How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Not as profound as it takes itself.The true story of Nick Wasicsko who successfully ran for Mayor of the New York city of Yonkers in 1987. He took over in the middle of a crisis - the city was being forced by court order to build low- cost housing in middle-class suburbs, a decision the city council strongly rejected. You really have two stories here, and the two aren't connected enough to make an engaging and coherent series. On the one hand you have the plight of people on the poorer end of the economic scale, and the promise of cheap housing in a decent neighbourhood. Even when they get it, their struggles aren't over. This part of the story was reasonably interesting, though disjointed and sometimes very superficial, sentimental and manipulative.On the other hand you have the Nick Wasicsko story. This is just pure city-level politics, and dull. He is painted as the saviour of the poor people, but, just from watching the series, you see he was much more an ambitious political opportunist than a man with a burning desire to help the poor. He even ran on the platform that the city wouldn't build the low-cost houses! Oscar Isaac does put in a great performance as Wasicsko, however. Good supporting cast which includes Winona Ryder, Alfred Molina, James Belushi and Catherine Keener.

I'm just about all the way through this terrific six-episode mini-series off HBO GO, and this is television at it's finest! "Show Me a Hero" is based on the 1999 nonfiction book of the same name by former New York Times writer, Lisa Belkin. The book detailed a white middle-class neighborhood's resistance to a federally-mandated scattered-site public housing development in Yonkers, New York circa late '80s/early '90s, and how these tensions affected the city as a whole. The show is fueled by the performance of Oscar Isaac as Nick Wasicsko, a former police officer, then Yonkers City Council member running for election to be mayor of Yonkers- eventually the youngest big-city mayor (1987–89) in the nation. This series really shows how that radical loud minority can sometimes rally political and public attention to negative stereotypes and misinformation- all based on unrealistic fears. Hmmm....sounds like what's kinda going on now with this whole "war on terror", ISIS, Iran, the Middle East, etc..???Isaac's performance as Wasicsko is the heart of the project, but also look for some really good performances from veterans Peter Riegert, James Belushi, Catherine Keener, Alfred Molina, Wynona Ryder, Bob Balaban, "The Walking Dead"'s Jon Bernthal, etc... Also, for Springsteen fans like myself, a total of TWELVE of his tracks (especially the earlier ones) were used in this to represent Wasicsko's mind set!

If nothing else, it is worth watching the series for the craftsmanship alone. I can't remember the last time I've seen something this well done. This show just oozes talent, David Simon and Paul Haggis make an excellent pair and do a great job creating a realistic of 80s-90s Yonkers. The acting across the board is also phenomenal, it seems every time I watch Oscar Isaac he is playing a totally different character, truly a talent. The show itself may be a little slow, but is totally fascinating and really keeps you interested with all of the different characters. Show me a Hero is not solely a political drama, thinking it is would be fundamentally misunderstanding the show. It's a show about real people and real politicians, which are both hard to come across.

The production is impeccable, with beautiful cinematography, and a realism that captures both the middle class neighborhoods and poverty with almost chillingly accurate detail.The performances by Oscar Davis, Bob Balaban and Winona Ryder (just to pick a few) are perfect. But the exposition is just so tedious that I found it a chore to watch. I really want to know what happens. I live near Yonkers and even though this drama played out while I considered buying a house there, I don't even know how it was resolved.The problem with this series is not the slow pace of the courtroom and council meetings. At least they have some pomp and ceremony that defines the proceedings. Its the very slow pace at which each character moves ahead at like two steps per minute. There's not a bit of nuance or shading to the characters - they're all just tortured by the dilemma they face. In the end, watching it feels like a chore.