 " Bop Gun " received generally positive reviews , and was identified by The Baltimore Sun as one of the ten best episodes of the series . Sun writer David Zurawik said Gyllenhaal 's direction was as good as anything he had done in film , and called the script " one of the most ambitious scripts you 'll see on TV this year " . Lon Grahnke of the Chicago Sun @-@ Times gave the episode his highest rating of four stars , and called Williams portrayal " a piercing dramatic performance " . Grahnke also said , " In one hour , ' Bop Gun ' says more about firearms , urban tragedies , crime victims and racial politics than any <unk> congressman trying to blame television for our violent society . " Entertainment Weekly critic Ken Tucker complimented the episode , noting , " Don 't let Williams distract you from the real stuff here : the brilliantly jagged murder @-@ investigation scenes and the exceptional performances from homicide @-@ detective costars Daniel Baldwin and Melissa Leo . " Tribune Company television critic Kate O 'Hare praised " Bop Gun " for focusing on characterization and dialogue rather than action , and said of the episode , " With a mix of intense emotion , dogged police work and humorous banter among the detectives , " Bop Gun " typifies the philosophy of Homicide . " David P. Kalat , author of Homicide : Life on the Street - The Unofficial Companion , called it a " grueling " episode , and that Williams performed " probably his finest <unk> performance ever " . The Philadelphia Inquirer television critic Jonathan Storm lauded the cast , the " visual art of the camera " and the " realistic , yet nearly literary dialogue " of " Bop Gun " . 
