- Network: ESPN
- Series Premiere Date: Jul 9, 2007
Critic Reviews
- Critic score
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- By date
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Everyone is spectacular, even the secondary players like Leonard Armond Robinson as Mickey Rivers, who steals more scenes than bases, and Erik Jensen, who so underplays Munson that he's mesmerizing - and, most especially, Michael Rispoli, who plays Jimmy Breslin - or should I say becomes Breslin? Don't miss it. Just great.
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As well as New Yorkers know these three characters, it's amazing how quickly the real faces fade and the three actors here become their own "strong-willed people."
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It is a gripping and explosively acted piece that involves the New York Yankees, the Son of Sam killer and the infamous 25-hour blackout that darkened all of New York City.
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The most compelling storytelling usually involves the combative relationship between Steinbrenner and Martin.
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If you enjoy inside baseball, it's an interesting dynamic to view, and it's made cohesive by solid efforts from the actors, scriptwriter James D. Solomon and director Jeremiah S. Chechik.
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Once you accept the quiet rhythms and deliberate pace of The Bronx Is Burning, though, it begins to pay off.
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The unsettling juxtaposition of Yankees fever with Son of Sam's reign of terror is intriguing, but could have used a stronger authorial voice to tie it together.... Still, even non-Yankees fans should enjoy this one.
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The Bronx Is Burning succeeds because of the mutually-assured-destruction brand of combustibility among its lead characters - there is something of “Barbarians at the Gate” in the gleeful madness of the Yankees plot - and because of the incidents that the writers and director choose to recreate.
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It's supposed to be a story of New York and its many demons, but it works best as a tale of loud, proud, surprisingly brittle men.
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Despite some fine performances, it fails to show a connection.
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You don't have to be a New Yorker to enjoy ESPN's eight-part miniseries, The Bronx is Burning, although it might help.
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ESPN's eight-episode mini-series plays remarkably flat despite a sharp portrayal by John Turturro as the eye at the center of the storm.
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As epic as Reggie vs. Billy or Billy vs. George were on the sports pages in the summer of Sam, it doesn't feel like quite enough to fill eight hours of scripted drama.
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Unfortunately, though, not only must the actors out-act one another, they must also best their wardrobes--Platt's hair is a slick helmet, Sunjata's Afro and mustache are disorienting, and Turturro's ears demand their own show. In this way, and others--clumsy editing, continuity and so on--Bronx consistently undermines itself.
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The adaptation of Mahler's book deals with this material in a fashion not so much dumbed-down as lobotomized.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 10 out of 14
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Mixed: 3 out of 14
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Negative: 1 out of 14
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ChampG.Jul 31, 2007Very enjoyable watch. I did not follow the Yanks back in '77, but this series brings to life a part of baseball history. Two thumbs up.
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brentoniJul 17, 2007An entertaining show. Drama, history, and sport rolled into one.
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othos.Jul 13, 2007