The Shield – Season Five

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B-     Extras: B-     Episodes: B-

 

 

Gripping! Engaging! Edge of your seat action!  These are just a few ways in which to describe the thrilling series The Shield.  Now join Vic Mackey on DVD with The Shield: Season 5.  The series centers on an elite Police Task Force known as the ‘The Strike Team.’  To call this elite police force ethical is beyond wrong.  This task force (based on L.A.’s real CRASH force) does whatever it takes to get what they need; these means to the end always being highly controversial.  As the series has progressed the Strike Team has seemed too ethically and emotionally digressed.  The weird part is that the audience still finds themselves attached to this brutish group of gangbusters and whatever they need to do get the confessions, drugs planted, or monies in their pockets it is ‘A’ ok.  The other interesting aspect of this controversial series is the integrated storyline.  This series utilizes a whirlwind of personal aspects of the Strike Team’s life intertwined with their occupational duties and hazards to help audience gain a true sense of what the city’s violence and corruption has done to these men and women of ‘the law.’  So join Michael Chiklis, Forrest Whitaker, and the rest of the great acting cast for another corrupt yet emotional season of The Shield.

 

The series is simply amazing.  The level of realism is just out of this world for a drama that is supposedly fictional.  The creators and writers of the series emphasize two main things Los Angeles gangs and how the Police deal with the cities corruption.  The writers obviously do their research utilizing real gang activities, similar names, and other aspects of gang life that could be torn for the headlines.  How do you solve corruption?  With more corruption, of course.  When you watch this series and you think the gangs are too much too handle, you have not seen nothing yet!  The Police or for the purposes of this series the Strike Team have some skeletons of their own in their closets spawned from the racial tensions of the city, inner team/office conflict, and pure human greed and lust.

 

The technical features on this 4 disc set are adequate but not bulletproof.  This FX drama is shot in HD yet is presented in an unimpressive 1.33 X 1 Full Screen aspect ratio.  The show contains a certain intended gritty quality which does give the show some great depth and atmosphere, but for this DVD release there is a degree of light/dark issues.  The sound is adequate in a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo with Pro Logic surrounds that can be light at times for a show that has so much bang and suspense.  The extras are also just adequate and though they are plentiful presenting audio commentaries on all episodes, 25 deleted scenes with commentaries, Season 6 prequel, and a behind the scenes featurette they lack a rewatchable quality.  Overall, a nice set without much pizzazz.

 

What is too far?  What is their responsibility?  Where will the city streets lead them?  Only time can tell what their next strike will be.

 

 

-   Michael P Dougherty II