The Shield - Season 1 [DVD] [2003]

Glad to see that the series is still available on dvd since it was first broadcast in 2002. Most of the reviewers have said it ----- well handled action sets, grimy locations, realistic acting (though some of the characters are sometimes OTT).But it is entertaining with the main handful of characters well written and compelling to follow. A good start here and the 13 episodes flew by confirming that it's an easy watch enriched with a good plot of the police (detectives, patrol cops, bosses) V the bad guys (drug dealers, murderers, rapists etc.). The Wire it is not but highly watchable.Total of 9 hrs 35 mins, with English subtitles for the hearing impaired.

I risked buying this set for two reasons. It had Walton Goggins in it, whose acting in "Justified" had impressed me greatly and the reviews were good. Fortunately these indicators were good and paid off. Walton Goggins is excellent as is the first series of "The Shield".If you like gritty realism, morally ambivalent characters and what seems like a very realistic portrayal of life in a poor, gang-infested, drug riddled area of L.A this is for you. This is a far cry from the usual Hollywood perfection and it is not for the squeamish or the idealist but is amazingly engaging entertainment. The characters are complex and unstereotypical which ever side of the law that they are supposed to be on and the plots manage to twist and turn but still surprise and shock as well. However there are still moments of understated humour throughout that give a lot of light and shade to the episodes.American cable television seems to have produced a lot of series, like this one, that have writing and production values that are closer to those of independent film than mainstream television. The camera work on the Shield is exceptional and gives one a real sense of being part of the action and the cynical authorial tone strikes a perfect balance between hard-boiled and human.There are extras aplenty and some illuminating commentaries included with this set which make it great value too. I now intend to get all the other seasons of the Shield as I am definitely hooked and deserve another big box set.

An entertaining and darkly humoured cop series. The stories are compelling and the dialogue is slick and intelligent. A real departure from the run of the mill crime dramas. And joy, THERE'S NO SWEARING!!! This series is testament that a well crafted drama doesn't need the cheap trick of effing and blinding to get peoples attention. I fervently hope that the later series don't resort to swearing as I've just bought 2 through 7!!

First shown in 2002, this is utterly brilliant TV that went on to become a cultural phenomenon studied on various TV and Film degree courses. The reason for the adulation is the complex moral ambiguity shown throughout the series - but what grips throughout is the sharp writing, the snappy dialogue, the interplay between series narrative and weekly stories and - most of all - the sheer charisma of the acting. At its heart is Chiklis' Vic Mackey with his swaggering violence and his lethal stare offset by his protective love for his family and his genuine tenderness for working girls and children.The storylines are brutal and hard-hitting, but leavened every week by cynical cop humour and edgy bantering. Watching this makes every other police/thriller series look slow, dull and anodyne - it's a blast, but the very fact that we so often are complicit with the morally-compromised Vic is precisely what makes this so daringly unnerving.

Without doubt one of the finest cop shows to come out of the U.S.A.I have seen every episode of the Shield and watched this series through twice and will watch again.The premise of the Shield is very different, the main characters are bad, violent corrupt cops whose lives gradually fall apartas the Police and F.B.I catch up with them.There is a linear story line from the first episode to the last with diversions along the way.The acting is brilliant, this show is very gritty and extremely brutal in places. However the violence is never gratuitous.The whole series has a beginning, a middle and a very brilliant end, the final episode is one of the best final episodes i have ever seen to a series.I won't include spoilers, this show is far too good for that, just buy every episode and enjoy.You will not be disappointed but be aware, bad language and gruesome violence are quite graphic.The Shield is in my all time top ten of all shows ever. Sensational.