The Glass Shield

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The Glass Shield

PG-13,

1994,

1h 48m,

Crime/

Drama

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Watchlist

Watchlist

71%

24 Reviews

Tomatometer

40%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

24 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Rookie cop J.J. (Michael Boatman) is the first black officer in his squad. Befriending fellow outsider Deborah (Lori Petty), J.J. has a tough time adjusting to the force's good-old-boy camaraderie. Initially turning a blind eye to hints of racism in order to fit in, J.J. find it harder to ignore the corruption when an illegal search leads to the arrest of Teddy Woods (Ice Cube) on questionable murder charges. As J.J. delves deeper into the case, he risks losing his job -- or his life.

Critics Consensus

The Glass Shield struggles under the weight of its worthy themes, but emerges as a flawed yet powerful look at systemic racism in modern America.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Jun 7, 2022

3/4

The Glass Shield has a specifically cinematic vision and visual poetry ...

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Jul 6, 2010

D

Ambition is something to respect in an artist, but Charles Burnett's police-corruption drama The Glass Shield is such a maladroit piece of filmmaking that its weighty themes and sclerotic tangle of a plot end up making it a trial to sit through.

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Todd McCarthy

Variety

Mar 26, 2009

A powerful moral drama that tries to deal with the racism at the root of many problems in contempo American society.

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Sheila Reid

Women in the Life

May 13, 2022

The fact that this is a true story makes this tale of cruelty and corruption that much more more sobering.

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Calum Marsh

Esquire Magazine

Oct 18, 2018

While it carries an unavoidable social charge, the movie never feels dogmatic or moralistic.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Mar 15, 2013

B-

An angry anti-cop message flick directed and written to be subversive by angry LA based indie filmmaker Charles Burnett.

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Oct 6, 2018

This is a wonderful movie about the truth behind the lie.

Finn S

Sep 23, 2018

Ambitious, but the complexity overcame the story. Certainly someone had an agenda here.

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Charles Burnett

Director

Michael Boatman

Johnny `'J.J.'` Johnson

Lori Petty

Dep. Deborah Fields

Ice Cube

Teddy Woods

Michael Ironside

Baker

Richard Anderson

Massey

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78%

66%

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Synopsis

Rookie cop J.J. (Michael Boatman) is the first black officer in his squad. Befriending fellow outsider Deborah (Lori Petty), J.J. has a tough time adjusting to the force's good-old-boy camaraderie. Initially turning a blind eye to hints of racism in order to fit in, J.J. find it harder to ignore the corruption when an illegal search leads to the arrest of Teddy Woods (Ice Cube) on questionable murder charges. As J.J. delves deeper into the case, he risks losing his job -- or his life.

Director: Charles Burnett
Producer: Carolyn Schroeder, Thomas S. Byrnes
Screenwriter: Charles Burnett, Ned Eddie Johnson, Ned Welsh
Distributor: Miramax Home Entertainment [us], Miramax Films
Production Co: Miramax Films
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 2, 1994, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.5M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Surround

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