J.J. is a rookie in the Sheriff's Department and the first black officer at that station. Racial tensions run high in the department as some of J.J.'s fellow officers resent his presence. His only real friend is the other new trooper, the first female officer to work there, who also suffers similar discrimination in the otherwise all-white-male work environment. When J.J. becomes increasingly aware of police corruption during the murder trial of Teddy Woods, who he helped to arrest, he faces difficult decisions and puts himself into grave personal danger in the service of justice. Written by

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kid_clementina
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I just saw _The Glass Shield_ for the first time since it was released theatrically. I'm very glad to say it hasn't gone stale with time. Despite the violent overtones, the film is a subtle and compelling parable on race, power, and sex in the US. It won't satisfy anyone with the attention span of a fruit-fly or a fetish for blood and guts, but it gets under your skin (so to speak) if you pay it the slightest bit of attention.

As a side note � this is one of the very few feature films chosen by the Whitney Museum of American Art for its biennial surveys of contemporary art (there was another film that year as well, _The Hours and Times_, also excellent).

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(pbycatalina1940@aol.com)
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This was a great low budget police film about corruption in the LA sheriffs office. The film revolves around a young black cop, who stumbles onto a corruption case invovling police brutality towards minorities. The film also highlights just how easy it is to get blackmailed by people who are supposed to be on your side. THE GLASS SHIELD while lacking the stigma of bigger films like LETHAL WEAPON, tells a human tale about a cop and his female partner, however, I feel Lori Petty's role could have been bigger. There was another part of this film that touched on something briefly, sexism on the law enforcement circuit. The trailers for thisa movie suggest it was edited heavily and that the character played by Ms. Petty played a significantly larger role in that version. The logical direction for this film would to have been having the black cop and the woman police officer piercing the layer of corruption together in lA. A great film that tells a stroy from a african american point of view. The film also highlights the conflict within the african american/black community towards police and police brutality and how it is hard for even them to sometimes accept black police officers. An interesting film with a interesting and powerful premise. Don't expect a 600 rd. shoot out with "yuck yuck" laughter and Riggs and Murtaugh in this one...expect substance.

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Craig Johnson (gs17cmj@panther.gsu.edu) from Atlanta
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Being that I was only thirteen when this film came out, I vaguely remember the promos for THE GLASS SHIELD. As usual, the Hollywood establishment misrepresented this film during its release and I fear no one saw it, and those who expected 1) Ice Cube to have a huge role or 2) Lori Petty to get naked were severely disappointed. (I think this came out very close to CLOCKERS, too, which might have confused some people.)

I've been hearing a lot of underground talk about Charles Burnett, lately, so I picked up this film (thinking it was a usual cop-meets-gangsta film previous to my knowledge that Burnett directed it.) I must say that it is an excellent, incisive picture that manages to duck every convention one expects from Hollywood. I was reminded of IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, but this was without the Mr. Tibbs-like over-the-top innocent; JJ (an excellent Michael Boatman) is truly a real character, with real guilt and real problems. Ice Cube plays his role well, and Lori Petty is good, but it is the creepy fraternity of mustachioed white cops that makes this film truly frightening. They are bad, but not outright evil; they are, instead, men too pumped up on the power of the badge and the sidearm and the encouragement of their peers.

This is a riveting film with less than two "action" scenes; the tension exists instead in the idea that terrible violence awaits every character at every turn, and when the higher-ups descend to the levels of insane criminals, we realize the significance of the title, and the vulnerability of peace.

Highly recommended.

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Objectivity
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I was hesitating between giving 8 or 9 and decided for a 9 when I thought "It was so difficult watching this film - it really showed well how frustrating some things can be in Life; I'm exhausted".

And that in itself sums up this film : it does not have the top notch direction of Crash which won the 2006 Oscars, but, just like Crash, I was on the edge of my seat till the very very end of the film. I was punching the wall out of feeling as frustrated as some of the characters, I was tense and worried that someone was going to get shot, I was a total ball of nerves by the end. And for that alone I went for a 9 rather than an 8 : this film is 10 out of 10 in terms of drawing the viewer into the frustrations of police corruption, racism, sexism, cover-ups, minor mistakes which come back to haunt you big time, the effect on communities, fate. It is not a traditional Police film, it is a hundred times more than that.

If you liked Crash 2006 (the one which won the Oscars), then you'll like this film. Guarantee.

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anitatanky
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The movie sends a good message. As cliched as it sounds: Absolute power corrupts absolutely. As other viewers have noted, this movie is low budget and not overtly action packed. But it does showcase very well what can happen when trying to fit in: Loosing sight of what is right and wrong, then trying to do what is right and getting penalized for it from different directions. Many movies do an awesome job in telling a tale. This is one of them. The message of being drunk with power and corruption among peers is something that is not only seen in the law enforcement institutions, but in the corporate and higher education areas as well. It just appears that corruption is more harmful in law enforcement because there is the higher probability that people may become physically and psychologically damaged (on the deepest level) as a result of corrupt people misusing their guns, badges, and utmost authority). The movie is more likely to hit home for someone who is female and/or a minority who has had some in-depth exposure to law enforcement. While many police officers are, for the most part, decent and on the level, I would say that EVERY law enforcement agency has some level of corruption occurring. The corruption can be a lone officer or two belittling citizens unjustifiably (and getting away with it), or a group of them who systematically abuse power. Perhaps a film like this would be worth mandatory viewing for new police recruits. There is something in it for everyone. Not only is there the lesson of how wrong and nasty discrimination is (especially in groups), but there is also the lesson of your own well meaning, however wrong actions, coming back to haunt you. And finally there is the lesson of how harassment, alienation and adversity are often used as cruel weapons in attempts get others to conform to wrongdoing.

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Neil Doyle from U.S.A.
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There's a strong resemblance to the much praised L.A. CONFIDENTIAL in this vivid story of crime and corruption on the police force, based partially on a true story involving these events.

Basically, it's the tale of a black police rookie who tries to fit in by covering corrupt practices and tries to uncover the truth behind the false prosecution of a black man (ICE CUBE). The black rookie (MICHEAL BOATMAN) suffers slurs inherent with being the first black man on the force and other social injustices within the department.

All the performances are first rate, beginning with Boatman, who does a fine job, MICHAEL ANDERSON, BERNIE CASEY (especially good as Ice Cube's lawyer), and ELLIOT GOULD--all first rate. LORI PETTY is also convincing as the only woman rookie who helps Boatman in his investigation. MICHAEL IRONSIDE is chilling as one of Anderson's most corrupt officers.

Given terse direction by Charles Burnett in well paced, brisk, documentary style, it maintains a grip on the attention throughout as it unravels a tale of police corruption and the hard decisions that have to be made.

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Robert W. Anderson (bayareabob@mac.com) from United States
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I'm surprised this wasn't a made for TV film! It has the look of a TV production, it was most likely video taped. The writing and direction is not up to movie standards. While they do have some veteran actors; they performances were tainted by poor writing. The writer decided that rather then rely on well written story with just a few of the points he wanted to make; he decided to throw every racism clich� into this one. And while the story is just plain silly; the poor direction leads to some pretty poor performances. I'm sure many of the actors in this film don't list this as one they are proud of. We all know that there are abuses by law enforcement; but this writer/director is beating us over the head with this script. If your looking for a well written, well acted story that make you feel like you got your monies worth; avoid this film like the plague. Written at about a 4th grade level.

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WarHater from Colorado
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How your comment makes the top response for this film proves not only how naive you are, but how culturally bankrupt and immoral this nation is. The fact is, there are pockets of Russia and China here in the US not on community levels, but in the government as well. You have never heard of SERPICO or Rodney King obviously, it is no surprising Americans are completely out of touch. They elect a man like Bush, who invades a hornets nest, indebted your children and grandchildren, and runs a police state media called Fox network. The US government installed Pinochet in Peru, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, then orchestrate his execution. You are saying there is no such thing as the mafia or corrupt police and racism is not real. This film shows and tests the police as humans. Not everyone likes being pushed around by the police and not everyone is as passive and out of touch as you, thank God, if he exists.

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Michael O'Keefe from Muskogee OK
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Try to fit in or decide to do the right thing? Ambition is one of the things that stands in the way of J.J. Johnson(Michael Boatman)...the other is that he is a rookie state trooper with the LA Sheriff's Department and the first black officer at his first assigned station. Who is he teamed with? The station's only female deputy Deb Fields(Lori Petty). This movie progresses with nonstop suspense and explosive decisions to be made. Johnson and Fields uncover mass corruption when they discover that a well known criminal(Ice Cube)has been framed and jailed for a vicious murder. Do they break the unwritten code of silence or do the right thing? Well...what makes for a better movie?

This gritty police yarn is filled with obligatory violence and an all-star cast of actors like: Richard Anderson, M. Emmet Walsh, Michael Ironside, Bernie Casey and Elliott Gould. I was really impressed with Boatman and Ice Cube. On the other hand I have never been or will be a fan of Petty. Overall the truth proves to be pretty damn powerful.

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Robert J. Maxwell (rmax304823@yahoo.com) from Deming, New Mexico, USA
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The movie itself isn't very good. It moves slowly and is badly photographed. The lighting makes too much use of neon blue, a popular fad around the time this appeared.

The acting is okay, though, except for Ice Cube, who cannot seem to act. The score is routine. The script has two good things going for it.

One is that the cops, though authoritarian in manner and attitude, are humanized without being sentimentalized. I'll give an example of what I mean by this. One scene, between Walsh and Ironsides, reveals to us and to Ironsides, that Walsh's cancer which had been though to be in remission has now metastasized and he's dying. Nothing much is made of the scene. Nobody breaks into tears. And Ironsides doesn't offer any false hope or, indeed try to comfort his friend in any way. He simply sits there and listens while Walsh, again without going into it, quietly talks about how he'd like to leave his family with a little something. The script and the director handle Walsh's death scene in the same understated way. Walsh's comrades try to revive him and finally give up. None of the assembled cops says anything. Cops wouldn't. But they are clearly moved by the passing of their friend. That's what I mean by "humanizing" them without "sentimentalizing" them.

The second interesting thing about the film is that it dips a toe into some curious and seldom-dealt-with sociological waters. It brings up the question of primary allegiances. That is, to whom do we owe our main loyalty? Which group are we willing to make the most sacrifices for? Some groups are far more demanding of us than others. I may not care much about being a mailman, for instance, but I care an awful lot about being, say, an African-American mailman. Most ethnic groups are surrounded by clear social borders -- you're either one of us or you are not one of us. The same is true for some other groups -- doctors, airline pilots, U. S. Marines, and stunt men, to mention a few examples that I'm familiar with. Cops demand that kind of loyalty too.

And here we have two "minority" members who find themselves working for the Sheriff's Office. Boatman is black and is a cop. Lori Petty is a woman (and a Jew, I think) and is a cop too. Which allegiance takes priority -- the allegiance to the minority group or to one's comrades on the police force? What happens when loyalties come into conflict?

The film brings the question up but soon dumps it. Both rookies try to show their loyalty to their partners by hiding mistakes and so forth, but then they quickly return to the politically correct corners. Boatman realizes that he is black before he is blue. And why not? There's not a bad African-American to be seen. Petty undergoes a similar transformation.

It's kind of a cheap way out. We can all feel satisfied now that our true identities have been found and all the corrupt and dissembling cops have been cleaned out. Sure.

I wouldn't recommend this, really. The missed opportunities are wincingly obvious. It's rather overlong, too, and the story resembles "Serpico." Even the title is second-hand. "The Glass Shield." It sounds like a variation on the pop culture phrase, "the glass ceiling," suggesting that the female cop, Lori Petty, will run into prejudices. (She does, but that has nothing to do with the plot.) The title also references other paradoxical titles like "Steel Magnolias," "Iron Butterfly," "Led Zeppelin," "Limp Biskit", "The Glass Key." If it took more than five seconds to arrive at the title, the writers didn't deserve their paycheck.

The comic book sequence at the opening of the film was illustrated by Grant Shaffer.
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At the beginning of the film Johnson's training officer, Chuck Gilmore, gets upset with him for not ticketing the woman in the red convertible for speeding and Gilmore decides to take over the wheel himself. Immediately after that we see their car chasing the red convertible again with a brief shot during the chase of Gilmore sitting in the passenger seat.
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When the officers push Johnson down onto the desk and Baker shoves a revolver in his mouth, the gun is shown already cocked. Then in the next cut, Baker cocks the gun again.
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police corruption|rookie|sheriff|murder|police|corruption|three word title|animated title sequence|judge|female judge|framed for murder|hospital|loss of wife|death of wife|interracial friendship|serial number|jury|testimony|widower|racial issues|shot in the neck|dead woman|courtroom drama|false accusation|engagement|father son relationship|boyfriend girlfriend relationship|terminal illness|police detective|cancer|semiautomatic pistol|automatic pistol|pistol|police arrest|gas station|volkswagen beetle|rookie cop|black cop|female police officer|policewoman|perjury|los angeles california|jewish|jewish cop|cover up|bowling|bowling alley|anti semitic slur|african american|police station|racism|courtroom|small town|based on true story|independent film|

AKAs Titles:
Canada (French title) - L'insigne de la honte
Germany (TV title) - Auf Ehre und Gewissen
Spain - La placa de hielo
Finland - Lasikilpi
Greece (video title) - Ypopsia eglimatos
Hungary (literal title) - Az �vegpajzs
Hungary - Kop�k egym�s k�z�tt
Italy - Il distintivo di vetro
Serbia - Staklena zna�ka
Sweden - Polisbrickan ger inget skydd

Release Dates:


Certifications:
Iceland:12 / Netherlands:12 / Norway:15 (video premiere) / Singapore:PG / UK:15 (video premiere) / USA:PG-13 / USA:PG-13 (certificate #33023)