The Glass Shield

Plot synopsis:
John "J. J." Johnson is a rookie police officer in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. Because of his inexperience and race, he experiences tension with his white colleagues as their first black deputy. Although he initially clashes with Deputy Deborah Fields, the department's first female deputy, they strike up a friendship. While on patrol, Johnson backs up Deputy Bono when he stops a black man, Teddy Woods, at a gas station. When Bono runs Woods' drivers license, he finds a warrant for his arrest. Woods reveals he has a stolen pistol in his car, and the police officers arrest him.
Deputy Fields is the second office to the scene of a murder, but Detectives Baker and Hall dismiss her observations. Mr. Greenspan says a black man murdered his wife in a botched robbery, and the detectives pressure Woods to confess after they trace his stolen pistol to the murder. Woods defiantly proclaims his innocence, frustrating his lawyer, James Locket, who advises him to show less attitude in court. At the same time, community activist Reverend Banks raises awareness of the death of a black prisoner whom he believes to have been murdered by the police while in custody. Johnson dismisses the concerns of his family and girlfriend, saying there is no evidence of this.
While coaching Bono on what to say at the trial, Johnson's commander, Clarence Massey, learns that Bono stopped Woods because of his race. Frustrated, Massey instructs him to come up with a better excuse. Bono suggests a traffic violation and later requests that Johnson back him up. Johnson agrees, and Massey praises him for his loyalty and dependability while chastising Fields for her refusal to fit in better. At the trial, Locket points out holes in the police testimony, making Johnson wonder if he made the right decision. Fields joins Johnson in investigating what really happened. With help from a whistleblower, they discover numerous cover-ups that involve Baker, Hall, and Massey.
As the trial progresses and Greenspan's testimony proves problematic, Massey has Baker murder Greenspan to prevent him from becoming a liability. Hall, sick from cancer, dies at the station. Tensions rise as Johnson and Fields continue pursuing their own investigation, and they become further paranoid when Johnson insists they were intentionally given faulty intelligence during a drug raid. After Fields is hospitalized following an assault, Johnson and Baker come to blows. Massey breaks them up and temporarily places Johnson in a jail cell. When released, he delivers incriminating evidence to Locket that implicates Baker in various crimes, including the murder of the black prisoner and framing Woods.
The jury can not reach a verdict. Facing a widespread investigation of police corruption that goes to the city council and mayor's office, the district attorney offers to drop the charges against Woods. Locket, with the reluctant backing of a city councilman, instead pushes for a new trial, which the judge accepts. Bono turns state's evidence and testifies against Johnson, admitting that the two committed perjury. Caught up in the probe, Johnson pleads guilty and receives a suspended sentence. After the sheriff's department is disbanded, Massey retires, Baker is sentenced to four years and is in an honor prison while appealing. The unit is disbanded and the other officers including Bono are reassigned.

Tags: murder

Review:
A film that tackles blackmail and race relations in the LA sheriffs office.
This was a great low budget police film about corruption in the LA sheriffs office.
The film revolves around a young black cop, who stumbles onto a corruption case invovling police brutality towards minorities.
The film also highlights just how easy it is to get blackmailed by people who are supposed to be on your side.
THE GLASS SHIELD while lacking the stigma of bigger films like LETHAL WEAPON, tells a human tale about a cop and his female partner, however, I feel Lori Petty's role could have been bigger.
There was another part of this film that touched on something briefly, sexism on the law enforcement circuit.
The trailers for thisa movie suggest it was edited heavily and that the character played by Ms. Petty played a significantly larger role in that version.
The logical direction for this film would to have been having the black cop and the woman police officer piercing the layer of corruption together in lA.
A great film that tells a stroy from a african american point of view.
The film also highlights the conflict within the african american/black community towards police and police brutality and how it is hard for even them to sometimes accept black police officers.
An interesting film with a interesting and powerful premise.
An Excellent Film.
Being that I was only thirteen when this film came out, I vaguely remember the promos for THE GLASS SHIELD.
As usual, the Hollywood establishment misrepresented this film during its release and I fear no one saw it, and those who expected 1) Ice Cube to have a huge role or 2) Lori Petty to get naked were severely disappointed.
I've been hearing a lot of underground talk about Charles Burnett, lately, so I picked up this film (thinking it was a usual cop-meets-gangsta film previous to my knowledge that Burnett directed it.)  I must say that it is an excellent, incisive picture that manages to duck every convention one expects from Hollywood.
I was reminded of IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, but this was without the Mr. Tibbs-like over-the-top innocent; JJ (an excellent Michael Boatman) is truly a real character, with real guilt and real problems.
Ice Cube plays his role well, and Lori Petty is good, but it is the creepy fraternity of mustachioed white cops that makes this film truly frightening.
They are bad, but not outright evil; they are, instead, men too pumped up on the power of the badge and the sidearm and the encouragement of their peers.This is a riveting film with less than two "action" scenes; the tension exists instead in the idea that terrible violence awaits every character at every turn, and when the higher-ups descend to the levels of insane criminals, we realize the significance of the title, and the vulnerability of peace.Highly recommended..
I just saw _The Glass Shield_ for the first time since it was released theatrically.
Despite the violent overtones, the film is a subtle and compelling parable on race, power, and sex in the US.
It won't satisfy anyone with the attention span of a fruit-fly or a fetish for blood and guts, but it gets under your skin (so to speak) if you pay it the slightest bit of attention.As a side note  this is one of the very few feature films chosen by the Whitney Museum of American Art for its biennial surveys of contemporary art (there was another film that year as well, _The Hours and Times_, also excellent)..
Gripping police drama exposing corruption at L.A. precinct....
There's a strong resemblance to the much praised L.A. CONFIDENTIAL in this vivid story of crime and corruption on the police force, based partially on a true story involving these events.Basically, it's the tale of a black police rookie who tries to fit in by covering corrupt practices and tries to uncover the truth behind the false prosecution of a black man (ICE CUBE).
The black rookie (MICHEAL BOATMAN) suffers slurs inherent with being the first black man on the force and other social injustices within the department.All the performances are first rate, beginning with Boatman, who does a fine job, MICHAEL ANDERSON, BERNIE CASEY (especially good as Ice Cube's lawyer), and ELLIOT GOULD--all first rate.
LORI PETTY is also convincing as the only woman rookie who helps Boatman in his investigation.
MICHAEL IRONSIDE is chilling as one of Anderson's most corrupt officers.Given terse direction by Charles Burnett in well paced, brisk, documentary style, it maintains a grip on the attention throughout as it unravels a tale of police corruption and the hard decisions that have to be made..
Such a surprising film.
I was hesitating between giving 8 or 9 and decided for a 9 when I thought "It was so difficult watching this film - it really showed well how frustrating some things can be in Life; I'm exhausted".And that in itself sums up this film : it does not have the top notch direction of Crash which won the 2006 Oscars, but, just like Crash, I was on the edge of my seat till the very very end of the film.
I was punching the wall out of feeling as frustrated as some of the characters, I was tense and worried that someone was going to get shot, I was a total ball of nerves by the end.
And for that alone I went for a 9 rather than an 8 : this film is 10 out of 10 in terms of drawing the viewer into the frustrations of police corruption, racism, sexism, cover-ups, minor mistakes which come back to haunt you big time, the effect on communities, fate.
It is not a traditional Police film, it is a hundred times more than that.If you liked Crash 2006 (the one which won the Oscars), then you'll like this film.
The movie sends a good message.
As clichéd as it sounds:  Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
As other viewers have noted, this movie is low budget and not overtly action packed.
But it does showcase very well what can happen when trying to fit in:  Loosing sight of what is right and wrong, then trying to do what is right and getting penalized for it from different directions.
Many movies do an awesome job in telling a tale.
The message of being drunk with power and corruption among peers is something that is not only seen in the law enforcement institutions, but in the corporate and higher education areas as well.
It just appears that corruption is more harmful in law enforcement because there is the higher probability that people may become physically and psychologically damaged (on the deepest level) as a result of corrupt people misusing their guns, badges, and utmost authority).
The movie is more likely to hit home for someone who is female and/or a minority who has had some in-depth exposure to law enforcement.
While many police officers are, for the most part, decent and on the level, I would say that EVERY law enforcement agency has some level of corruption occurring.
The corruption can be a lone officer or two belittling citizens unjustifiably (and getting away with it), or a group of them who systematically abuse power.
Perhaps a film like this would be worth mandatory viewing for new police recruits.
Not only is there the lesson of how wrong and nasty discrimination is (especially in groups), but there is also the lesson of your own well meaning, however wrong actions, coming back to haunt you.
I'm surprised this wasn't a made for TV film!
The writing and direction is not up to movie standards.
The writer decided that rather then rely on well written story with just a few of the points he wanted to make; he decided to throw every racism cliché into this one.
And while the story is just plain silly; the poor direction leads to some pretty poor performances.
I'm sure many of the actors in this film don't list this as one they are proud of.
We all know that there are abuses by law enforcement; but this writer/director is beating us over the head with this script.
If your looking for a well written, well acted story that make you feel like you got your monies worth; avoid this film like the plague.
RE: Worst Film?.
How your comment makes the top response for this film proves not only how naive you are, but how culturally bankrupt and immoral this nation is.
They elect a man like Bush, who invades a hornets nest, indebted your children and grandchildren, and runs a police state media called Fox network.
You are saying there is no such thing as the mafia or corrupt police and racism is not real.
This film shows and tests the police as humans.
Not everyone likes being pushed around by the police and not everyone is as passive and out of touch as you, thank God, if he exists..
The stage curtains open ...Based on the true story of John Eddie Johnson, "The Glass Shield" chronicles the events surrounding the arrest and incarceration of an innocent black man based solely on circumstantial evidence - and the corruption involved behind the scenes within the Sheriff's Dept where Johnson worked as a deputy.This wasn't a bad film, though it really does have a made-for-television feel to it.
I felt like I was watching a true crime story on TV rather than a movie with a wide screen release.
It is low on violence and high on emotion - a morality tale in which, we as the viewers, can sense and experience the frustration that John Johnson (played by Michael Boatman), deputy Deborah Fields (played by Lori Petty), and Teddy Woods (played by Ice T) all went through.
All of the actors, for the most part, did a standard job with nothing outstanding between them except for Michael Boatman's performance.
He really did put his all into the part as this was his big chance to step up in a starring role.This movie is part crime story and part courtroom drama - playing out almost like a Law & Order episode.
Overall, I did enjoy the movie, but it wasn't something I would necessarily recommend anyone to see.
The movie itself isn't very good.
The lighting makes too much use of neon blue, a popular fad around the time this appeared.
The acting is okay, though, except for Ice Cube, who cannot seem to act.
The script has two good things going for it.One is that the cops, though authoritarian in manner and attitude, are humanized without being sentimentalized.
And Ironsides doesn't offer any false hope or, indeed try to comfort his friend in any way.
He simply sits there and listens while Walsh, again without going into it, quietly talks about how he'd like to leave his family with a little something.
The script and the director handle Walsh's death scene in the same understated way.
Cops wouldn't.
That's what I mean by "humanizing" them without "sentimentalizing" them.The second interesting thing about the film is that it dips a toe into some curious and seldom-dealt-with sociological waters.
Cops demand that kind of loyalty too.
And here we have two "minority" members who find themselves working for the Sheriff's Office.
Boatman is black and is a cop.
Lori Petty is a woman (and a Jew, I think) and is a cop too.
Which allegiance takes priority -- the allegiance to the minority group or to one's comrades on the police force?
What happens when loyalties come into conflict?The film brings the question up but soon dumps it.
Boatman realizes that he is black before he is blue.
There's not a bad African-American to be seen.
We can all feel satisfied now that our true identities have been found and all the corrupt and dissembling cops have been cleaned out.
It's rather overlong, too, and the story resembles "Serpico." Even the title is second-hand.
"The Glass Shield." It sounds like a variation on the pop culture phrase, "the glass ceiling," suggesting that the female cop, Lori Petty, will run into prejudices.
A good film, though the previous comments are not without truth.
Glass Shield is an intriguing film, starring Michael Boatman, Ice-T, Bernie Casey, and Lori Petty.
The film centers around the corruption of the Ingomar Station around LA.Its one of those films you need to watch several times to understand all of the details.
You know, one where there are 900 names thrown around and they expect you to remember all of them even when the names don't depict a character in the film.The comment about this being a leftist movie is definitely true: Anyone black, female, supportive of civil rights, adoptive of children outside your race, etc is good.
Anyone white and male in this film is evil (minus the one cop that works in the holding cell).The film is definitely worth watching.
Just be open minded that the writer, or at least the casting director, is probably one of those people who blames white males for everything (crime, racism, etc) without checking the violent crime statistics first..
Try to fit in or decide to do the right thing?
Ambition is one of the things that stands in the way of J.J. Johnson(Michael Boatman)...the other is that he is a rookie state trooper with the LA Sheriff's Department and the first black officer at his first assigned station.
The station's only female deputy Deb Fields(Lori Petty).
This movie progresses with nonstop suspense and explosive decisions to be made.
Johnson and Fields uncover mass corruption when they discover that a well known criminal(Ice Cube)has been framed and jailed for a vicious murder.
Do they break the unwritten code of silence or do the right thing?
Well...what makes for a better movie?
This gritty police yarn is filled with obligatory violence and an all-star cast of actors like: Richard Anderson, M.
Emmet Walsh, Michael Ironside, Bernie Casey and Elliott Gould.
I was really impressed with Boatman and Ice Cube.
Overall the truth proves to be pretty damn powerful..
Very good cop show..
Show was very interesting regarding newcomer cops, especially blacks and females.
I really hope this no longer goes on in precincts but unfortunately, it probably happens more often than we'd like to think.
Michael Boatman played a very dramatic believable officer - definitely worth watching!.
Terrible movie.
This movie has got to be one of the worst, most leftist, racially biased movie ever made about cops and non-black people.
It feeds into the racial tensions and further perpetuates the myth that all cops and people in office are evil and corrupt.
I was watching this movie thinking it should be taking place in Mexico or Russia.
However I can't imagine the corruption being that bad even in those countries.
This movie had absolutely no technical advisors, no realism, no factuality and was poorly written.
On one scene, I saw one of the main character wearing his police uniform with white sneakers.
The list goes on and on but I wont waste anymore our my time or yours.
This is something I would totally expect though from rapper Ice Cube.
I'm surprised Snoop Dog didn't make an appearance in this movie.
An action packed police film on an indie film budget..
Charles Burnett sculpts the movie with star protagonist JJ or John Johnson played by Michael Boatman is a young African American Cop who is excited and eager to be a police officer.
He soon realizes that being a police officer is not what he expected as he soon realizes the wrong and dishonest dealings going on with in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.
Our young Valen JJ teams up with another minority, young female officer Deborah Fields (Lori Petty) to right the wrongs and restore justice as any honest, moralistic young adult would do.
These young officers' morals are what drives the plot and leads their actions to fulfill justice in their hypocritical department.JJ's suspicions began when he is involved with the unlawful arrest of Teddy Woods (played by Hollywood Star Ice Cube).
Teddy Woods's case goes to court and becomes the center of attention to the audience via Deputy Johnson's role in arresting Mr. Woods, to reveal the injustices of the department.
Throughout the judicial fiasco JJ and Deborah are harassed by other officers about being a minority in the white male department.
If that isn't enough JJ must deal with a frustrated relationship with his girlfriend (you will have to watch and see for yourself if their romance endures).Young and Zealous JJ deals with more than just romantic issues and physical harassment.
Johnson views many of his colleagues as men seeking to put the bad guys behind bars and willing to bend the rules in order to do so, a white lie as to why you pulled someone over if it means you are putting a bad guy behind bars.Many viewers of the film will undoubtedly connect this film's message with the Black Lives matter campaign and other civil rights protests.
This aspect of the movie connects generations of Americans in three generations.
A grandparent may connect to it from the civil rights movement in the 1960's, their child may relate to the movie in the time that it was released (1994) along with the Watts Riots, and finally the potential grandchildren and my fellow peers view the movie as a prophecy of the Black Lives matter campaign.
While the ending may have been to potential of lack of money (as often is the case in independent films), this eight-million-dollar film does a great job of wrapping the viewer into the film to see a struggle that still is not resolved in our society despite the horrible acting that "hurts like getting hit with a bat".
Yes, that is an actual line from the movie that comes during one of the worst scenes of acting I have ever seen.
However, director Charles Burnett shows us hope through JJ.