The Shield - The Complete Fourth Season
by David Von Ancken, Dean White, Guy Ferland, Nick Gomez, Paris Barclay
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DVD details
Actor: Catherine Dent, Glenn Close, Michael Chiklis, Michael Jace, Walton GogginsDirector: David Von Ancken, Dean White, Guy Ferland, Nick Gomez, Paris Barclay
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.1; English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.1
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 623 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-12-26
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Reviews of The Shield - The Complete Fourth Season
DVD Review: (Almost) as good as ever
Summary: 4 Stars
Every season of The Shield has been filled with more tension, drama, and excitement than an NCAA basketball tournament, and season four is no exception. Unlike FX's other flagship shows, Nip/Tuck and (to a lesser extent) Rescue Me, The Shield rarely stoops to sensationalism, instead relying on its own mix of humanity, humor, and gritty, you-are-there realism to tell its stories of crime, depravity, and cops on the edge. And in spite of scattered criticism, the show was still going almost as strong as ever in this, its fourth season. To put it bluntly, any claims that The Shield has somehow "Gone Hollwood" are indefensible. Yes, the uniqueness of the show's look has been muted a bit, and more of the events and dialogue come off as somewhat contrived, but this season still contains some of the show's messiest ambiguities, deepest compromises, and most violent happenings.
Of course much was made of the show's bringing in two well-known movie actors in Glenn Close and Anthony Anderson, but they're integrated easily into the Shield's ensemble precisely because the show has always relied so heavily on its whole set of layered personalities and complicated interpersonal dynamics. The show's stable of memorable characters-Strike Team leader Vic Mackey, Detectives Dutch Waggenbach and Claudette Wyms, beat cops Danny Sofer and Julien Lowe, and scheming ex-captain David Aceveda-are still just as important as ever; there are just a couple new cogs in the series's well-oiled machinery this time around. Close plays greatly against type as new captain Monica Rawling, but she makes a nice anti-Aceveda: tough, determined to the point of being stubborn, and almost painfully unaware of the political consequences of her actions. Anderson, apparently afraid of being typecast in nothing but "fat crazy black dude" roles for the remainder of his career, takes an even bigger leap, throwing all of his considerable bulk and highly developed glowering skills into the role of Antwon Mitchell, a vicious drug dealer posing as a remade community activist. It's not really made apparent at first, but as the season progresses it becomes evident that Antwon is not only highly intelligent and calculating but also PURE AND UNMITIGATED EVIL, and he eventually proves to be as big a problem for the Strike Team's members as any of their nemeses from previous seasons.
Even though season four starts with the Strike Team dissolved and Vic & Co. assigned to regular detective duty in the wake of season three's whole money train unpleasantness, it doesn't take them long to find themselves embroiled in a whole new set of messes, thanks largely to Vic's old rednecky pal Shane's involvement in Antwon's drug business. Whether working with the Strike Team or with his new Latino partner Army on Vice, Shane apparently just has a knack for getting himself into trouble. Naturally, it's not long before Vic and the rest of his old Strike Team crew find themselves knee-deep in allegations, double-dealings, and questionable loyalties, not to mention constant threats on their lives. And even more than before, Vic has to watch his step as the people upstairs take an active interest in him and his sketchy rep.
The political intrigue is definitely stepped up a notch on the whole here, with Aceveda continuing his Machiavellian machinations from his new seat on the city council, and Monica instituting a new set of controversial policies in his place. The Shield has never been the most topical of shows--I remember someone on a commentary track for a season three episode remarking that Shawn Ryan tries to avoid ripped-from-the-headlines plots--but here the show delves into the controversial topic of police seizures as Monica announces a new practice of seizing the assets of drug dealers and users, not to mention cracking down on the fraternizations of gang members. If you've read about the War on Drugs, it's no secret that aggressive seizure policies have led to abuse and corruption on a massive scale, a fact the show (to its great credit) doesn't shy away from mentioning. Thus it's no surprise when Monica finds herself fending off both the complaints of disenchanted locals and Aceveda's dilligent efforts to undermine her when people start getting their stuff taken left and right. Monica's troubles are indicative of a major theme running through the season, as we regularly see characters paying a heavy price for taking stands, beginning when Claudette and Dutch find themselves frozen out by the DA's office after Claudette's efforts to overturn some doubtful convictions at the end of season three, continuing when Julien feels the pull of divided loyalties as he sees the effects Captain Rawling's new policies are having on the local minority population, and culminating in the avalanche of blowback Monica faces over her actions.
As it rockets toward yet another harrowing and unpredictable conclusion, The Shield leaves its usual trail of dead bodies, but the violence that takes place never overshadows the human drama that makes the show so compelling in the first place. At bottom, The Shield is a show about flawed people trying to do their jobs under incredibly trying circumstances, and witnessing the stresses police work puts on the characters' lives has always been as crucial to the show as its testosterone-laden action and dialogue. What occurs in this season's (relatively) quieter moments, like the respect that gradually develops between Vic and Monica and the strained relationship between Dutch and Claudette, actually makes for some of The Shield's best viewing. At a point when most shows are running out of ideas if they haven't already, The Shield remained on the short list of TV's best shows precisely because it doesn't neglect the human element.
Description of The Shield - The Complete Fourth Season
Heart-pounding. Intense. Gripping. Keeping the streets safe has never been more brutal. Season 4 introduced Glenn Close in a leading role and was the highest rated season yet.Live the suspense with THE SHIELD SEASON 4 on DVD!
With the addition of Glenn Close to its already excellent cast, The Shield entered its fourth season with tensions high and tempers flaring. Aceveda (Benito Martinez) has gained political clout on the City Council, and former Farmington district officer Monica Rawling (Close) is introduced as the new Captain of "the Barn," where she immediately confronts a maelstrom of personal and professional turmoil. His strike team now splintered, Mackey (Michael Chiklis) has returned to routine detective duty, while Shane (Walton Goggins) and new partner "Army" Renta (Michael Peņa) are neck-deep in trouble with Farmington's "untouchable" drug-lord, Antwon Mitchell, a new villain played to perfection by actor/comedian Anthony Anderson. This seemingly traitorous predicament places Shane at further odds with former strike-teammates Mackie, Lemon (Kenneth Johnson) and Ronnie (David Rees Snell), and while Wyms (CCH Pounder) resents Rawling's promotion, the "Dutch" (Jay Karnes) makes a selfish backroom deal that causes further friction with Wyms and Mackey. Tensions are intensified by Rawling's aggressive seizure of homes and property paid for with drug money -- an effective campaign that forces "Danny" (Catherine Dent) and Julien (Michael Jace) and the entire police force to take sides in a hotly divisive civil rights debate that culminates in the murder of two Farmington cops.
Although some critics felt Close was too refined for a series as gritty as The Shield, she quickly found her place in the show's tight ensemble, earning an Emmy nomination (along with Pounder) and giving Mackey a formidable boss who earns his respect. And while Aceveda wrestles with psychosexual demons resulting from his humiliation in season 3, the high-stakes threat of Antwon Mitchell embroils the Barn in a cauldron of mistrust and political upheaval. More than any previous season, this 13-episode story arc is character-based and internally driven by clashing agendas. Sub-plots run the gamut of neighborhood killings and gang-banger conflict, but as always The Shield also finds room for plenty of mordant wit and tension-relieving sarcasm. Like all previous Shield DVDs, this four-disc set includes informative episode commentaries from the entire cast (including Close) engaged in revealing discussions of their creative process with creator Shawn Ryan and several primary writers and directors. Best of all, the "Under the Skin" documentary is a way-above-average, 60-minute survey of The Shield's day-to-day production, offering plenty of behind-the-scenes footage and eloquent insight about the challenge of maintaining high-quality drama during a fast-paced guerilla production schedule. It's essential viewing for Shield fans and anyone considering a career in television. --Jeff Shannon
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