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By PAUL BRENNER
Twenty-five years ago, a critic would be burned at the stake for stating the heresy that
television is better than film. Nowadays, a critic could be burned at the stake for stating the opposite. A case in
point is Shawn Ryan's "The Shield."
The hard-hitting series is now available through 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in a four disc collection of
thirteen episodes, "The Shield: The Complete First Season." Shown on Fox's FX, the series is unrelentingly raw and nasty
and features a thoroughly disturbing and electric performance by Michael Chiklis as Vic Mackey, the head of a L.A.
Strike Team Unit, whom one character refers to as "Al Capone with a badge." Mackey's unit, run out of a converted
church, upholds Mackey's conception of right and wrong by abusing the law, twisting the law, and disregarding the law as
a means to an end.
Much like The Gospel According to George Dubya, "The Shield" reflects a society willing to abandon its ideals in order
to reestablish them in the end, however tarnished they may become in the process. As a result, the storylines deal with
Mackey killing a cop and the unit becoming involved in underage prostitution, stealing cocaine, a gang war, a riot, and
a serial killer. Never preachy, never boring, always well written and exciting, "The Shield" follows through on its
premise wherever the premise may lead. It takes no prisoners.
The special features include audio commentary by Ryan and cast and crew on all thirteen episodes, a featurette, deleted
scenes, a FX featurette, cast audition tapes, and the original script for the pilot episode.
The collection is subtitled in English and Spanish. |
