With his recent starring role in the successful superhero movie Black Panther, 31-year-old Michael B. Jordan’s career has taken on a new level. Combined with his 2015 role as Adonis Creed in Creed, the seventh movie of Sylvester Stallone’s iconic Rocky series, this movie has solidified Jordan as one of the most sought-after actors today. However, his best role came in 2002 when a 15-year-old Jordan played a small, but pivotal, character in season one of “The Wire.”
Based in Baltimore, season one of “The Wire” follows detective Jimmy McNulty and other members of the Baltimore Police Department in their pursuit of drug kingpin Avon Barksdale and his family-run drug empire. Barksdale, played by Wood Harris, most famous for playing Julius Campbell in Remember the Titans, is the leader of a drug trafficking ring based in the housing projects of West Baltimore. Jordan’s character, Wallace, is a 16-year-old, street-level drug dealer working under Barksdale. The season follows McNulty and his crew’s investigation into the history of unsolved murders and drug-related crimes with ties to the Barksdale organization, despite major criticism from his superiors within the police department. Meanwhile, the cautiousness and organization of Barksdale is explored. His drug ring is interrupted by many things, including constant robberies by stick-up man Omar Little, wire taps and ordered murders. I don’t like to spoil endings, so I’ll stop there, but viewers should have their tissues ready for the end of this season.
Rated second on the list of 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time by Rolling Stone, “The Wire” is an extremely accurate portrayal of drug activity, police investigation, politics within the police department and many other factors that cause the “war on drugs” to continue. This should be credited to the creator of the show, Paul Simon, along with fellow producer Ed Burns.
Prior to “The Wire,” Simon worked as a police reporter for the Baltimore Sun for 13 years, spending most of his time covering crime. In 1988, Simon spent a year with the Baltimore Police Department Homicide Unit to write a book, published in 1991. Burns, who co-authored another book with Simon, served 20 years in the Baltimore Police Department, holding several positions, including a stint in the homicide unit.
Thanks to their life experiences working closely to the subject matter, Simon and Burns were able to create the most realistic show possible based on crime and police work. Their experiences working in fields involved with crime and drug trafficking, along with their talents as writers and producers, gave viewers an accurate and hard-hitting experience which may never be matched.
From the daily activity of drug dealers to the behind-the-scenes work of detectives, “The Wire” puts the viewer in the shoes of these characters more thoroughly than any other show. Fans fall in love with the characters and are left broken when these characters are taken away, more so any other show, and the storyline is breathtaking. The never-ending “war on drugs” is brought to life in “The Wire,” and fan-favorite character Omar will teach you, “Come at the king, you best not miss.”
Photo courtesy of hbo.com
