Rookie cop J.J., the first black police officer in the service, is a loyal albeit rather naive colleague who cooperates with a scam. He gradually discovers a cover-up that confronts him with a lot of moral dilemmas. The single female cop in the service is his only ally. They soon discover the scale of the moral decay and dark practices, while the other cops stop at nothing and protect each other. The Glass Shield, which focuses more on human interactions and moods than on violent action, is seen as Burnett’s (Killer of Sheep and To Sleep with Anger) “most stylised and politically outspoken film”. This police drama, based on various existing scandals, emerged at the time of O.J. Simpson’s arrest and soon after the fierce protests against the violent arrest of Rodney King. The film is still relevant and urgent in 2017, and has been described by The Guardian as “a shamefully neglected 1994 squad-room drama”.
Film details
Countries of production
France, USA
Year
1994
Festival edition
IFFR 2017
Length
104'
Medium/Format
File
Language
English
Premiere status
None
Director
Charles Burnett
Producer
Thomas Byrnes, Carolyn Schroeder
Screenplay
Charles Burnett, John Eddie Johnson, Ned Welsh
Cinematography
Elliot Davis
Editing
Curtiss Clayton
Production design
Penny Barrett
Principal cast
Erich Anderson, Richard Anderson, Thomas Babson, Monty Bane, Michael Boatman, Ernie Lee Banks, Jean Hubbard-Boone