD has no extra features, and no commentary, which is unfortunate, because you really will wonder what they were thinking when they shot certain scenes.

Remember it's a low-budget, independent film, so don't expect too much - see it for its great moments, forgive it for its flaws.

A "Must see" the translates well to what's happening today
The writer's passions show through in this great novel's screenplay adaptation. It is great to see that literary artists are still out there writing from the heart, not trying to create something strictly for salability to Hollywood and the public.

If you want a "thinking person's" movie you will be satisfied. This can be as deep as you want it to be and those who can remember that time will surely have old feelings stirred and the current generation will get insight into what their parents felt and how controversial a time it was.

Made me take stock in my own life and served as a reminder of how precious life is and how valuable friendship can and should be! Make it a part of your library and flag it for annual viewing! Check out the original Novel as well! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jay Craven has made a little niche for himself in dramas of the American Midwest. His 1993 sleeper Where the Rivers Flow North chronicles the standoff between the WPA and a defiant Vermont farmer during the depression. Stranger in the Kingdom, adapted from the novel by Howard Frank Mosher, finds Craven back in Vermont, circa 1952, where a sleepy little town is awakened by the arrival of worldly black pastor Ernie Hudson, fresh from 15 years of service as an Army chaplain. The community doesn't take to their new two-fisted moral policeman, and tongues wag when he takes in a sexy young French Canadian mail-order maid fleeing from her abusive household. When she's murdered the community points its fingers to the minister. As long as the film stays with Hudson, it's a compelling portrait of small-town provincialism turned ugly, but the film's real protagonist is hometown attorney David Lansbury, a fun-loving scamp who confronts his own arrested adolescence while defending Hudson in a Perry Mason-like climax. The film loses its complexity as it turns whodunit, but until then it's a richly populated, well-sketched portrait of rural paradise polluted by ignorance and hate, beautifully shot in autumnal colors. Sean Nelson (Fresh) costars as the minister's son, and Martin Sheen and Henry Gibson appear as attorneys for the prosecution. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more