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Glass Shield, The
- Directed by: Charles Burnett
- Starring: Michael Boatman, Lori Petty, Ice Cube, Elliott Gould, Richard Anderson, Don Harvey, Michael Ironside, Michael Gregory, Bernie Casey, Sy Richardson, Biff Yeager, M. Emmet Walsh
- Genre: Action/Adventure
-
Rating:
- Theater Release: 06/02/1995
- Video Release: 05/15/2012
- Run Time: 1hr 50min
Synopsis
With THE GLASS SHIELD, acclaimed director Charles Burnett (KILLER OF SHEEP, TO SLEEP WITH ANGER) tackles the problematic issue of racism within the police force. J.J. Johnson (Michael Boatman) has wanted to be a cop ever since he was a kid. And now that he's just been promoted to the position of deputy in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Office, he's going to learn what being a police officer is really all about. As the first black deputy in Edgemar's all-white Sheriff's station, he must learn to adapt if his new assignment is going to work out. Befriending the station's only other minority, the Jewish, female Deborah Fields (Lori Petty), J.J. soon realizes it's impossible to "get along" or be one of the "good guys" when police brutality, political corruption and rampant racism reign supreme. After discovering that a man he has helped to indict (played with ferocious intensity by Ice Cube) is, in fact, the victim of a monumental cover up, J.J. risks his future by butting heads with the powers that be. Shelved after conflict erupted between Burnett and the film's distributor, Miramax, THE GLASS SHIELD remains a provocative, tense thriller that addresses its sensitive subject matter with grace and intelligence.
With THE GLASS SHIELD, acclaimed director Charles Burnett (KILLER OF SHEEP, TO SLEEP WITH ANGER) tackles the problematic issue of racism within the police force. J.J. Johnson (Michael Boatman) has wanted to be a cop ever since he was a kid. And now that he's just been promoted to the position of deputy in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Office, he's going to learn what being a police officer is really all about. As the first black deputy in Edgemar's all-white Sheriff's station, he must learn to adapt if his new assignment is going to work out. Befriending the station's only other minority, the Jewish, female Deborah Fields (Lori Petty), J.J. soon realizes it's impossible to "get along" or be one of the "good guys" when police brutality, political corruption and rampant racism reign supreme. After discovering that a man he has helped to indict (played with ferocious intensity by Ice Cube) is, in fact, the victim of a monumental cover up, J.J. risks his future by butting heads with the powers that be. Shelved after conflict erupted between Burnett and the film's distributor, Miramax, THE GLASS SHIELD remains a provocative, tense thriller that addresses its sensitive subject matter with grace and intelligence.
Production Notes
Shot on location in Los Angeles, California.
THE GLASS SHIELD was screened at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, but a dispute between the film's director and Miramax delayed the theatrical release until 1995.
The film's closing credit reads: "In memory of Robert. A. Merrill."
Charles Burnett based his script partly on the screenplay ONE OF US (The True Story of John Eddie Johnson) by Ned Walsh.
Shot on location in Los Angeles, California.
THE GLASS SHIELD was screened at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, but a dispute between the film's director and Miramax delayed the theatrical release until 1995.
The film's closing credit reads: "In memory of Robert. A. Merrill."
Charles Burnett based his script partly on the screenplay ONE OF US (The True Story of John Eddie Johnson) by Ned Walsh.
Reviews
"...Provocative..." (Rolling Stone)
"...Quirky allure....The movie surprises..." -- 3 out of 4 stars (USA Today)
"...A powerful moral drama....Boatman gives a lively, sympathetic [turn]..." (Variety)
"...Burnett still isn't interested in pointing the usual fingers or striking the usual chords. Diving into the gray areas of hate, and self-hate, he treats the urban plague with a sustained moral intensity that punches a hole through notions of film realism..." (Chicago Sun-Times)
"[I]ndie writer-director Charles Burnett delivers a thoughtful film, buoyed by complex characterizations..." (Premiere)
"...Provocative..." (Rolling Stone)
"...Quirky allure....The movie surprises..." -- 3 out of 4 stars (USA Today)
"...A powerful moral drama....Boatman gives a lively, sympathetic [turn]..." (Variety)
"...Burnett still isn't interested in pointing the usual fingers or striking the usual chords. Diving into the gray areas of hate, and self-hate, he treats the urban plague with a sustained moral intensity that punches a hole through notions of film realism..." (Chicago Sun-Times)
"[I]ndie writer-director Charles Burnett delivers a thoughtful film, buoyed by complex characterizations..." (Premiere)
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