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The Shield - Season 5 [DVD] [2005]
![The Shield - Season 5 [DVD] [2005]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zYuaz1RzL._SL160_.jpg)
Shane... oh, Shane... what have you done? "Conscience is a killer" is the catchphrase that made season 5 of The Shield the most intense season of the series to date. These 11 tightly scripted episodes comprise the first half of a 21-episode arc, with series creator Shawn Ryan referring to the sixth season (broadcast in 2007) as "Season 5.1." This is The Shield at its finest, culminating in a climactic 11th episode ("Postpartum") that ricochets the series toward a complex range of dramatic complications. Jumping the shark? Not a chance, pal--not when you've got soon-to-be Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker in his outstanding guest-star role as Det. John Kavanaugh, the upright, tormented Internal Affairs cop determined to destroy Det. Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his corrupt LAPD Strike Team. As Kavanaugh mounts an obsessive campaign to reveal Mackey's shameful secrets, conscience is a killer in the Strike Team's midst: Ronnie (David Rees Snell) maintains a stoical voice of reason, but as Mackey recruits (and seduces) a savvy lawyer (Laura Harring) to defend against Kavanaugh's harassment, Curtis "Lemonhead" Lemansky (Kenneth Johnson, never better) desperately protects the Strike Team with a sacrificial gambit that provokes Shane (Walton Goggins) to commit a crime that's both shockingly tragic and dramatically ingenious, since it forcefully propels The Shield toward a bold and unpredictable future. Supporting-character arcs are equally fresh and involving: Officer Danny Sofer (Catherine Dent) is eight months pregnant with Mackey's child; Wyms (CCH Pounder) struggles with a disabling case of lupus before assuming Captaincy of "The Barn"; Dutch (Jay Karnes) is reluctantly teamed with the ethically challenged ex-Captain Billings (David Marciano), leading to a perfect blend of comic relief; and while Aceveda (Benito Martinez) is frantically wedged between Mackey and Kavanaugh, beat-cop Julien (Michael Jace) copes with an eager but incompetent rookie (Paula Garces) who benefits from Dutch's self-serving mentorship. And while season 5 dishes up plenty of crime-fighting action, it's Kavanaugh's presence (and Whitaker's offbeat, intimidating performance) that keeps these 11 episodes focused with laser-like intensity. (Kudos also to Cathy Cahlin Ryan for her superb work as Mackey's anguished but cool-headed wife.) As usual with The Shield, the DVD bonus features are outstanding, emphasizing the series' cast and crew as a close-knit family, deeply affected by the departure of a major cast member and the death (on April 17, 2006, from complications of Lyme Disease and Lou Gehrig's Disease) of veteran director/producer Scott Brazil, whose contributions to The Shield were nothing less than essential. Beloved by all, Brazil is honored with a memorial featurette, and the powerful 88-minute documentary "Delivering the Baby: The Making of Episode 511" intimately chronicles the production of "Postpartum" and its emotional impact on everyone involved. Audio commentaries for all 11 episodes add to the series' rich familial history (these rank among the best TV-related DVD commentaries ever), and the "TV Academy Panel" is a well-moderated Q&A (by Entertainment Weekly reporter Lynnette Rice) with Chiklis, Ryan, and Whitaker. In the "I.A.D." featurette, The Shield's police consultants analyze Whitaker's character and the essential role of the Internal Affairs Division, and a wealth of deleted scenes prove, yet again, that The Shield maintains its excellence even on the cutting-room floor. No doubt about it, season 5 will leave you begging for season 6. --Jeff Shannon
RRP: £34.99
Our Price: £5.99 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk
It keeps getting better. Brilliant stuff!
Review date: 2010-06-13 Rating: 10 out of 10
I do not generally like U.S. Police series, but The Shield is the exception. Every series sucks you in. The plots are well written, the filming is edgy and believable. You have this love-hate relationship with the 'Strike Team' characters. They are fundamentally corrupt cops, but somehow you are on their side (well I was). I like The Wire, but this is just so much better. I would totally recommend this series.
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Reviews
Brilliant series.
Review date: 2010-03-30 Rating: 10 out of 10
Vic Mackie is as edgy as ever. Pushed to extremes by a sinister character played by Forest Whitaker. Surport cast - Ronnie, Shane, Danny, Dutch et al keep the plot on a level of reality as it spirals to impending tragedy. Definately one not to miss as long as you've seen 1-4 in order.
Vic Mackey meets his nemesis
Review date: 2010-02-18 Rating: 10 out of 10
Just when you think the Shield might get repetitive, they find a new angle. Vic and the strike team become the target for an obsessive Internal Affairs officer, played by Forest Whittaker who brilliantly leaves you guessing whether Kavanaugh is a good guy or a bad guy - the moral ambiguity that makes The Shield such compulsive viewing for fans. It really is great to see a show which treats its viewers as intelligent enough to make up their own minds about right and wrong and which poses questions instead of preaching. The fact it does so at breakneck speed and with breathless excitement is just a plus! If you haven't seen the Shield yet - go back to Season One and enjoy the whole ride. Five seasons in I'm still hooked and rushed out to buy the next season. Brilliant.
Another Top Notch Season of The Shield
Review date: 2009-06-29 Rating: 10 out of 10
Excellent season although not quite as good as season 4. The issue with the season finale is a little annoying but the full version can easily be sourced if you know where to look.
A definite favourite
Review date: 2009-05-01 Rating: 10 out of 10
Superb drama and one of the few I actually want to keep on DVD and watch over and over (with the Sopranos too of course!) Purchase on Amazon was really good price which is always a bonus!
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Kenneth Johnson
Walton Goggins
Laura Harring
Michael Chiklis
Forest Whitaker
Creators:
Forest Whitaker (Primary Contributor)
Michael Chiklis (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
EAN: 5035822636019
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 4
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2008-01-28
Aspect ratio: 16:9 - 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 603 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)