Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3202 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-08-09
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Dutch, English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 573 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Everything good about the first season of The Shield is intensified in the second. For detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his amoral strike team, these 13 episodes follow "the money train," a stockpile of Armenian mob money ripe for the taking. Mackey's team plots to steal this criminal fortune while under pressure from Capt. Aceveda (Benito Martinez), whose political campaign is threatened by a civilian auditor (Lucinda Jenney) assigned to uncover corruption in "the Barn." The uneasy alliance between Aceveda and Mackey provokes the suspicion of Wyms (CCH Pounder), whose by-the-book vigilance is rewarded while Dutch (Jay Karnes) endures a slump that worsens the Barn's sullied reputation. After being horribly disfigured by Mackey, a vile Mexican druglord (Daniel Pino) plots a territorial coup, prompting the strike team's finest police work while Mackey struggles to save his failing marriage. Post-9/11 tensions erupt when beat cop Danny (Catherine Dent) justifiably shoots an armed Arab civilian, and newlywed Julien (Michael Jace) copes with (literal) gay-bashing following his church-sponsored sexual reorientation.

As always, The Shield supports these plotlines with gritty casework, including a brutal kidnapping, homicide, and gangland warfare. Every episode (shot in grainy 16mm) meets the series' high standard of excellence, but "Greenlit," "Homewrecker" (featuring the death of a recurring character), and "Dominoes Falling" are standouts, while the controversial "Co-Pilot" offers a retrospective look at the Barn's volatile origins. Writing and direction are consistently superb, and Pounder deserves honorable mention among the brilliant cast, striking a stoical balance of world-weary wisdom, procedural diligence, and righteous indignation.

Bonus features comprise a virtual film school for anyone seeking a career in television. While the commentaries explore the nuts and bolts of series development, the "Directors' Roundtable" (with creator Shawn Ryan, Scott Brazil, Peter Horton, and Paris Barclay) is a revealing, frequently hilarious study of the rigors of fast-paced production; "Sound Surgery" presents a track-by-track analysis of sound, music, and dialogue; and "Wrap Day" is a celebratory tribute to the series' hard-working cast and crew. It's all good, and guaranteed to stoke anyone's appetite for Season Three. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
Shawn Ryan, a regular writer for "Angel" and other programmes, created this crime drama to challenge the mores of televised entertainment and to provide a heightened reality with increasingly complicated moral questions. Michael Chiklis stars as Vic Mackey, perhaps television's most unpopular, no-nonsense detective, and leader of the elite Strike Team unit. The entire second season (13 episodes) of the acclaimed show is presented here.

Customer Reviews

Absolutely amazing. What more san I say? Well this...
When the second season of The Shield finally came to five I thought that it could never be as shocking, exciting, thought provoking and intriguing as the groundbreaking first season. But it was. The second season is a rollercoaster of emotions in which you feel for each of the characters as they fight against crime (the respectable and clean cut Dutch and Claudette), corruption (the supposedly corruption free and politically minded Captain of the station David Aceveda) and try to survive in the troubled neighbourhood of a Los Angeles area.

One of the best things about The Shield is its gritty and graphic realism. Many cop shows claim to be this, but The Shield is the only one I have seen that can really live up to the statement. The creator Shawn Ryan manages to do this through the infamous strike team led by Detective Vic Mackey. Him and his team of detectives push the boundaries of legal police work and are often on the edge of becoming the very people they seek to put behind bars.

If you enjoyed the inventive and original plots of season one then you will not be disappointed by season two. The episodes can be watched over and over again and they never become mundane or boring. If you have never seen The Shield before then you really should watch the first season. After that I know you'll want to buy this straight away.

One more thing. If for some reason you missed series 3 on TV (which could only be excused if you were isolated form humanity for the whole time it ran. Then you may be wondering if series 3 could ever live up to the legacy of the previous instalments of The Shield. I have the very simple answer you've been looking for...
YES

The best cop show I know
If you are interested in watching an intelligent, adult, completly unpredictable, well acted and directed cop show, this is the one for you!

I can not say enough good things about it, surpases everything I know BY FAR.

I can't wait to get the Series 3 in DVD. Of course the Series 1 are superb too. I recommend you, if possible, to start there, in order to understand better who is who, but it is not a must.

It has lot of filming on location, adding especial interest to the show as well.

The Series 2 "extras" feature a round table with the directores of the different episodes, that gives you a good insight on the making of the series.

Only bad thing (on Series 2 alone): the subtitles are captioned subtitles with black background blocking a bit the screen.

You will not regret getting this!

The best TV show in history!
As I said, the best show in the long history of television. Series one started very well and went into overdrive as the series climaxed. Season two starts just as series one left off and then takes the show to another level at the end. Daring, bold storylines which few would be brave enough to write let alone film, truly great, extraordinarily convincing acting and a fantastic script week after week; it's the most consistently great show I've ever seen.

The show follows the daily lives of a group of Los Angeles police officers, bending the rules to stay on top in a crime ridden ghetto hell hole whilst covering their own backs from the police bosses, city official's and fellow officer's. Most television shows are predictable and avoid controversy, The Shield manages to shock and surprise in equal measure.

Admittedly it's not to all tastes, it contains strong violence and very, very adult themes but it isn't made to grab tabloid headlines, it holds back when necessary and most of the seedy behaviour is implied rather than graphically shown.

Each episode is better than most films. Think Reservoir Dogs with rabies thirteen times over. Truly unmissable and certain to be a classic for decades.