Product Details

• Actors: Michael Chiklis, Catherine Dent, Walton Goggins, Michael Jace, Kenny Johnson
• Directors: Brad Anderson, Clark Johnson, D.J. Caruso, David Mamet, David Von Ancken
• Format: NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• DVD Release Date: November 14, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000JJ6K10
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #79,075 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Action & Adventure > Series & Sequels > The Shield

• For more information about "The Shield - Seasons 1-4" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Heart-pounding. Intense. Gripping. Keeping the streets safe has never been more brutal. Live the suspense with all 4 seasons of The Shield on DVD!

On March 12, 2002, The Shield burst onto the FX network like an incendiary grenade, and basic cable TV would never be the same. Creator Shawn Ryan's uncompromising police drama pushed the limits of basic-cable permissiveness, bridging the relative discretion of NYPD Blue and the HBO liberties of The Wire. Without exception, this series justifies its hype, focusing on pugnacious detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), whose amoral Strike Team employs dubious tactics in the crime-ridden (and fictional) Farmington district of Los Angeles. Mackey and his maverick partners are at odds with seasoned detectives and beat cops, escalating tensions with precinct Capt. Aceveda (Benito Martinez), a Latino with flexible scruples and a political agenda.

The series invites viewers to form their own judgments regarding Mackey's volatile behavior, which includes killing an undercover cop in the electrifying pilot episode. While each episode stands alone as groundbreaking drama, the arc of the series incorporates Aceveda's campaign to end Mackey's career; the self-loathing of a homosexual rookie (Michael Jace) whose partner (Catherine Dent) is Mackey's occasional mistress; a straight-laced detective (Jay Karnes) yearning for respect; Mackey's compassionate attempt to rehabilitate a crack whore (Jamie Brown, giving the 1st season's finest guest performance); the autism of Mackey's young son and the recklessness of his closest partner (Walton Goggins); and the vigilant stoicism of Det. Wyms (CCH Pounder), who's as sensibly upright as Mackey is corrupted.

Teeming with gang-bangers, perverts, rapists, and killers, The Shield is unabashedly adult; even liberal viewers may flinch at plots involving child pornography and serial murder. Chiklis deservedly won an Emmy and Golden Globe for maintaining the series' delicate morality; Mackey's a hero squirming in his own ethical quicksand. This daring edginess makes The Shield unique, and generous DVD supplements explore Ryan's creative impulse. Featurettes offer behind-the-scenes overviews, while the all-episode commentaries allow extensive insight from every member of the series' principal cast and crew. Audition tapes prove that the cast was primed for ensemble excellence, and deleted scenes further demonstrate the series' challenging ambiguity. The Shield is excellent TV for those who can grasp its complexities; all others beware. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It'll keep you on the edge of your seat..., April 15, 2007

By	Southsidellyn (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

I had never watched The Shield, but of course I had heard good things about it. Bought this set off the Gold Box sale and it is my new favorite show...I've already sailed through almost all of the four seasons in about three weeks time, bought Season 5 and hope to catch up to the current season. This show is as good and gritty as it gets, with lines of good and evil not only blurring, but overlapping. The show lets you be the judge. Action, character development, social commentary, outstanding performances, suspense and intrigue. I didn't expect to like this show this much.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome series ....., April 13, 2007

By	D. McBrearty (Hell) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Now I was one of the lucky ones and purchased this 4 season set right around when season 5 came out and they had it listed for VERY VERY cheap. Amazing deal to a wickedly good series. Amen!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Show on TV, April 4, 2007

By	N. Min (Los Angeles, CA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Gritty, fast paced and riveting. No show handles the Anti-Hero better, except for maybe The Sopranos. The entire show has a documentary feel and you never feel like you are watching overproduced theater like you do with CSI. The story lines are realistic and the characters act like the characters you grow to hate/love.

completely worth the money