Glen Mazzara Movies

Based on the Oscar award winning film of the same name, Crash follows the lives of a seemingly unconnected group of people living in Los Angeles. At first, none of the very different lives led on screen seem to overlap, from hotshot record producer Ben Cendars (Dennis Hopper) to hair-trigger cop Kenny Battaglia (Ross McCall). But as the underlying tensions between class, race, gender, and politics find their way into everyday situations, it soon becomes apparent that all of these characters are inextricably linked, for better or for worse. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

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, Rovi

As the fourth-season finale of The Shield begins, everyone at The Barn is angry that Antwon (Anthony Anderson) got a deal from the DEA and is not going to be charged for the murder of two cops. Monica (Glenn Close) suggests to Vic (Michael Chiklis) and Shane (Walton Goggins) that they find a way to undermine the deal. Vic learns that Aceveda (Benito Martinez) visited both Juan Lozano and Antwon in prison, shortly before Juan was murdered. Suspecting that Aceveda might have had something to do with Juan's death, Vic confronts him, suggesting he find a connection between Juan and Antwon, because if Antwon murdered Juan after cutting the deal with the DEA, he could lose his immunity. Monica learns that Antwon is giving the DEA information about Bonilla (Al Cruz), a Salvadoran drug kingpin, so the team decides to try to bust him first, targeting gang leader Gusano (Pete Vasquez) to get information about him. Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) investigate a murder at a quinceañera. When the trail leads them back to the Walker foster home, an irate Monica makes several crucial decisions about the case that could jeopardize her captaincy. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Mara (Michele Hicks) is pregnant, and Shane (Walton Goggins) announces to his co-workers that he's getting married, while Vic (Michael Chiklis) bites his tongue. Tavon (Brian J. White) wants to transfer out of the Strike Team, but at Vic's behest, he agrees to try to make peace with Shane. Danny (Catherine Dent) gets a domestic disturbance call that brings her to Julien's (Michael Jace) house. Dutch (Jay Karnes) tries a new interrogation tactic on an attempted murder suspect. When it backfires, he's forced to call upon the harried Claudette (CCH Pounder) for help. Aceveda (Benito Martinez) forces Danny and Julien to partner up again. Claudette assigns both the Strike Team and the Decoy Squad to a high-profile robbery/carjacking case in which a prominent homeless advocate was killed. Vic and Waylon (Gareth Williams), the leader of the Decoy Squad, decide to compete to solve the case, and make a friendly wager. Whichever team nabs the culprits first wins, and the losing team has to streak through The Barn. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

The Strike Team has been turned loose again, and immediately pays dividends. Shane (Walton Goggins) gets shot at while the team tries to bust a gang member, but it leads them to a massive money-laundering operation. Vic (Michael Chiklis) convinces Aceveda (Benito Martinez) to let Danny (Catherine Dent) go undercover to help the team nab Louis (Dominic Hoffman), the head of the operation. Shane continues to defend Mara (Michele Hicks) despite all the trouble her theft has caused. Vic tells him, "She's gonna be gone in a couple of months." Vic has another tryst with Lauren (Natalie Zea), but she refuses to leave her boyfriend, because he has threatened to commit suicide in the past. Vic and Corrine (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) begin to suspect that their youngest daughter is also autistic. Dutch (Jay Karnes) is granted a lengthy interview by the "cuddler rapist" suspect, William Faulkes (Clark Gregg), who confesses to his crimes. He and Dutch have a philosophical discussion about why he raped and murdered those elderly women, which turns out to be frustrating for both of them. This episode was directed by playwright/filmmaker David Mamet, and features a guest appearance by his wife, Rebecca Pidgeon. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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, Rovi

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, Rovi

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

Aceveda (Benito Martinez) announces a Farmington-wide sweep of all outstanding warrants. Connie (Jamie Brown) goes to see Mackey (Michael Chiklis) to complain that a john slashed her when she tried to put a condom on him. He's busy serving warrants, so he asks Dutch (Jay Karnes) to take her to the hospital and find the john. On their raid, Mackey's squad finds East-Coast NBA star Derrick Tripp (Elimu Nelson) in a drug dealer's shoddy hotel room with an unlicensed gun. Knowing how Tripp manhandles the Lakers, Mackey and Shane (Walton Goggins) decide to keep the hoopster occupied for the day so he misses the game, while Shane lays down a big bet on the home team. Tomas (Brent Roam), one of the men busted by Danny (Catherine Dent) and Julien (Michael Jace) mentions that he's seen Julien outside a gay club, the Abbey. Julien, a devout Christian, denies it. Connie identifies her john, Richard Greeley (Kirk Baltz), a schizophrenic with an inoperable brain tumor who saves his semen in his locked refrigerator. Dutch, off on a crazy tangent, questions Greeley about a series of seemingly unrelated prostitute murders, but Claudette (CCH Pounder) turns out to have the key to cracking the case. Mackey goes off to tend to Connie, leaving Shane and Lemonhead (Kenneth Johnson) to babysit Tripp. Shane, jealous of the athlete's money and fame, gets into a serious confrontation with Tripp. Danny and Julien uncover an arsenal, and Mackey and his wife Corrine (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) learn that their son Matthew (Joel Rosenthal) may have a developmental disorder. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi