THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 4, 1995 TAG: 9506030022
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
``THE GLASS Shield'' is something of a surprise, turning out as level-headed and well-structured as it is. It's the story, supposedly based on fact, of a rookie cop who, after great temptation, stands against his fellow officers to defend a man wrongly accused of murder.
The police badge, in this plot, turns out to be a glass shield. It's easy to see through - but not nearly as transparent as this plot eventually becomes.
Michael Boatman, trying to cross over from the small screen, brings a good deal of fresh-faced naivete to his role as the first black recruit to a crooked sheriff's department in California. He is encouraged at the outset to ``remember that you're one of us.'' He does just that and is all too easily persuaded to lie on the witness stand to support a fellow cop. This troublesome quality limits his viability as a real hero, particularly because there is no real pressure put on him to lie.
The film is old-fashioned in that it doesn't include the usual four-letter words to suggest the atmosphere of a police precinct. Even the violence is somewhat muted. (The Motion Picture Association rating is a mere PG-13). What could have been a major drama of conscience vs. conformity soon fades into a conventional, if pleasantly interesting, melodrama.
The film is not 30 minutes old before it signals that it's not going to be fair, or balanced. This is an out-and-out case of police bashing.
For one thing, the cops, all of whom are white, are played by some of Hollywood's most familiar villains. Michael Ironside, that scowling face from movies past, could clearly be up to no good. Neither could Richard Anderson, as the dictatorial sheriff. M. Emmet Walsh is another of the ``good ol' boys,'' only he's dying of cancer and wants to leave something to the children - the perfect motive for crookedness.
The plot, which initially seems overly simple, becomes overly complicated before it runs its course. It's as if something were cut from the second half of the film.
Ice Cube is asked to do little more than smolder as the man falsely accused of murder. He seems remarkably calm about the fact that he is facing such a charge.
Elliott Gould, once Mr. Barbra Streisand and a major star in his own right, plays the husband of the murdered woman. He's a suspicious character at best.
In the post-Rodney King era, here, on screen for all to see, is yet another movie in which law officers are pictured as crooked and mean-spirited. One has to look at it skeptically in terms of whether it is being fair to both sides. It is not. The villains need further development.
Boatman is quite qood in portraying the rookie cop. Lorri Petty, with a short-cropped hairdo left over from the flop ``Tank Girl,'' plays a former lawyer who is the only woman on the force. She ups the stakes by suggesting that she also faces prejudice because she is Jewish. The script then drops that subplot altogether.
As written and directed by Charles Burnett, ``The Glass Shield'' is commendable in that it tackles its plot with a sensitivity that is missing in many films today. (The film seems to be in contrast with the hate-obsessed rap tune that roars above its final credits). Giving it these points, there is still a melodramatic quality that keeps us from getting really disturbed by it.
The actors, most of whom are consistently interesting to watch, are much better than the script.
On the other hand, the case, as presented here, is too possible to be comfortable. One ends up just wishing a better movie had been made on this all-important subject. The deck here is too loaded to be played straight. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
MOVIE REVIEW
``The Glass Shield''
Cast: Michael Boatman, Lori Petty, Ice Cube, Michael Ironside,
Richard Anderson, Elliott Gould, M. Emmet Walsh
Director and Writer: Charles Burnett
MPAA rating: PG-13 (mild language, suggested violence)
Mal's rating: Three stars
Locations: Circle 6 and Main Gate in Norfolk; Lynnhaven Mall and
Pembroke in Virginia Beach
by CNB