Dark Blue
by Ron Shelton
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DVD details
Actor: Brendan Gleeson, Kurt Russell, Michael Michele, Scott Speedman, Ving RhamesDirector: Ron Shelton
Brand: RUSSELL,KURT
Producer: Caldecot Chubb
Producer: David Blocker
Producer: Guy East
Producer: James Jacks
Producer: Moritz Borman
Writer: David Ayer
Writer: James Ellroy
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 118 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-06-24
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Reviews of Dark Blue
DVD Review: Trite, Predictable, Simplistic....overall a Disappointment
Summary: 2 Stars
As you can tell by the header, I was disappointed by this movie. Since Kurt Russell plays the lead, I should not have been surprised, because the parts he plays are generally rather predictable and simplistic (Tango & Cash, Snake Plisskin, etc). I just don't picture Kurt as lead actor in a gritty, realistic drama...but, eternally the optimist, I hoped that this might be the exception. It wasn't.
The story involves two LA detectives, one a grizzled and thoroughly corrupt veteran (Russell) and the other a somewhat principled but weak-willed and easily manipulated rookie, Bobby Keough (Scott Speedman). Russell's character (Eldon Perry) is controlled and protected by an exceedingly corrupt superior officer, Jack Van Meter (nicely played by Brendan Gleeson), who uses Perry to further his profitable and flagrantly illegal interests.
If you have ever watched "The Shield" on FX cable network then you will be familiar with this general setup....a morally ambiguous detective is used to further his superior's agenda.....but here is the problem: The Shield (a television series) is vastly superior in every way: plot, acting, characterization, dialog, direction, etc. to this feature film. It is like comparing filet mignon to cheap hamburger. Once you see a quality, nuanced drama like The Shield, this movie and all like it are rendered unwatchable.
Characters in Dark Blue are caricatures with almost no depth. They guzzle whiskey and laugh about their flagrant crimes. The plot and dialog are contrived and unrealistic. There is no subtlety....no intellectually stimulating complexity. Eldon always does exactly as he is told: if mass-murdering thugs (employed and protected by his superior) are to be sheltered from arrest, simply go out and murder a couple of stray ex-cons and let them take the rap (posthumously) for the real criminals. Never mind that neither of the ex-cons is even close to being a plausible suspect. No one would be fooled by this ruse, except perhaps in this mindless movie.
Eldon gets his partner Keough to perform one of the cold-blooded murders ordered by Van Meter, and thus begins their downfall, because Keough has a spontaneous change of heart and suddenly cannot accept the guilt of his actions. One minute he is guzzling whiskey with his cronies and laughing about lying to a shooting review board, and the next he is overwrought with guilt. Not at all likely in real life, but it suits the plot.
Things gets even sillier when the partner (Speedman) then teams up with the assistant chief's (Ving Rhames) predictably beautiful ex-mistress (Michael Michelle) to try to arrest the real thugs and use them to bring down the whole perverted mess. Heaven forbid that he simply come forth and provide evidence to accomplish this end. What follows is a lengthy, confused, and poorly choreographed pursuit of the thugs and a predictable gun battle with equally predictable outcome.
The ultimate farce, however, is reserved for Eldon himself, who drives around South Central Los Angeles during the peak of the Rodney King riots trying to find and arrest a black suspect....which he easily accomplishes....and then drives away without a scratch. This reaches the level of surrealistic absurdity and is an insult to the true horror of the riots.
Equally unconvincing is Eldon's spontaneous change of heart at the end of the movie, during his promotion ceremony (such irony), when he delivers a rambling, preposterous and unconvincing indictment of his father, himself, and his evil superior....which is simplistically and immediately accepted (in true movie fashion) by all who hear it, and who then immediately jump to arrest and condemn the naughty superior. This is silly, implausible, and an insult to any viewer above the age (and maturity) of a 10-year old. Jump up at your next promotion ceremony and deliver a rambling condemnation of your superior and see what happens. This type of naive nonsense occurs in only one place: the movies....bad ones.
If you were thrilled by Tango & Cash, and thought Snake Plissken was a brilliantly-portrayed anti-hero, then by all means hit the "Buy It Now" button for this DVD. But, if you want complexity, subtlety, realism, plausibility, and infinitely superior acting, plot, characterization, and direction....do yourself a huge favor and use your money to either subscribe to FX on cable, or buy/rent DVD's of The Shield series....filet mignon is always better than cheap hamburger.
Description of Dark Blue
Set during the tense times of the LA riots, the film tells the story of Eldon Perry, veteran officer of the Los Angeles Police's special investigation squad as he tutors a new police officer who comes to learn the depth of corruption in his own police department.Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 23-DEC-2003
Media Type: DVD
The Rodney King riots of April 1992 hang like a keg of dynamite over Dark Blue, a crackling tale of Los Angeles police corruption that gives Kurt Russell one of the best roles of his underrated career. Adapted by Training Day screenwriter David Ayer from a story by L.A. Confidential novelist James Ellroy, the plot finds Russell's rule-bending detective teamed with a promising young partner (Scott Speedman) whose ethics have yet to be tainted. Their boss (Brendan Gleeson) is a lawless maverick, maneuvering the unwitting detectives into covering up a lucrative robbery scam, while L.A.P.D.'s Deputy Chief (Ving Rhames) campaigns to bring them all down. While adhering to familiar cop-thriller formula, director Ron Shelton (Bull Durham) escalates tension with forceful impact, drawing a climactic parallel between the King riots and the fallout from Russell's cynical behavior. It's a powerhouse combination, allowing Russell to find shades of complexity in a character who realizes, almost too late, that he's a devil in the hell of L.A. --Jeff Shannon
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