Michael Chiklis Movies
Though known mainly for his role as complicated police officer Vic Mackey on F/X's television cop drama The Shield, Massachusetts native Michael Chiklis has been acting professionally since the age of 13, when he made several appearances at the Town and Country Playhouse in Salem, NH. From there, Chiklis enlisted in a variety of classical, occasionally Shakespearian theatrical productions at the prestigious Merrimack Repertory Theatre and ultimately studied acting in the drama program at Boston University's College of Fine Arts. After graduating, Chiklis traveled to New York and began the auditioning process. In 1988, he was picked to portray John Belushi in the feature film Wired, though litigation and controversy delayed the release and proper promotional process, and the picture itself was a wretched mess (not to mention a depressing affair).
By 1991, after making guest appearances in some of the most popular sitcoms of the time (Murphy Brown, L.A. Law, and Seinfeld, to name a few), Chiklis was cast as amiable police commissioner Tony Scali on ABC's The Commish. Though a few extra pounds at that time helped him land the role after his audition, his subsequent weight loss required him to wear a "fat suit" to remain in character (though the actor was only in his mid-twenties, series producers created the role for someone much older). When The Commish ceased to be after a five-year run, Chiklis took on a small role in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995) and starred in the ill-fated NBC sitcom Daddio (2000). Two years later, the series premiere of The Shield catapulted Chiklis back into the forefront of network success. His role on the popular series would bring him two Best Actor nominations from the Golden Globes, as well as one from the Screen Actor's Guild.
Chiklis contented himself with this part for several years, but in 2005, he returned to cinematic ventures and went big budget with the FX-laden summer extravaganza Fantastic Four. This film - like the famous Stan Lee comic strip - concerns a group of individuals who journey into outer space to investigate a cosmic storm, and find each of their DNA codes altered in a unique way; one by one, they become The Human Torch, The Thing, The Invisible Girl, and Mr. Fantastic (four superheroes, each of whom has a unique power) -- and must collectively take on the seemingly invincible Doctor Doom (Julian McMahon). Chiklis plays The Thing (nee Ben Grimm), a creature made entirely of stone. Though broadly derided in the press, the public ignored the negative critical responses and helped The Fantastic Four reel in an estimated worldwide gross of around $330 million -- paving the way for a 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. In that outing, the quartet of demigods take on the nefarious titular villain, who has set about destroying the Earth.
In that same year's supernatural thriller Rise: Blood Hunter, Chiklis played Detective Rawlins - an unfortunate man whose daughter was bitten and turned into a blood-sucking vampire. The film saw Rawlins pooling his efforts with those of vampire fighter Sadie Blake (Lucy Liu) to destroy an evil vampiric host ironically named Bishop (James D'Arcy). Following this outing, Chiklis signed for a supporting role in director D.J. Caruso's psychological thriller Eagle Eye (2008). ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan star in Disturbia director D.J. Caruso's race-against-time thriller concerning two strangers thrust together by a mysterious telephone call, and their frantic efforts to discover why they have inexplicably become the nation's most wanted fugitives. Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Monaghan) were complete strangers at the beginning of the day, but that changed the instant a strange woman called to threaten both their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Suddenly forced into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, Jerry and Rachel must now take orders from a woman who's using everyday technology to track and control their every move. As the situation intensifies and the hapless duo are deemed the country's most wanted fugitives, they must work together in order to discover who it was that turned their lives upside down, and what they can do to thwart the criminal mastermind's cunning yet diabolical plan. Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, and Anthony Mackie co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, (more)
A woman who joins the undead against her will seeks vengeance against the ghouls who transformed her in this thriller. Sadie Blake (Lucy Liu) is a journalist who becomes acquainted with a group of beautiful but doomstruck partiers while following a story, led by the charismatic Bishop (James D'Arcy). While Sadie is taken with Bishop's good looks and sinister charm, she senses there's something dangerous about him, but it's not until she wakes up in the city morgue that she learns his secret -- Bishop is a vampire, and Sadie has joined his underlings as one of the undead. Angry and betrayed, Sadie is determined to stop Bishop and his compatriots, and she prowls the city with bow and arrow, ready to stake them from a distance when she spies them. Sadie finds an unlikely ally in her crusade in Detective Rawlins (Michael Chiklis), a police investigator whose daughter was transformed into a night creature by Bishop. However, Sadie is finding it increasingly difficult to resist her growing thirst for the blood of the living, becoming the sort of being she has grown to hate. Also featuring Carla Gugino, Robert Forster, and Nick Lachey, Rise: Blood Hunter received its world premiere with a special midnight screening at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Liu, Michael Chiklis, (more)
Season Six of The Shield opens as Detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chilkis) and the rest of the Farmington District Strike Force mourn the death of their colleague Curtis Lemensky (Kenneth Johnson), who was killed by a hand grenade just before he was to be shipped out of the country to prevent his revealing all of the Force's past peccadilloes to relentless Internal Affairs investigator Lt. Jon Kanvanagh (Forest Whitaker). Upon discovering that he is slated to be forcibly retired from the force, the embittered Mackey embarks upon a personal vendetta, bent upon killing the man responsible for "Lem"'s demise--never suspecting that the person he seeks is his own best friend and colleague, Det. Shane Vendrell (Waylon Goggins). . .who may well beat Vic to the punch by committing suicide. His one best chance of destroying the Strike Force gone, Kavanagh becomes more obsessively unhinged than ever, resorting to strongarming witnesses and tampering with evidence to bring Mackey down. This puts Kavanagh on the outs with his two most fervent supporters (and the only thoroughly honest members of the Force), Dutch Wagenbach (Jay Karnes) and newly promoted Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder). Wyms in fact is so disillusioned by Kavanagh's tactics that she puts her animosity toward Mackey on the shelf and affords Vic an opportunity to save his job. Other developments this season include the ever-growing (and ever-threatenng) political ambitions of Mackey's old adversary, Councilman Aceveda (Benito Martinez); and Off. Danielle Sofer's (Catherine Dent) revelation of the identity of her child's father (to no one's surprise, the man in question is her erstwhile lover Vic Mackey).
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2007
- PG
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The world's most famous team of astronauts-cum-superheroes returns in the effects-heavy sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. As the story opens, Sue Storm (aka The Invisible Girl [Jessica Alba]) and Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic [Ioan Gruffudd]) prepare for their upcoming, superhero-studded wedding celebration. But Reed cannot stay focused on the nuptials -- he's distracted by wire reports of a bizarre, comet-like object hurtling toward the Earth with tremendous force, triggering brownouts, blackouts, tropical storms, and various other climatological disasters. When the said object hits the island of Manhattan, destroying much of the city in its wake, its identity becomes resoundingly clear. "It" is actually a "he" -- a psychotic villain known as The Silver Surfer (voice of Larry Fishburne) who intends, for some unascertainable reason, to destroy much of the Earth, just as he obliterated dozens of planets before it. Feeling compelled to rally their old gang and save the day, Sue and Reed summon Ben Grimm (aka The Thing [Michael Chiklis]) and Johnny Storm (aka The Human Torch [Chris Evans]) to take on the Surfer -- and end up battling not only him, but an obnoxious Army general (Andre Braugher) and the cantankerous Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), who has broken out of his icy prison that held him captive at the end of the first movie. Tim Story returns to direct this sequel. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, (more)
It looks like the career of the spectacular successful--and spectacularly corrupt--Farmington District Stike Force is about to screech to a halt in the the fifth season of the gritty cop drama The Shield. It's hard for Force leader Det. Vic Mackey (Michael Chilkis) to go about his business as usual (beating confessions out of prisoners, planting evidence, even committing cold-blooded murder) with Lt. Jon Kavanagh (Forest Whitaker) from Internal Affairs breathing down his neck. Dedicated to the point of manic obsession, Kavanagh puts the screws on imprisoned Force member Curtis "Lemonhead" Lemensky (Kenneth Johnson), hoping that Lem will crack and spill his guts about his coworkers' illegal tactics. Before long, each member of Mackey's team is suspected the other of disloyalty and playing along with Kavanagh, especially after the relentless investigator plants a bug in their favorite hangout, then moves into their headquarters. In other Season Five developments, closeted team member Julien Lowe (Michael Jace) is "outed", much to the astonishment of his coworkers. And after several near misses, Det. Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder), the "conscience" of the Strike Force, is finally promoted to Captain. Meanwhile, Off. Danielle "Danny" Sofer (Catherine Dent) still refuses to reveal the identity of her baby's father, though it really isn't all that hard to figure out who it is. At season's end, Vic arranges for Lem to be moved out of the country for his own good as well as the good of his coworkers. Unfortunately, Detective Shane Vendrell (Waylon Goggins), the loosest of the Force's "loose cannons", trumps all his previous outrages by making dead certain that Lem will never talk to anyone! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Although the gritty cop drama The Shield would become the FX's network longest-running dramatic series during its fourth season, a serious drop in ratings at the end of season three could well have precipitated the show's cancellation. Giving the program a major shot in the arm was the addition of two new regulars, Glenn Close and Anthony Anderson. Close is introduced as Monica Rawling, the new captain of the Farmington District Strike Force and the new (nominal) boss of tough, brutal, and borderline-corrupt Detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis). Rawlings has been appointed to her post after Mackey's former captain and longtime enemy David Aceveda (Benito Martinez) is elected to the city council. Though certainly not enamored of Vic's strong-arm tactics and questionable ethics, Rawling is willing to give the detective a relatively free hand in dealing with the district's most vicious drug dealers. Even so, both Aceveda and Rawling intend to closely monitor Vic's movements, forcing him to play it "straight" (or as straight as he's capable of being) throughout the season. The promotion of Rawlings has a profound effect not only on Vic but also on his fellow detective Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder), who is bitter over not being promoted to captain herself.
Anthony Anderson is cast as Antwon Mitchell, at once the most formidable and most frustrating adversary that Mackey and his team have ever come up against. Once a powerful drug lord, Mitchell has managed to win release from prison, and is now regarded by many of the power elite as a reformed man, a dedicated community activist. Of course, Vic (and the viewers) known that Mitchell hasn't changed a bit, and in fact is a more dangerous mob leader and drug pusher than he'd been before his arrest thanks to strong ties with the Russian mafia. But to the public at large, Mitchell is virtually a saint, and thus above suspicion when the you-know-what hits the fan. Even when Vic and Rawlings have Mitchell dead to rights, he manages to wriggle out of their clutches, leading Vic to suspect that there's a mole in the ranks of the strike force -- a mole who may or may not be his longtime colleague Shane Vendrell (Walton Goggins). Vic's determination to expose Mitchell heats up after several cops are murdered in a well-planned ambush. In giving Vic a tacit carte blanche to blast Mitchell's operation apart, Rawling puts her own job on the line. Ironically, what ultimately seals Rawling's doom is not her war against drugs, but her fierce determination to bring the city's most heinous child abusers to justice. Bringing Glenn Close and Anthony Anderson to the fold turned out be the best thing that had happened to The Shield in years. The series ended its four season posting its best-ever ratings -- indeed, some of the best ratings in the entire realm of cable television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Anthony Anderson is cast as Antwon Mitchell, at once the most formidable and most frustrating adversary that Mackey and his team have ever come up against. Once a powerful drug lord, Mitchell has managed to win release from prison, and is now regarded by many of the power elite as a reformed man, a dedicated community activist. Of course, Vic (and the viewers) known that Mitchell hasn't changed a bit, and in fact is a more dangerous mob leader and drug pusher than he'd been before his arrest thanks to strong ties with the Russian mafia. But to the public at large, Mitchell is virtually a saint, and thus above suspicion when the you-know-what hits the fan. Even when Vic and Rawlings have Mitchell dead to rights, he manages to wriggle out of their clutches, leading Vic to suspect that there's a mole in the ranks of the strike force -- a mole who may or may not be his longtime colleague Shane Vendrell (Walton Goggins). Vic's determination to expose Mitchell heats up after several cops are murdered in a well-planned ambush. In giving Vic a tacit carte blanche to blast Mitchell's operation apart, Rawling puts her own job on the line. Ironically, what ultimately seals Rawling's doom is not her war against drugs, but her fierce determination to bring the city's most heinous child abusers to justice. Bringing Glenn Close and Anthony Anderson to the fold turned out be the best thing that had happened to The Shield in years. The series ended its four season posting its best-ever ratings -- indeed, some of the best ratings in the entire realm of cable television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, Glenn Close, (more)
A handful of heroes become superheroes under unlikely circumstances in this action drama adapted from the long-running Marvel comic book series. Four astronauts are on a mission aboard a new experimental spacecraft when they are unexpectedly exposed to a massive dose of gamma rays. The accident causes strange and unexpected transformations in all four. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), top scientist and leader of the mission, can now stretch his body like elastic and is dubbed Mr. Fantastic. His partner and sweetheart, Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), develops the ability to become invisible at will, and becomes known as The Invisible Girl. Her younger brother, Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), is renamed The Human Torch for his new talent of being able to summon up fire from his body when he chooses. And Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), pilot for the journey, mutates into a monstrous creature with super-human strength and muscles like stone, known as The Thing. Together, the travelers become known as the Fantastic Four, and they set out to use their unusual skills to fight crime, quickly gaining a nemesis in another altered hero who uses his talents for evil, Doctor Doom (Julian McMahon). A long-gestating project that had been talked about by a number of filmmakers since the early '90s, Fantastic Four was previously the basis for a pair of animated television serials, and was made into a feature film in 1994 by producer Roger Corman, though that film was never officially released. (Fantastic Four creator Stan Lee has said the 1994 film was made only so that the producers could hold on to the rights to the characters, and that it was never intended to be distributed to the public.) ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, (more)
- 2004
Corrine (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) is attacked at the hospital by an Asian man (Xuyen Tu Valdivia) she's trying to patch up. Vic (Michael Chiklis) argues with Owen (Vincent Angell) over whether or not she should go to the station and file a report. Vic plans to hunt down the perp regardless. Called away on other police business, he asks Julien (Michael Jace) to alert him when they catch the guy. Vic learns that the feds have traced some of the marked bills from the "Money Train" job to a bank in Indio. A talented young black graffiti artist is found lynched, and despite the fact that the victim had no gang affiliation, gang involvement is suspected. When a local Hispanic priest affiliated with Los Profetas is stabbed to death soon afterward, with the signature of the One-Niners, Aceveda (Benito Martinez) fears, rightly, that a gang war could erupt at any moment, and puts all of his available manpower on the case. Claudette (CCH Pounder) comes into conflict with Waylon (Gareth Williams) again over an assignment, and Vic continues to play both sides against the middle, offering to help Waylon get his Decoy Squad transferred out of the division, while appearing to support Claudette. When Vic puts his trust in the wrong gang leader, he tells Aceveda that it's because he's no longer in touch with the streets, and he needs to have the Strike Team turned loose again. Aceveda finally tells Aurora (Camilia Sanes) that he was sexually assaulted, and she is not as understanding as one might hope. This episode marked the directorial debut of star Michael Chiklis. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Fans of The Shield were outraged when, at the end of the series' second season, it looked as if popular supporting character Officer Danielle "Danny" Sofer (Catherine Dent) had been fired from the Farmington District Strike Force. But when season three rolled around, it was revealed that Danny's termination was merely a publicity stunt to hype interest in the series during its summer hiatus. That said, there is definitely quite a change in the Strike Force as season three gets under way. Led by head honcho Detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), the force seems determined to forsake its flouting of the law, as well as its major and minor digressions from honesty and ethics, and to play things strictly "by the book." This resolve, however, lasts only as long as the first episode: Upon discovering that two vicious rival street gangs have purchased powerful assault weapons, Mackey realizes that his old ways are the best ways, and before long he is back to breaking every rule in the book -- and not a few skulls in the process. Among the developments occurring during this season is the simmering feud between the Strike Force and the newly formed Decoy Squad, who squabble over every procedural matter and who have a habit of causing more trouble for themselves than for the "perps." Also, Vic is steamed that his former subordinate, Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder), has been made supervisor of the Strike Force. And along the way, one-time force member Julian Lowe (Michael Jace) makes a return appearance to clear a former partner of a murder charge. In the two-part season finale, the force is stalked by a relentless Armenian hit man; Vic Mackey's longtime nemesis, Captain Aceveda (Benito Martinez), once again thinks he has enough evidence to bring Mackey down for good; and Claudette is ensnared in a crisis of conscience -- a real rarity for this series! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, Walton Goggins, (more)
- 2003
This episode takes us back 14 months, to the origin of the Strike Team. A less hardened Mackey (Michael Chiklis) convinces Gilroy (John Diehl) to let him handpick and run the team, which will be based in a new satellite precinct, the Barn. Aceveda (Benito Martinez) gives them their first case, a drive-by shooting of two prostitutes. Mackey's informant, Connie (Jamie Brown) tells him it was a pimp/drug dealer named Lionel Phipps (Dayo Ade). The Strike Team butts heads with Aceveda, who likes to do things by the book, but demands immediate results. Mackey finds himself forced to cut corners, using Connie and a dealer who works for Phipps, Rondell Robinson (Walter Emanuel Jones), to plant evidence and bust Phipps. Danny (Catherine Dent) and her new rookie partner, Julien (Michael Jace), find a bloody, naked woman who has been kidnapped and raped. Claudette (CCH Pounder), Dutch (Jay Karnes), and an old vet, Tom Gannon (Ray Baker), take on the case, which leads them to a kidnapping ring that targets illegal immigrants and to a "ransom broker," Latigo (Richard Yniguez), who claims to be helping the families in exchange for a cut of the ransom. Dutch has never heard of Claudette, but he's in awe of Gannon, who once solved a major murder case. Gannon gossips about Dutch behind his back and plays pranks on him. Dutch soon discovers he works well with Claudette anyway. Aceveda seems eager to replace Mackey, and convinces Gilroy to let him pick his own man for the Strike Team, the ill-fated Terry Crowley (Reed Diamond). This episode was helmed by actor/director Peter Horton. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2003
Perhaps the most thorough (and least hokey) of the many TV Three Stooges retrospectives, this NBC special not only concentrates on the most popular members of the comic trio -- Jerry "Curly" Howard, Moe Howard, and Larry Fine -- but also provides generous and laudatory screen time to Curly's successors, Shemp Howard, Joe Besser, and Curly Joe DeRita. As the title indicates, the special covers the years from the Stooges' apprenticeship with comedian Ted Healy, their 25-year tenure with the Columbia Pictures short-subject department, their spectacular comeback in the late '50s thanks to TV exposure of their old films, and their "first love," performing before live audiences all over the world. The film clips shown herein are in pristine condition, and many have not been shown publicly for decades, notably the Stooges' guest appearance on the 1955 syndicated TV series The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theatre and Jack Linkletter's interview with Moe Howard and his family on a 1960 episode of the CBS early-morning program On the Go. Also included are interviews with such dyed-in-the-wool Stooge fans as the Farrelly brothers, Saturday Night Live's Tracy Morgan, and Michael Chiklis, who played Curly Howard in 2000 TV biopic. Narrated by Woody Harrelson, The Three Stooges' 75 Anniversary Special was originally slated to air in November 2002, but for obscure reasons was withheld from view for nearly six months; rest assured, however, that it was well worth waiting for. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Season two of The Shield begins with Detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), the hard-nosed, sometimes homicidal, and seldom ethical leader of the Farmington District Strike Force, desperately missing his wife, Corinne (Cathleen Cahlin Ryan), and his three kids, who have left him; meanwhile, the Strike Team's armed robbery of an Armenian money-laundering operation has embroiled the team in heavy drama. Though Vic's family is rescued, he soon faces another crisis: What to do about his co-worker, Detective Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder), who is on the verge of exposing Vic's connections with the underworld? Fortunately, he is spared the necessity of buying off or whacking one of his "own" and is able to move on to other matters. In the course of the season, the viewer is treated to an extended flashback sequence, showing how the various members of the Strike Force originally got together (this was actually a cannibalization of the series' hitherto unseen pilot episode). Also, the local press gets wind of the corruption within the force causing everyone to wonder if the jig is up and if they're all out of jobs -- or worse. Vic burns a gang leader's face on a stove, causing an equivalent retaliation against one of Vic's men, leading to the murder of the gang leader--in the precinct's holding cell, no less. By season's end, the force's gay member, Officer Julian Lowe (Michael Jace), is no longer part of the big picture; Officer Danielle "Danny" Sofer is given some very disturbing news; and it looks as though Vic Mackey is about to pay for his sins -- big time! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2003
Armadillo Quintero (Danny Pino), a Mexican drug dealer, is in L.A. and is making his presence felt, brutally murdering two captains from rival gangs. Mackey (Michael Chiklis) has hired Gordie Liman (Mark Rolston), a private detective, to track down his missing wife, but he's not having much luck. While Mackey's been preoccupied with his domestic situation, Shane (Walton Goggins) has been increasing the Strike Team's involvement in the drug trade, and using their "retirement fund" to do it. When Mackey tries to take some of the money out to pay Liman, he finds out it's all tied up in a huge cocaine shipment. Things get worse when the shipment turns out to be tainted, nearly killing one of Tio's (Cedric Pendleton) men. Mackey soon learns that Armadillo and his brother, Navaro (Emilio Rivera), based in Mexico, are responsible for both the gang killings and the tainted drug shipment. Lanie Kellis (Lucinda Jenney), a civilian auditor, is investigating "The Barn," so Aceveda (Benito Martinez) asks Mackey to keep his act together, but Mackey decides to bring the Strike Team to Mexico to get their drug money back. The team takes Navaro hostage to get the money. Back in L.A., no one is willing to come forward against Armadillo except Mayda (Chelsea Rendon), a little girl whose brother Armadillo murdered. Dutch (Jay Karnes) wants to let her testify, but Claudette (CCH Pounder) is frightened for the child's safety. They bring Armadillo in for questioning, but don't have enough to hold him. Julien (Michael Jace) asks a struggling single mother out on a date. Lanie lets Aceveda know that his enemies on the city council want her to find dirt on him. He tells Mackey that he'll watch his back if Mackey gets his head back in the game. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2003
Aceveda (Benito Martinez) finds a minority candidate for the Strike Team, but Mackey (Michael Chiklis) manages to scare the guy off. Danny (Catherine Dent) tells Julien (Michael Jace) she won't let his fiancée know about his "former" homosexuality, but she warns him that his secret could come back to haunt him. Worried about the threat from Armadillo, Mackey has a high tech security system installed in his home, and asks a PI friend to secretly keep an eye on his wife and kids. Danny is forced to apologize to Yahssira Al-Thani (Veena Bidasha) after the woman complains that she made threatening phone calls. As part of a new program for captains, Aceveda goes out on patrol with Julien, and bungles the investigation of a kid's stolen bike. Mackey, Claudette (CCH Pounder), and Dutch (Jay Karnes) investigate a massacre at a battered women's shelter, from which a young boy was kidnapped. The trail leads to the boy's father, who is holed up with a prostitute, so Mackey asks Connie (Jamie Brown) to use her connections to help him. While Dutch and Claudette clash over how to interrogate a uniform cop who's a friend of the firefighter suspect, Connie, thinking of a financial reward, takes her informant work a dangerous step further. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2003
After viciously assaulting Armadillo (Danny Pino), Mackey (Michael Chiklis) storms off into the night. Claudette (C.C.H. Pounder) begins to investigate Tio's murder. Someone dumps a severed arm on Dutch's (Jay Karnes) desk, and he desperately tries to find the girl it belongs to in the hopes that she's being kept alive by whoever maimed her. After identifying the victim through fingerprints, he questions a couple, Marcy (Melanie Lynskey) and Bob (Marc Vann), who live nearby and claim to have seen the victim arguing with a man. Things take a strange turn when Dutch learns that Bob was charged with kidnapping years earlier. Dutch tries to bully Marcy into turning Bob in before it's too late. Joe (Carl Weathers of the Rocky movies), Mackey's old training partner, shows up with a plan to get revenge on Fleetwood Walker (Garland Whitt), the thug who successfully sued the department and ended his police career. Mackey helps him uncover Fleetwood's recent criminal activities before things turn sour. Danny (Catherine Dent) finds out that the wife of the Arab man she shot is suing her and the department, claiming she acted out of racial bias. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2003
Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and the Strike Team bust some thugs that recently joined Armadillo's (Danny Pino) gang, and leave the team's calling card as a message. Armadillo responds by torching Tio's (Cedric Pendleton) drug crib, and leaves a dead pig at the scene with Mackey's card. Mackey tries to bully Claudette (C.C.H. Pounder) off the arson case, but Aceveda (Benito Martinez) tells them to work together. Claudette soon finds out that Tio is registered as one of Mackey's informants. She also finds a safe in the burned-out building, which contains Tio's cash and coded ledgers. Danny (Catherine Dent) and Julien (Michael Jace) investigate a complaint that a woman makes against her Syrian neighbor (Veena Bidasha), whom she accuses of being a terrorist. Dutch (Jay Karnes) takes Lanie (Lucinda Jenney) along as he investigates the shooting of a meter maid. Claudette finds the ledgers and questions Tio about who the person listed as "landlord" is. Tio's been coached, but Claudette starts to suspect what Mackey's up to. Mackey has Tio's boys burn down one of Armadillo's gangs buildings. While Claudette goes to investigate that arson, Mackey and Aceveda cut Tio loose. The dispute with the Arab neighbor turns violent, and Armadillo commits another murder, pushing Mackey over the edge. This episode was directed by John Badham (Saturday Night Fever). ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2003
Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and Shane (Walton Goggins) tell the team about their plans to take down the money train. Lem (Kenny Johnson) thinks it's a bad idea to take on the Armenian mob, and he bows out, making Shane and Mackey question his loyalty to them. Connie (Jamie Brown) shows up with a tip about a guy, Felipe (Jonathan Hernandez), who's giving heroin to school kids. Vic ends up giving her a CI contract. It turns out that Felipe is handing out free samples at schools throughout Farmington, and he's working for Armadillo (Danny Pino). Armadillo approaches Danny (Catherine Dent) on the street with a message for Mackey. He threatens to tell what he knows about Mackey's drug connections if he gets caught. Julien (Michael Jace) invites Danny to his wedding to Vanessa (Monnae Michaell), and Danny feels compelled to point out that Julien is gay. He insists that he's "reformed." Claudette (CCH Pounder) and Dutch (Jay Karnes) go looking for an old woman with Alzheimer's who's wandered off, and Dutch's newfound cynicism rears its head again. When Mackey decides to use Felipe as an undercover informant even though he's underage, Aceveda (Benito Martinez) objects. But when a three-year-old dies after ingesting the heroin he found in his brother's backpack, the captain knows he has to turn Mackey loose. The Strike Team decides that they have to get to Armadillo first and kill him before he can talk, but their sting doesn't go according to plan. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2003
Aceveda (Benito Martinez) gives Mackey (Michael Chiklis) a medal after the Fleetwood Walker bust. It turns out it was Lanie's (Lucinda Jenney) idea. The cops at "The Barn" also add a new twist to their annual "Toys for Guns" drive -- a raffle, which also gets them the address of everyone who turns in a gun, so they can trace back the guns that have been used to commit crimes. One is linked to an old unsolved murder case of Claudette's (CCH Pounder), and the trail eventually leads to Manny Sandoval (Jonathan Neil Schneider), a lowlife loan shark Claudette's been after for years. But Dutch (Jay Karnes) is having doubts about his own investigative instincts. Someone steals a bunch of diamonds using Shane's (Walton Goggins) badge, which was stolen in Tijuana. Mackey finds out they belonged to the Armenian mob, and convinces Aceveda to let him and Shane "pretend" to be corrupt cops and run a sting operation. But Aceveda wants Shane transferred off the Strike Team to make room for a minority applicant, in order to help the team's public image. Mackey and Shane find out that the "money train" of urban legend, through which the Armenian mob launders all the money they make in the western United States, actually exists, and Mackey decides to start planning the Strike Team's robbery. The Arab woman, Yahssira Al-Thani (Veena Bidasha), whose husband Danny (Catherine Dent) shot, claims that she has another witness to Danny's alleged racial insensitivity, but Aceveda continues to support Danny. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2003
Julien (Michael Jace) single-handedly takes down an armed suspect in a department store, but his triumph is short-lived, as Tomas (Brent Roam) returns, and threatens to expose his recent sexual past to his new family. Aceveda's (Benito Martinez) city council campaign is losing steam, and Mackey (Michael Chiklis) suggests they could both use a major bust to boost their public image. He learns that a major gang leader, also wanted by the feds, is in town. Ronnie (David Rees Snell) is out of the hospital, and anxious to get back to work, including hitting the Armenian "money train." Lannie (Lucinda Jenney) is working all the angles trying to nail Mackey, including having him tailed, and trying to get the newest Strike Team member, Tavon (Brian White), to turn on him. Tavon is proving himself in the field, but Shane (Walton Goggins) doesn't trust him. Mackey uses Kern Little (Sticky Fingaz) to help find the gang leader, but Kern wants a lot in return, and Mackey has decided that the Strike Team, at least temporarily, is no longer in the drug trade. Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) try to sort out a promiscuous teenage girl's (Ashley Bashioum) claim that she was raped by her boss (Jeff Kober). This episode was directed by Brad Anderson (Next Stop Wonderland). ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2003
Lannie's (Lucinda Jenney) scalding report on the Barn is leaked to the local newspapers, causing major embarrassment for Aceveda (Benito Martinez) and the Strike Team. Gilroy (John Diehl) calls Mackey (Michael Chiklis) to tell him that he's escaped house arrest, and that the DA wants him to rat Mackey out, so it would be in Mackey's best interest to help him get out of the country. Mackey is forced to deal with Gilroy, who may be setting him up, while a new officer, Aceveda's minority candidate, Tavon (Brian White), tries out for the Strike Team. The new police chief, Bankston (Ron Canada) lets Aceveda know that he plans to clean house, and Aceveda will have to resign after the city council election -- win or lose. While Claudette (CCH Pounder) works on a case -- involving an old woman who died of a heart attack around the time her home was broken into -- Lannie asks her for assistance in cleaning up the Barn. Danny (Catherine Dent), who's been tipped off by Claudette, angrily confronts Mackey about the murder in the holding pen that she's being blamed for. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2003
Mackey (Michael Chiklis) gets out of jail and goes back to work, plotting to take down the money train. Chief Bankston (Ron Canada) lets him know that Aceveda (Benito Martinez) wanted him and the whole Strike Team fired. Claudette's (CCH Pounder) ex-husband is murdered in an apparently random gang shooting. While she talks to her distraught daughter, trying to determine why they were in such a rough neighborhood, Mackey uses his gang connections to help Dutch (Jay Karnes) track down the killer. He has Tavon (Brian White) work with him, partly to distract the newbie from the surreptitious money-train plotting. As the primary results come in, Bankston gives Aceveda his own list of people to fire, and Aceveda spends an unpleasant day calling the cops in to tell them the bad news. Julien (Michael Jace) is provoked to violence by the gay-baiting at the station, prompting Danny (Catherine Dent) to report the culprits to Aceveda. The Strike Team finally hits the Armenian money train, but things don't go smoothly, and blood is spilled. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2003
After seeing the auditor's report on the Barn, Chief Bankston (Ron Canada) tells Aceveda (Benito Martinez) he wants the unit cut by 20 percent, and he wants Aceveda to give him a list of names by the end of the day, so Aceveda is forced to neglect his city council campaign with the primary looming. Julien (Michael Jace) unwisely takes his "sexual reorientation" sponsor to see Tomas (Brent Roam), which results in an assault, Tomas' arrest, and his outing of Julien in front of some unsympathetic uniforms. Danny (Catherine Dent) tries to defend Julien, but the homophobic cops start to harass him. Mackey (Michael Chiklis) is getting skittish about the money train because the Armenians are changing their routine. Mackey pays a visit to Corrine (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) that ends badly when he learns she's changed the locks on the house. He and Shane (Walton Goggins) help Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) investigate the disappearance of a teenage boy, which Dutch links to the kidnappings, rapes, and murders of two other local teens. Mackey works closely with the boy's father (Roy Fegan), who turns out to know much less about his son's life than he thinks he does. Claudette gets into another fracas with Mackey as she ponders Bankston's offer to let her run the Barn after Aceveda resigns. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
The first season of The Shield almost instantly establishes Detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) as "Not Your Typical TV Cop." The leader of the Farmington District Strike Force, Mackey is mean, profane, violent, and some distance removed from honest. And it is not simply that Mackey is willing to beat a confession out of a perpetrator or plant false evidence to get a conviction: Our "hero" and several of his subordinates have strong ties with the Underworld -- and, as vividly demonstrated in the opening episode, Vic is perfectly capable of shooting down a "snitch" in cold blood to keep his peccadilloes from becoming public. Throughout season one, Mackey wages a battle of nerves with his superior officer, Captain Aceveda (Benito Martinez), who regards the detective as nothing more than a hoodlum with a badge and is determined to gather enough evidence to bring Mackey down for good. At the same time, Acevada knows that Mackey is "good copy" for the pro-police press, and he isn't about to ruin his most successful detective's career at the risk of destroying his own political ambitions.
Also introduced during The Shield's Emmy-winning inaugural season are Cathy Cahlin Ryan as Vic Mackey's wife, Corrine, and Joel Rosenthal as his austitic son, Matthew; Walton Goggins as Mackey's unpredictably dangerous second-in-command Det. Shane Vendrell; Kenneth Johnson as Det. Curtis "Lemonhead" Lemansky, who never speaks when cracking skulls will do; no-nonsense veteran detective Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder) and her trepidatious partner Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach (Jay Karnes); Officer Danielle "Danny" Sofer (Catherine Dent), an ally and sometimes "mole" for Captain Aceveda; Sofer's gay partner Officer Julian Lowe (Michael Jace); and long-suffering Assistant Chief Ben Gilroy (John Diehl), whose principal job seems to be to cover Mackey's butt. Season one ends with the Farmington PD under siege from ambush shooters after a riot, forcing Mackey and Aceveda to work together to locate the assailants -- while the fed-up Gilroy schemes to use the situation to rid himself of both men! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Also introduced during The Shield's Emmy-winning inaugural season are Cathy Cahlin Ryan as Vic Mackey's wife, Corrine, and Joel Rosenthal as his austitic son, Matthew; Walton Goggins as Mackey's unpredictably dangerous second-in-command Det. Shane Vendrell; Kenneth Johnson as Det. Curtis "Lemonhead" Lemansky, who never speaks when cracking skulls will do; no-nonsense veteran detective Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder) and her trepidatious partner Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach (Jay Karnes); Officer Danielle "Danny" Sofer (Catherine Dent), an ally and sometimes "mole" for Captain Aceveda; Sofer's gay partner Officer Julian Lowe (Michael Jace); and long-suffering Assistant Chief Ben Gilroy (John Diehl), whose principal job seems to be to cover Mackey's butt. Season one ends with the Farmington PD under siege from ambush shooters after a riot, forcing Mackey and Aceveda to work together to locate the assailants -- while the fed-up Gilroy schemes to use the situation to rid himself of both men! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
- 2002
Mackey (Michael Chiklis) busts a cockfighting ring. One of the suspects offers to help the Strike Team nab a major gun dealer, so Shane (Walton Goggins) goes undercover as a trainer to catch him. But Shane is more interested in the bounty that the Mexican government is offering for the gunrunner than in making the bust. Gilroy (John Diehl) is involved in a hit-and-run, and he goes to Mackey for help in covering up the crime, while Dutch (Jay Karnes) conducts an investigation. In an underserved black neighborhood, a white man brutally murders his girlfriend's mother and her friend 47 minutes after the women had called 911. While Claudette (CCH Pounder) investigates the crime, Gilroy publicly shifts the blame to Aceveda (Benito Martinez) for the neighborhood's lack of police manpower. But in the course of investigating the hit-and-run, Dutch and Mackey discover that there's more to the case than meets the eye, and Dutch's friendship with Gilroy is severely tested. Meanwhile, Julien (Michael Jace) gets advice from Reverend Cook (Dick Anthony Williams) about how to "overcome" his homosexuality. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, (more)
