The Glass Shield (1994): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1994, The Glass Shield is an action, thriller, drama and crime film directed by Charles Burnett, running about 109 minutes. “In a world filled with violence... his only weapon is the truth!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. J.J. is a rookie in the Sheriff's Department and the first black officer at that station. Racial tensions run high in the department as some of J.J.'s fellow officers resent his presence. His only real friend is the other new trooper, the first female officer to work there, who also suffers similar discrimination in the otherwise all-white male work environment. When J.J. becomes increasingly aware of police corruption during the murder trial of Teddy Woods, whom he helped to arrest, he faces difficult decisions and puts himself into grave personal danger in the service of justice.

Who’s in it. The Glass Shield stars Michael Boatman as Dep. J.J. Johnson, Lori Petty as Dep. Deborah Fields, Ice Cube as Theodore 'Teddy' Woods and Erich Anderson as D.A. Ira Kern, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 4.8/10, The Glass Shield has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Glass Shield page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Glass Shield tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.