Beyond the cop film, a Baltimore Ukiyo-e

Arielle 2022-10-29 21:11:47

The advantage of FireWire lies in its breadth and depth. With a documentary-like perspective, the audience will have a glimpse of the ecological chain of Baltimore, and at the same time show the fullness and distinctive character of each person in it.

The whole story started as an observer. Police officer Jimmy attended a trial and found that the defendant had manipulated the witness to reverse the confession. After the trial, Jimmy and the judge murmured, complaining that the defendant and the group were killing them in the high-rise area, but no one in the police department took care of this matter. Jimmy's words caught the judge's attention. The pressure from the judge forced the police to set up a task force, which then unfolded the whole story of wiretapping.

Next, people of all colors officially appeared on the stage.

The two opposing organizations, drug dealers and police, are the focus of the first season.

The members of the drug dealer organization include the drug dealer management, the boss family, the middle-level management of the site, the watchman, the lawyer who is responsible for exoneration, the thugs, the seemingly innocent facade, and the people who rob drug dealers. There are many people on one side of the drug dealer organization, and the division of labor is very fine. But in this drug kingdom, there are roughly three types of people.

The first is a person who has a clear understanding of his own destiny. For example, the big Boss Avon, and the drug dealer robber Omar. Although the two are not at the same time, it is the two of them who see their situation most clearly. Avon's premonition of his own destiny comes from his own family's destiny and his insight into the characteristics of the industry. He took his nephew Dee to see the ancestors of his family. What he said deepened the person Avon, and also gave a glimpse of the fate of this family and the future of Dee. Omar is a bold and cautious person, not ordinary people who can pluck the hair from the tiger's head. But what is rare is that Omar is soberly aware that he, the drug dealer, and the police are only part of the game. Being careful and bold is just delaying one's own mortal destiny.

The second type is people like club owners and Stringer Bell, who are not reconciled. In other words, it is an ambitious person. Among all ambitious people, Stringer is undoubtedly the best. He wants to see the world on a larger stage. However, the shortcomings of this kind of people are not cautious enough, lack of self-control about their desires-or overconfidence in themselves. Stringer was too frivolous when he saw the woman of Boss's nephew Dee for the first time. On the one hand, it was because he didn't take Dee seriously, and on the other hand, maybe he thought that everyone in the room couldn't understand his purpose.

The third type is those who have luck and hope. For example, Xiao Wangfeng, saw that the boss had weakened feet in the murder, and was about to escape, so he died. For example, the nephew of Boss, seeing so many deaths, wanted to walk away, but ended up sitting in prison.

These three kinds of people, without exception, none of them will end well. The best ending is to be a thug, but the thug is in danger of being killed at any time and being pushed out by the boss to punish the crime.

As for the police station system, in a word, chaos is self-defeating.

Needless to say, the deputy director with the highest position is the biggest obstacle in the entire process of handling a case. After the detective was shot, the first reaction turned out to be to gain political capital. The middle-level leaders of the police station, either mediocre or bureaucratic, only care about the detection rate and whether it can be improved. But these people are not far from the grassroots anyway, and occasionally show a trace of humanity. For example, Jimmy's leader showed a certain sense of responsibility and compassion for the only time after being shot. The police at the bottom is the subject of the case and the main object of description. These people have shown all kinds of humanity. There are those who just want to retire, some who rely on their leaders as spies for the last promotion, some who have pig heads, and some who hurt people when they go to the street. But, after all, it's not all wine sacs and rice bags. The screenwriter carefully selected a few cadres and put them into this task force. Each role is enough to make a TV series alone. Without these few people, it is almost impossible to investigate the case. However, the existence of people like Jimmy is accidental, and the existence of wine and rice bags is inevitable. In the end, the outcome of those involved in the case-handling also clearly explained what kind of people can survive in this physique, and what kind of people can be promoted. Who will go to the marine police in the end...

After the facts of the case entered the tracking of drug money, a system of judges, prosecutors, and parliamentarians that were closely connected with the bottom drug trafficking world appeared. Drug trafficking has excessive profits, but it is only the target of the pumping. The congressman nakedly accepts money from the drug dealers. The judge who initiated the case was not out of a sense of responsibility, but was based on the game of election. Later, there was a turning point in the election, and the judges let go of the task force after weighing the pros and cons. Lawyers move between legal and illegal and seem to be more capable than drug dealers. Once the case went deep into the money, these people were all scared to pee. In the end, with everyone's boycott, the investigation finally came to an end with an anticlimactic raid.

Firewire has very little portrayal of drug addicts, and Bubbles is the only representative. Bubbles is both a drug addict and an informant. The screenwriter deliberately portrays this role as a smart person, a person with emotions, and a person with hope for life, which is undoubtedly a trick. It narrowed the distance between the audience and him, and made the audience deplore the ending of this character even more. Bubbles had a real chance to detoxify once. This opportunity came naturally, but by accident, the police he had asked for was shot and hospitalized, and Bubbles fell again. In the end, the stage of talking to Jimmy after quitting from breathing was so good that it gave the illusion of a true performance.

Finally, there is a group of ordinary people in Baltimore City. They are just shown in the background. They are the witnesses who were shot, the security guards, the young men who drove to buy drugs, the children who were fooling around in the bungalow area not going to school, and the old women hiding behind the door. Drugs in this area are not just a small mess, it is not a disease on the skin, but a serious illness that has already affected the function. So many children do not go to school and play near the drug dealer strongholds; ordinary people turn a blind eye to the drug dealers around them.

This Ukiyo-e has lifted a corner of Baltimore's veil, allowing us to see the general life of a considerable number of people in this city. At the same time, this episode has made it clear that it is impossible for the police to eradicate drug dealers. Not only because of police bureaucracy corruption, but because the latter is a natural product of the disease in this region.

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Extended Reading

The Wire quotes

  • Dennis 'Cutty' Wise: The game done changed...

    Slim Charles: Game's the same, just got more fierce.

  • Avon Barksdale: I ain't no suit-wearin' businessman like you... you know I'm just a gangsta I suppose...