Kenny Johnson Movies

The edgy crime series' sophomore season charts hard-living detective Grace Hanadarko (Holly Hunter) solving myriad crimes in Oklahoma City, confronting a haunting figure from her past, and continuing her extended journey toward spiritual fulfillment with otherworldly help from her ragged "last-chance angel" (Leon Rippy). Swirling through it all: the dark memory of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The season opens with hell-raising antiheroine Grace finally cornering the priest (Rene Auberjonois) who molested her as a child. In other developments, Grace gains a new partner in the form of Abby Charles (Christina Ricci, in a three-episode guest arc), a single mother who helps Grace investigate a serial-killer case and a deadly drug party that involved Grace's niece. But there might be more to Abby than meets the eye. Other probes include the murder of the squad's evidence supervisor, the vanishing of a mother of two, and the slaying of a young Mexican woman in a case that brims with racial and political overtones. In another case, Grace's self-destructive, girl-gone-wild penchant surfaces yet again when she's lured to a high-profile murder suspect (Elias Koteas) with an unconventional sex life. Meanwhile, life-changing events impact Grace's coworker and off-and-on paramour, Ham (Kenneth Johnson): He's mired in a divorce and his little brother goes missing during a tour of duty in Afghanistan. On the home front, Grace's wide-eyed nephew (Dylan Minnette) joins a youth police program; and love blooms between Grace's brother-in-law (Chris Mulkey) and the local joint's new bartender (Kathy Baker). Then there's death-row inmate Leon Cooley (Bokeem Woodbine), whose spiritual bond with Grace is tested as the final hours tick away to his execution. ~ Dean Maurer, All Movie Guide

Oscar winner Holly Hunter made her TV series debut in the gritty semi-fantasy Saving Grace. Hunter was cast as Oklahoma City police detective Grace Hanadarko, who after the death of her sister in the Murrah Building bombing of 1995 had turned her back on God and taken the first step down the road to self-destruction. Drowning her problems in booze and clouding her neuroses in cigarette smoke, Grace also degraded herself with a long line of dead-end romances, most recently with her married partner Ham Dewey (Kenny Johnson). Late one night, while driving drunk, Grace was involved in a terrible car crash. She was plucked from certain death by the enigmatic Earl (Leon Rippy) a "last chance" angel who had been giving the unenviable task of helping Grace find redemption before it was too late. Far from grateful, Grace constantly groused about Earl's unorthodox methods and the fact that she no longer had control over her own life; but little by little, our hard-bitten heroine began to turn her life around, beginning with her affectionate treatment of her late sister's troubled son, Clay (Dylan Minnette). Even so, it was hard for Grace to convince her co-workers that an angel had entered her life -- all except for forensic specialist Rhetta Rodriguez (Laura San Giacomo), a deeply religious woman who was estranged from her family because of her unwillingness to "judge" anyone. Besides Grace, the only other person able to see Earl was death-row inmate Leon Cooley (Bokeem Woodbine), who likewise had precious little time to save his own soul. Rounding out the regulars were Detective Butch Ada (Bailey Chase), former college athlete and one of Grace's discarded lovers; and Detective Bobby Stillwater (Gregory Norman Cruz), a devoted family man with a burning desire to make the world a better place (though he didn't quite know how). Saving Grace premiered July 23, 2007, on the TNT cable channel. Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this thriller, friends Lou and Ryan are headed towards Las Vegas on the desolate stretch of desert highway known as Zzyzx when Lou has the sudden and disturbing impulse to see if he could get away with murdering someone on the isolated stretch, so when he sees a Native American man stumbling across the road, he strikes the man and kills him. Ryan is understandably freaked out about what his friend has done--especially when the dead man's new bride comes looking for him. Trapped in a bleak area and caught in even bleaker circumstances, it becomes terribly clear that desolation and desperation can have a frightening effect on what seemingly sane people are capable of. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

Army (Michael Pena) and Shane (Walton Goggins) are practicing to beat the lie-detector test that Monica (Glenn Close) is making them take, but Army is very nervous about it. At a meeting with community leaders, Assistant Chief Phillips (Nigel Gibbs) lets Monica know that the seizure policy is being reevaluated. She goes to Aceveda (Benito Martinez), blaming him. Aceveda offers to help her if she'll agree to a few modifications, but she refuses, telling Phillips that she'll quit if the program is stopped. Antwon's arrest has created a power vacuum among the One-Niners, and Vic (Michael Chiklis) uses that to his advantage, playing Halpern (Laurence Mason) and Weed (Petey Pablo) against each other to get information about the cop killings. This leads him to a pair of Nigerian suspects, and, surprisingly, to a Russian mobster with no clear ties to Antwon. Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) investigate a drive-by shooting at a local car wash, and find out that Billings (David Marciano) witnessed the crime, but did nothing to stop it, and reported it anonymously. Corrine (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) tells Vic that she's been dating Dutch, and is surprised to learn that the two cops have an antagonistic relationship. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

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, 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

After his car accident, precipitated by his violent altercation with Shane (Walton Goggins) and Mara (Michele Hicks), Tavon (Brian J. White) is in the hospital with possible traumatic brain damage. Vic (Michael Chiklis) visits Shane at home to find out where he was last night, and sees through the couple's shaky cover story. Claudette (CCH Pounder) and Vic clash over his team's latest assignment, but it leads him to a bigger case involving a Byz Latz member sneaking contraband into Chino. Vic finds out that Aceveda (Benito Martinez) and a federal agent are interrogating his smuggling suspect, Aranis (Manuel G. Jimenez), about some marked bills in the money collected in the bust, and realizes that some of the cash from the "Money Train" robbery is marked. So while Aceveda and the fed try to track down the rest of the Byz Latz money, Vic is racing against them to make sure they don't find it. Vic's moves inadvertently lead to Aceveda having an ugly run-in with a couple of gang members. Julien (Michael Jace) and Danny (Catherine Dent) try to protect a woman who's being stalked by her ex-boyfriend. Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette are called in on another two rape cases involving an elderly women, and realize that there's a serial rapist on the loose. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Unaware that some of the "Money Train" cash has been marked by the feds, Vic (Michael Chiklis) decides to use some of it for a sting operation to track down the stolen military weaponry. Vic and Shane (Walton Goggins) pose as white supremacists to buy the guns, but things go wrong when Garza (Guillermo Diaz) the Byz Latz gang leader who's supposed to sell them the guns, double-crosses and outflanks them, making off with their cash. The Strike Team has to scramble to get the cash back and find the weapons in order to avert a gang war, all without letting team member Tavon (Brian J. White), who wasn't in on the "Money Train" heist, find out what they're up to. Garza is also apparently involved in a murder case that Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) are investigating. It's an apparent gang hit, but the only witness, Esteban (Jeremy Ray Valdez), is a bookish young man, a friend of the victim who claims he didn't see anything. Vic tries to use Diagur (Frankie Rodriguez), Garza's number two man, to take down Garza. Claudette goes over Aceveda's (Benito Martinez) head in an effort to get her promotion. Julien (Michael Jace) and his partner, Tommy (Matt Gerald), face a charge of excessive force, and Danny (Catherine Dent) returns to work. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

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

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

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