It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It's 1987 Yonkers, New York. Nick Wasicsko (Oscar Isaac) is a rookie Democratic councilman. He is the sacrificial lamb sent to run against a powerful incumbent mayor. Federal judge Sand had ruled against the city forcing it to built low income housing. This set off the electorate and Wasicsko surprises in an upset win. With the city facing bankruptcy by the judge's imposed fines, he tries to pass the housing laws enraging the voters and sending the town spiraling.At first, I didn't realize this is a true story about real people. It would have helped. Who knew that city council could be that exciting? It overshadows the stories from the black community. It's obvious where the intersection is going to be but those stories have a slower start. They are also two different pacing. Even Wasicsko's story has two very different tones. His story in the first three episodes are thrilling and harrowing. Then the last three episodes are more deliberate and melancholy. It's not the traditional pacing of a fictional story and it would help to know its docudrama nature. The acting is amazing. Oscar Isaac shows some of his best work but is only the tip of a vast compelling cast of characters. There are compelling emotional beats throughout.

The forced building of public housing in a mainly white middle class in Yonkers is the background for the story which follows councilman Nick Wasicsko's journey through the despite. So many issues of race and class and politics merge together. This true story is so good that it left me reeling after it finished. The title is simplistic but the story is much more complicated.Who would guess city council politics and real estate disputes could be so tense and make such compelling viewing. So much dirty politics in such a small city with it's betrayal and loyalty. There is a lot of jumping between the different characters on the many sides of the dispute. There are the local politicians, the people from the projects who would benefit from a better place to live and some of the residents of Yonkers who feel threatened by the new housing. It's a bit difficult to keep track of the different characters at first. Paul Haggis does a good job of including the different points of view but I think he could have reduced completed more of one plot line before jumping to another.The acting is award worthy. Oscar Isaac is very watchable as the viewer follows the up and down trajectory of Nick's tragic life. His earnestness, courage, despair are so utterly convincing that the ultimate tragedy is really painful. Supporting cast are worth a mention. Winona Ryder has become very good at showing conflicted emotions and when she is on screen she steals the show. Catherine Keener is unrecognizable as one of the Yonkers residents who changes her tone.Do watch this even if you think you might not be interested in the subject matter - it's better than you could possibly imagine.

I suppose you know when a show is so good that you keep thinking about it and thinking about it after it's over. That was my reaction to Show Me a Hero. I thought it started out a bit slowly, but kept building and building, and the final episodes were just great.I lived in Northern NJ at the time of this, so I remember this story a little bit in the local news. I had no idea how Nick Wasicsko ended up, and it is indeed tragic.This could have been a VERY politically slanted film if it wanted to. However, I think it tried hard not to be, and for that I applaud it. I just wanted to watch the story, and not be preached to.As others have noted, Oscar Isaac is amazing in this role. When I first saw him in, "Inside Llewyn Davis," he was so unlikable that I figured he was either a jerk or a great actor. It's definitely the latter.And I don't think we've seen the last of Carla Quevedo, who played Nick's wife. She's gorgeous AND, she can act!My only minor criticism of this was in its presentation during the initial run on HBO. I would have preferred six one-hour episodes rather than three two-hour episodes. Although it's the same amount of running time, it was a bit ambitious to try to watch the show in two hour chunks. Thank God for the DVR so I was able to break it up a little.

Show Me a Hero is a six part mini series that takes six episodes to watch. The reason I say this is because I found myself changing my mind multiple times on what I thought about what I was watching. Unlike the Wire, there is a lack of action and climatic moments. This gave the Wire the suspense element to go along with the drama. Here, all we have is a political drama. Although the casting is perfect and the true reflection of politics is well defined, it lacks the grit that the Wire showcased. Still, both the Wire and Show Me a Hero gave a realistic account of our society. Oscar Isaac gives a perfect performance as Nick Wasicsko. His portrayal of the not so perfect, inexperienced, yet heroic Mayor of Yonkers gives the mini series the meat on the bone. His journey reflects what it means to have courage in a world of cut throat politics. Much of the audience will be on the ropes with this story. I found myself changing my mind about what I felt about Wasicsko, the people living in the projects, members of the city council and the protesters. The mini series does this perfectly as you become a spectator of what Yonkers went through. I feel the producers of the mini series did this for a reason. This alone makes Show Me a Hero worth watching.