Ryan Coogler has been celebrated not only for his outstanding creative vision for Sinners, but for his ability to put together a powerful ensemble. It wasn’t surprising for Coogler to collaborate again with Michael B. Jordan, but Sinners wouldn’t have been nearly as emotionally impactful if not for Wunmi Mosaku, who is now an Oscar nominee. Although she’s an underrated actress who has been doing excellent under-the-radar work for years, Mosaku gave her most powerful, impactful performance in the HBO miniseries We Own This City.

Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Justin Fenton, We Own This City explores a corruption scandal involving the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force, which resulted in several officers being found to have abused their power. As with any show by David Simon, the former journalist and showrunner behind The Wire, We Own This City is rich with detail about the intersections between city departments and how such a massive issue was able to go unresolved. Jon Bernthal delivers a stunning performance as Wayne Jenkins, one of the eight corrupt cops at the forefront of the scandal. However, Mosaku’s role as attorney Nicole Steele not only highlights those who were trying to make positive change, but also explores the resistance that law enforcement has built to withstand any criticism or public outcry.

Wunmi Mosaku Brings an Important Perspective to ‘We Own This City’

Simon has always had an aptitude for realism, and We Own This City authentically depicts the fraught relationship between the Gun Task Force, the other Baltimore cops, Maryland’s law enforcement department, and outside investigators. Since the Task Force has been given free rein to utilize whatever means necessary to stop potentially violent crime, they have been exempt from the watchful eyes of outside departments. Although her initial role is to settle a dispute involving the police department, Steele discovers that the Task Force has only exacerbated racial tensions following the real-life killing of Freddie Gray. Mosaku portrays the unimaginable burden that Steele viscerally faces; she’s forced to speak out against the scandal because others have chosen to stay silent. Mosaku’s depiction of resilience in the face of pressure, which makes her performance in We Own This City work, also became a key part of Mosaku’s role as Annie in Sinners.

We Own This City can make for a frustrating viewing experience because Mosaku’s performance represents the dilemma of being unable to work within the legal system. Although Steele believes that following procedures will provide clarity on what Jenkins and his cohorts are responsible for, she finds that law enforcement has become complacent about corruption, and does not have a means of monitoring itself. As an outside civil rights activist, Steele is treated as an enemy who would only impede the activity of the police force, and thus finds it difficult to make any progress with city officials. Mosaku fits perfectly into the story through Steele’s interactions with BPD commissioner Kevin Davis, played by Delaney Williams; Williams is a veteran of Simon’s work on The Wire, but Mosaku matches his precision in realizing the complexities of legal jurisdiction.

HBO’s ‘We Own This City’ Is One of the Decade’s Most Important Shows

Mosaku’s performance in We Own This City works because the HBO series understands the importance of a balanced ensemble. Bernthal’s performance is intended to be exaggerated and slightly ridiculous because of how exempt from consequences Jenkins has been, but it wouldn’t fit the tone of a dramatic series if all the acting was amplified to the same degree; not only does Mosaku’s more subtle nuance put Jenkins’ behavior in the right perspective, but also befits a character who knows that she is fighting against institutional bigotry as a Black woman. While characters like narcotics investigator David McDougall (David Corenswet) end up making enemies by mounting evidence against Jenkins, they don’t face the same potential career consequences that Steele does because of their privilege. Although she’s a character who could be described as fearless, Mosaku depicts the emotional toll Steele faces in a job where positive steps forward are so few and far between.

We Own This City is not idealistic or sanitized, and it’s to Mosaku’s credit that Steele’s storyline is appropriately gutting. It’s not only that Steele is unable to implement further consequences on the city’s task forces at large, but that she is displaced from her career entirely because of the cuts to civil rights programs enacted by President Donald Trump after his election in 2016. We Own This City is a work of drama, but it’s also bound by the truth, and the dramatically unsatisfying end to Steele’s role in the story hits even harder because of the work that Mosaku did to emphasize her character’s individuality. It certainly won’t end up being her most popular project because of what a difficult viewing experience it is, but We Own This City is the rare show that, by its commitment to truth, might be able to change hearts and minds.

We Own This City

Release Date

2022 – 2022-00-00

Network

HBO Max

Directors

Josh Charles