Life On The Street

So I interviewed the NYPD detective I recently posted about. I ended up buying an iTalk attachment so I could turn my iPod into a recorder. I'm glad I did because there was no way I was going to be able to take down rapid fire commentary from an already caffeinated cop three or four cups deep. It was important that I got an idea of the current climate of the NYPD and not say, 1992. I wanted accurate information and boy, did I get it. It will help me a great deal when I rewrite this character in Where Are You Seventeen? I can't say much but I can say the information takes on an entirely different meaning when someone who is doing a job like this is giving you everything you need, total access. It really puts you in the right place. Accuracy is important but so is story. Striking a balance between the two is what I'm trying to accomplish.

We got on the subject of what films and television shows were the real deal in the eyes of a seasoned pro on the job. These are all opinions on authenticity not whether they are good films/tv or not. In the world of filmmaking we know it has to happen within a two hour time frame even if that time frame is supposed to take place over years. Granted, this is one person's opinion. This is what I got...

Bad Lieutenant - Authentic. He had a special attachment to this film because he was undercover when this was taking place in NYC.
NYPD Blue - Accurate but to an extent. Some of the story lines go a little too far.
The Wire - Absolutely the real deal.
Clockers - Didn't remember too much about it so it couldn't have been that great.
The Job - A good portrayal of "the job". The now defunct ABC show starring Denis Leary, really liked this one and like most can't understand why it got canned.
Barney Miller - the whole show, 100% right on.
Training Day - Started out with a convincing scenario but that kind of operation would have taken about a year to pull off. Hey, that's movie time.
Traffic - Very real.