Cheap Dark Blue (DVD) (Kurt Russell, Scott Speedman, Ving Rhames) (Ron Shelton) Price

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Customer Reviews of Dark Blue

Kirk Russell's best performances redeems this cop film
"Dark Blue" presents one of the most blatant portraits of police corruption that I can recall seeing in a film, set in Los Angeles on the eve of the Rodney King riots. Eldon Perry (Kurt Russell) and his boss, Jack Van Meter (Brendan Gleeson), live by their own rules and are ruthlessly blatant in the way they enjoy their privileged existence. At its core this 2002 film is another in a long series of movies about the older cop indoctrinating the younger cop into the way of the world in which they work. In this case Perry is trying to bring young Bobby Keough (Scott Speedman) into the fold, which means proving his heart is in the right place by killing a bad guy in cold blood. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Arthur Holland (Ving Rhames) vows to get the badges of these cowboys and clean up the L.A. Police Department, bringing a religious fervor to his quest, and everybody is waiting for the verdict to come in from the all white jury in Simi Valley.

This film works entirely on Kirk Russell's performance. Even at the climactic scene, when Los Angeles is in the throes of the rioting that started when the white cops were found not guilty for the beating of Rodney King and scores of police officers are attending a ceremony while the city if burning, Russell saves "Dark Blue" from going over the edge. The idea is that Russell's character has sold his soul to the devil and the only question is whether he does not know it or he does not care. His wife, who is tired of waiting for him to come back from hell, gives up on him. However, he is not succeeding in passing on his life lessons to his young partner, and his boss turns out to be have even more layers of corruption.

Watching this movie if you live in Los Angeles must be a painful experience, not just because it reopens the memories of the riots, but because it is so relentless in its portrayal of police corruption. I kept finding myself being grateful that I did not live there and that my brother and his family moved far, far away after the riots. I realize that I am supposed to be having feelings of disgust at the activities in this film, but then I would wonder what actual L.A. cops thought about this film. But ultimately "Dark Blue" finds a sense of redemption, owed entirely to Russell's performance, which is clearly the best of his career. Whatever faults there are to be found in this film, regarding the familiar plot elements and outright clichés, they do not apply to Russell's work. The film might not be as good as "Training Day," but Russell's performance is at least equal to Denzel Washington's Oscar winning performance (I have no problem with him winning; he should have won it before that point and the history of Oscar is often all about payback, but it is too bad Russell could not at least have been nominated).

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Decent Crime Drama
Watching this film, one can't help but feel that Kurt Russell is miscast as a corrupt cop. That issue aside, DARK BLUE is a decent character study of a cop on the edge. It's kind of "TRAINING DAY LIGHT."

Set just before the 1992 Los Angeles uprising, it touches on familiar issues regarding police officers going beyond the law. You've seen it before and probably done better, but the film is by no means a failure.

The story is familiar, but moves with a few thrills and plot twists. Ving Rhames and Michael Michele give good performances as do most of the cast.

It's not edge of your seat suspence, but it is a good time filler for those who like crime dramas. After it's brief theatrical run, DARK BLUE has found its home on video.

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good overall
apart from the immplausible premise of those cops having a policy to not take suspects alive and getting away with it and the confession scene at the end, this movie was about as good as training day. a standard amount of extras on the dvd.