User Reviews

Dark Blue was one of those movies I saw the trailer for back when it was first coming out in theaters that I had always wanted to see. For one reason or another I put it off and I eventually forgot about it. Over time some fellow film fans said this was worth watching and deserves a look. Kurt Russell's character is mean and lovable. He's a dirty cop, but we're with him every step of the way. There is a little bit of Training Day in this but one could argue Dark Blue is dirtier and angrier. This is not a typical character for Kurt Russell, and it's one of his best films from the past 10 years. I was surprised I hadn't seen this back when it came out. If you love Kurt, action films, and cop stories than Dark Blue is for you. Overall a good movie.

In 1992, in Los Angeles, Homicide Detective Eldon Perry (Kurt Russell) is a member of the third generation of detectives in the Los Angeles Police Department. His partner is the rookie Bobby Keough (Scott Speedman), the nephew of the Chief of the Department Jack Van Meter (Breendan Gleeson), one of the best friends of Eldon's father. Eldon follows his orders without questioning, being protected by his superior, when interrogated by the Internal Affairs. Jack and Eldon do not have ethics, using intimidation, corruption and blackmail to achieve their targets and defeat their enemies. However, Assistant Chief Holland (Ving Rhames) is a honest officer, who fights against the corruption in the department and wants to destroy Jack and Elson. Bobby does not fit well in such a corrupted environment and is in love with Sargent Beth Williamson (Michael Michele), who works with Holland and had a love affair with him five years before. When four persons are executed in a Corean store by two criminals protected by Jack, Eldon and Bobby are in charge to find two scapegoats to take the blame. Meanwhile, tension is increasing on the streets of Los Angeles due to the trial of four white officers, who spanked the black motorist Rodney King. Having the backdrop of the real case of Rodney King, and consequent violence on the streets of LA after the absolving of the four white officers responsible for his aggression, and many plot points, "Dark Blue" is a very different, realistic and dramatic police story. Themes like racism, police excessive (or brutal) use of force for intimidation, corruption, blackmail, violent crimes, redemption etc. are presented in this film. The corruption in all levels of the police department and the justice system is explored in this movie. Although being in Los Angeles, it could be in most of the police departments of different nations. The performance of Kurt Russell is once again amazing, in the role of a man who goes to hell, destroying his personal and professional life in all the aspects, and looking for redemption in the end. "Dark Blue" is a highly recommended movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Face Oculta da Lei" ("The Hidden Face of the Law")

Here's a decent corrupt cop thriller that has two exceptional things going for it. The first is an at-the-top-of-his-game Kurt Russell giving the kind of subtle, layered performance you only get from a pro; it would be so easy for his dark-hearted cop to be a caricature, but thanks to Russell he's far from it. Russell is one of those actors who make a lot of lightweight fare (BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, etc.) and whose genuine talents are sometimes forgotten about, which is a shame. Check out the monologue he gets to himself here - excellent.

The second thing going for this is the backdrop of the L.A. race riots in 1992. A simmering undercurrent of violence runs throughout the movie, from the casual violence of the opening robbery to the bravura climax. The atmosphere is frightening, a perfect match for the ruthlessness of the cops who think they're above the law, and perfectly realised.

Add in a taut script, a seasoned round of pros (Brendan Gleeson, Ving Rhames) and a fairly good performance from newcomer Scott Speedman and you have a solid, highly watchable drama.

About halfway through this movie, I realized I hadn't blinked once. That's when I knew that I was watching a really good film. Kurt Russell is no slouch of an actor. He was riveting. This was a well crafted cop flick where everyone seems to have dirt on someone else, and meanwhile, there are crimes being committed, and L.A. is about to erupt in rioting.

The great thing about this flick is that it doesn't try to be more than it is. Which is just a very entertaining, suspenseful cop movie.

Well worth a watch.

Or two.

As the trial of the officers accused of beating Rodney King occurs in the background, LA sits on a knife's edge of tension. Meanwhile hard-line cop Eldon Perry celebrates his partner being cleared of operating outside of procedure and the pair go back to work. When they are put on a robbery homicide case all the evidence points to a couple of informants used by Captain Jack Van Meter, however he assures them it wasn't them and tells them to find someone else to pin it on. However Perry's partner Bobby Keough has a change of heart and the cracks start to show as LA bursts into flames.

This film was slightly over-hyped when it came out. I agree that it is a solid cop thriller that rises above recent offerings from the genre but to give it as much praise as it garnered at the time is to give it more than it deserves. The basic plot is on two levels. On the first level the film is about police corruption and sees a corrupt house of cards teetering on the brink of collapse. This bit works well and the cop thriller element works well even if it treads familiar ground. The second level is the background of the Rodney King trial and the LA riots. This aspect is very much wallpaper and I didn't really feel it was necessary for the main narrative to work. At best it complimented the ongoing tensions between community and cops, at worst it distracts from the main thrust.

Russell does give one of his strongest performances in recent years and is not afraid to be an unsympathetic lead character. However the rest of the cast are either not as good or not as well used. Speedman has to carry most of the moral weight of the film and it is clearly too heavy for him and can't do it convincingly. Rhames is simply not used very well and is almost supplementary to requirements. Gleeson is miscast - he is an able actor but the film required him to be a generation older than Perry, in reality they were the same age more or less. Michele is sexy and is reasonably well used for a support character and Kurupt is good even if he is playing the character that he plays daily in his rapper personae.

Overall this was a superior cop thriller that was enjoyable as same. It did a reasonable job looking at the real life issues of corruption in the LAPD but not as well as perhaps other reviews would have led you to believe - it is more a wallpaper or just a theme that is used to prop up the narrative rather than a real good historic look at the time.

1st watched 8/21/2003 - 7 out of 10(Dir-Ron Shelton): Well done good cop/bad cop movie that works because the good & the bad are basically caught in the same trap and some of the characters change from one to the other during the film. Kurt Russell's character is one of them that changes. He is bad with a capital `B' in the beginning. He's foul-mouthed, racist and doesn't care much for justice but wants to cover the good guys' behind whenever possible. He is totally believable as this redneck character. His partner is being taught to lie in what they call a `shooting trial' where they question the cop on a convict-shooting to make sure it was the `only' option. The setting for the film is a few days before the `non-guilty' Rodney King verdict in L.A., but this is only a backdrop to the movie's story. There is typical corruption in the police ranks but in this one, the star is involved in the corruption. Without giving away too much of the story, basically the cops are involved in another shooting and the partner decides to tell the truth which leads to other events that bring about the much-hoped-for ending. It's neat the way the filmmaker uses the Rodney King fiasco to blend in with the action of the story which kind of adds a separate element that everyone is quietly following as they do their jobs. The acting, the direction and the story blend together for a very satisfying and watchable movie despite the typical bad cop/good cop genre that the story is based on. Hooray for all involved on this one!!

LAPD. For many years, Eldon Perry(Russell, giving a great deal of charm to a scumbag) has handled the streets the old-fashioned way, like he prefers to. But things might be changing soon. Arthur(Rhames, refreshingly not seeming like he could explode into violence at any point) wants to clean up the force. And it seems like it's just a matter of time.

This is pretty good as a companion piece to Training Day. In a few ways it is superior to that, in most ways, it is slightly inferior to it. The acting tends to be great. This is not an action movie. It's currently listed as being a crime-drama-thriller, which I agree with. With that said, there are a handful of tense and suspenseful scenes, and the climax is decent. It's cliched. The pacing is overall too slow, and is perhaps the main place where you can really see that Ron Shelton is not used to this kind of film. The fact that, despite fitting with the movies themes of corruption in law enforcement, ultimately the LA riots are background only, and that some of the depiction of the riots is problematic, is one element of this being exploitative.

This contains a little nudity and sexuality, and a bit of strong, bloody violence. I recommend it to big fans of Movies about crooked cops. 7/10

Very good underrated movie mixing corruption of police with rasim action and thriller Kurt Russell did his best in this movie

As far as stories about crooked cops go, this is one of the best I've ever seen. A dark, violent thriller set to the backdrop of the race riots in L.A. after the Rodney King verdict, written by David Ayer. Kurt Russell gives the performance of a lifetime and should at least have been nominated for an Oscar. Great and terribly underrated film. 8 stars out of 10.

In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites:

imdb.com/list/ls070242495

Those that complain that Philip Glass's scores are obtrusive, should watch Dark Blue. The music, a cross between porn music and bad sitcom music, ruins many scenes, making it difficult to get into what is otherwise a decent, sometimes brilliant, script. If you're going to spend all this money on a cast (Kurt Russell, Ving Rhames, Lolita Davidovich, Micheal Michele, Brendan Gleeson, Scott Speedman) and recreating Los Angles after the Rodney King riots, why hire such a hack? If the sound in a movie is supposed to create 30% of the emotional intensity, it seems silly to go through all the energy of producing a movie, when the highest score you can obtain with a bad score is 70%. The fact that it gets the 70% is a tribute to some fine performances and a fine job of capturing L.A. Collateral did a better job of capturing the city at night, but Dark Blue does a nice job of capturing it in the day. There are many imperfections here, especially the big speech Russell gives at the end, but the interesting ways things tie together overcomes them. Particularly impressive is Speedman, who plays the role Ethan Hawke played in Training Day. Maybe my expectations of his work were low and maybe working with Russell inspired him, but he turns in some nice work as the ethically challenged new guy. Maybe they should have hired him to do the soundtrack.

Set during the Rodney King trial and LA riots the story follows the exploits of crooked cop (Kurt Russell) and his partner who work within a pretty corrupt and racist police department.

Not much new here really, the film drags on and the ending does not really fulfill in any way. Kurt Russell puts in a good performance but it is certainly not the masterpiece people have been heralding it to be. The rest of the cast are pretty feeble and it is the kind of film that you will forget soon after watching. I saw it yesterday and not one scene really sticks out vividly in my mind. The most memorable part is probably the rioting at the end with things being smashed up and disorder ruling, however this does not justify a viewing. Watch something else instead as your not missing much here

There's not really much to be said about this film: its internal integrity and the obvious commitment of everyone involved speak for themselves. When I think of Kurt Russell I always think of Soldier and Arnie he ain't but, DAMN, he can act when he's given a good script.

The DVD is well worth getting hold of. The documentaries are professional, detail packed and interesting. I like the comment by Cotty Chubb, the producer, who says that the four elements needed for a civil society are jobs, schools, hospitals and police. In many parts of urban America (he says) there are no jobs, the schools are s*i*, they've closed all the hospitals and the police are corrupt. For a foreigner, who has never been able to make sense of the perverse verdict in the trials of those infamous officers, this film shed some light on a very fragile society.

Kurt Russell saves this picture from being a turkey. He's always watchable and is firing on all cylinders in Dark Blue. He needs to be because nobody else is, especially the scriptwriter. Russell plays a third generation elite SIS LA cop called Eldon Perry who has little respect for due process. He prefers to keep the courts out of his business by shooting hardened criminals in cold blood. In this he's backed up by his bosses, so he doesn't have to worry about getting nailed by the shooting board enquiries every time he uses his piece. But now he's got the straight arrow deputy chief on his back and his rookie partner is starting to flap as things come to a head during the 1992 riots. Russell never lets up as the hard drinking loudmouth but there's not enough action in the story and the rest of the cast are just going through the motions. Perry's character development is hardly realistic but it's good for the film because it gives Russell the opportunity to deliver a very entertaining speech.

This is a particularly uninteresting and dull cop film.

Police corruption, the LA riots, Rodney King atmosphere, Kurt Russell, Ving Rhames.

It had all the ingredients of actually being a good action film/thriller.

However, an uninspiring and predictable script, average performances from all [Russell particularly] and some dull scenes with the backdrop of the riots made this a bit of a waste of time all round.

I wouldn't bother if I was you.

Kurt Russel and Scott Speedman star in this this thriller about an elderly cop, named Eldon (Russel) who is corrupt, yet thinks what he does is for the greater good. His younger partner, named Bobby(Speedman) is new on the force, and he's taking on his partners way of being a cop. While Eldon and Bobby are out doing their 'thing', a robbery occurs. Several people are left dead, and its up to Eldon and Bobby to solve the case, in their own way.

The story goes on from there, and takes several unexpected turns, and proves to be highly entertaining, just like the rest of the movie. Kurt Russel's acting is top-notch, but unfortunetly Scott Speedman doesn't really deliver a very striking performance. But other than Speedman's lacking acting skills, the movie is very good. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat, and there are several subplots that all come together in the end, giving us an ending which leaves us all satisfied.

Now, this is definetly not an action movie. Instead it relies on its story and the characters, and that's a very good move by the director. But there are still moments where we are in awe of the movie, such as the riot scenes. Scenes of absolute anarchy.

All in all, a very good movie. Recommended to all who wants a good story to sit back and enjoy. 8/10

We begin with actual footage from the 1991 beating of Rodney King; the Black man was captured while trying to escape from Los Angeles police, then needlessly beaten by agitated officers. Next, we meet White alcoholic cop Kurt Russell (as Eldon Perry) nervously pacing in his boxer shorts. It's April 1992, when the city erupted in violence following verdict acquitting the police. Quickly, the action shifts to five days earlier. After getting off the hook in an unnecessary killing, Mr. Russell and attractive young partner Scott Speedman (as Bobby Keough) investigate the robbery of a small convenience store...

The crime left four dead bodies and took an extraordinary amount of time, and Mr. Speedman thinks the story is more complicated. He's correct, but peeling the onion reveals more than anticipated. Events climax as the city explodes in riots. It's exciting and well-directed by Ron Shelton, but the "big picture" attempted by these parallels isn't artfully made. Russell is disturbingly convincing as the racist and corrupt cop, and Mr. Speedman does nicely as his conflicted ward; though they do look like a "Hair Club" ad couple, at times. Our corrupt cops receive good support, most notably from Ving Rhames.

****** Dark Blue (12/14/02) Ron Shelton ~ Kurt Russell, Scott Speedman, Ving Rhames, Brendan Gleeson

This movie was shown recently on cable and based on the different names involved with the making of it, I decided to take a look. The film was directed by Ron Shelton, a good director, although he is not associated with the action genre. Also, the picture is based on a James Elroy story with a screen play by David Ayer, who also wrote "Training Day".

Basically, we are taken back to Los Angeles during the dark days of the street uprisings that follow the Rodney King verdict in the early 90s. We are presented a cast of characters in the L.A.P.D. that are so corrupt, one wonders how can it possible serve the citizens of that city.

Of course, there are decent folks that work in that department, as it's demonstrated by Arthur Holland, the black official that wants to get rid of the bad cops in it. As played with dignity by Ving Rhames, this man's job is not going to be easy because there are so many corrupt higher ups that will not let him get to the bottom of what's wrong, that he must do it on his own.

Kurt Russell plays Edon Perry, one of the most interesting roles in his career. Granted, he seems to be a little old for it, but he is believable as the man that has stooped so low, but knows he is protected by the higher ups. Elson is a frustrated man who comes to the realization that he is no one in the larger schemes of things and will be eliminated by the same master he has served so well.

Brendan Gleeson plays the evil Jack Van Meter. He controls with an iron fist what goes on under him. He is a study in evil doing; this man will betray his own protegees when it's not convenient to be associated with them. Scott Speedsman, Michael Michelle and Lolita Davidovich round up the cast.

This is a very good movie. Basically it is a bad cop type story ..one that is forced to take a good look at himself due to a series of events that slowly tear apart his out of kilter outlook on law and crime..

Kirk Russel is, as almost always, top notch and a bit bigger then life.

The rest of the crew ranges from good to excellent.

This movie could be passed off as a action flick, but really it is too well written and acted to be sold short like that.

The violence is gritty and realistic.

The story has a few twists and turns that draw you in even more and help really hold your interest..nothing crazy or far fetched...just good and believable.

All in all a bit of a underrated movie.Worth a watch.

Heck, I still kind of liked this film. I am a Kurt Russell fanatic, I think he is good in anything. However, other than Ving Rhames, he receives no help in this film. Moreover, some of the acting in this film is dismal, I am not mentioning any names or characters (female cop). Moreover, there are some scenes where you just say, "man, that was a take?" Heck, there is no other way of saying it, the script was flawed. In one scene, Russell's character has his partner bag like 50 cigarette butts from the street where a robbery took place, and he is able to find out through some miraculous DNA test, who smoked it and the address where he is now registered at, in like a day! This is LAPD, not an FBI strike force. In other scenes, Kurt Russell asks for info over the phone and then relays to his partner thirty seconds of information he just found out, when the call lasted about five seconds. OK, I am nitpicking, but still, not the stuff you find in a better directed film.

The story deals with a police department being ripped apart at the seams. The Rodney King incident has caused a deep division in the city of LA and her police department. One spark and both could erupt. Which brings us to our main character, played by Kurt Russell. He is a cop, but he is far from being a good man. However, he is not all bad, let's just call him flawed (no, he is bad). Well, he is going to learn, that when you lay down with dogs, well, you know. Oh well, if you are a Russell fan and you like LA cop movies, you will probably like this film. If you are a stickler for polished dramas with tight scripts and stellar performances, well, you won't like it. 65. seems like a fair rating.

I had never heard of this film until very recently which surprises me after having watched the film and been really blown away by how great the film is! Kurt Russell delivers a powerhouse performance as a conflicted cop on the wrong side of corruption. I was gripped from very early on right up until the end. Incredible and captivating cop thriller drama with superb performances. Easily one of Kurt Russell's greatest performances and films. An absolute must see! A full 10/10.

"Dark Blue" is a compelling depiction of corruption among the LAPD. The main reason to check it out is Kurt Russell, who gives a remarkable performance. This oughtta show all those critics and audiences who regard him as a bad actor, who plays one-dimensional characters. He adds much dimension to the character of Eldon Perry, a hugely conflicted man. Brendan Gleeson is one of my favorite actors, outside the U.S., so it was a delight to see his portrayal of Jack Van Meter. Lolita Davidovich, who plays Russell's wife, gives a complex performance herself despite the fact that she's only in a few scenes. Michael Michele shows that she's much more than a pretty face (though she's definitely that as well) in a strong performance. On the other hand, newcomer Scott Speedman is mediocre as Russell's naive partner. I usually like Ving Rhames, and though he maintains a powerful screen presence, his performance in this film is one-note as he recites every line of dialogue in a monotone, hardly showing a glimmer of emotion.

My score: 7 (out of 10)

4 out of 10. For those who haven't seen this film, don't believe what you hear about Russell's performance. Yes, it is true that he is the only good thing about "Dark Blue", but that's not saying much. If you wanna see a bad cop played right, watch "The Shield" or "Narc" or "Internal Affairs" even. Just stay away from this. Kurt tries hard to be the angry and racist veteran cop, and he succeeds. The problem is that the script and the lines he's saying are the most clichéd and pathetic attempt at corrupt movie-copism (I know that's not a word) that I've ever seen. So instead of seeming cool he just comes across as something we've all seen and heard before in better films with better actors and better scripts. Enough about Kurt, because he's not really the problem. The problem is that every other role in this film, except for maybe the black guys who are rioting, is cast horribly. And I mean horribly. Scott Speedman needs to stay on TV or get a job as a model or something because he stinks. Michael Michelle is amazingly bad in her role. Brendan Gleeson gives a pretty good performance, but he's totally wrong for the part and Ving Rhames almost put me to sleep every time he spoke a line of dialog. You can really tell he was just in this one for the paycheck. Anyway, the 6.6 IMDb rating for this movie is way wrong. Almost as wrong as rating for "Basic". Sometimes I just wonder what you people are thinking! Bad movie. Gets 4 because Kurt Russell tries hard to no avail. Otherwise would be a 2 or 3. Oh and one more thing...Please stop making movies Ron Shelton, please. And stop writing scripts too! You'll be doing the film world a favor.

Out.

"Dark Blue" is a decent thriller that boasts a strong performance from Kurt Russell. The story follows a veteran LAPD officer named Eldon Perry, who is tasked with investigating a murder during the tumultuous period leading up to the 1992 Rodney King verdict. While the film has some tense moments and suspenseful sequences, it ultimately falls short of its potential.

One of the highlights of the movie is Kurt Russell's performance as Perry. He brings a level of intensity and grit to the role that elevates the film above other run-of-the-mill thrillers. However, the film's plot feels underdeveloped, and there are missed opportunities for exploring the complex themes of race, corruption, and police brutality that are present in the story.

Overall, "Dark Blue" is an average thriller that is worth watching mainly for Kurt Russell's performance. While the film's themes are timely and relevant, the story never quite lives up to its potential. It's a shame that this genre is not as popular as it once was, as there is clearly an appetite for thought-provoking and engaging films about law enforcement and justice.

Ever seen a cop movie/TV show that DIDN'T deal with some sort of Police corruption? Didn't think so. And Dark Blue is nothing else. Dealing with fictional events leading up to the LA riots in 1992 the film exploits that major historical turning point for as much racism, xenophobia and sadism as possible.

Kurt Russell plays an evil, evil cop surrounded by cops even worse. He's partnered with Scott Speedman and fills his head with nonsense. There's the usual weak Police corruption story that attempts to be sophisticated against the riots backdrop but the clichés and meanspiritness bog it down to hell.

It comes as no surprise that this dreck comes from Ron Shelton, the man who gave racist propaganda before in the form of Bad Boys 2 (he wrote the appalling script for that, even worse, film). The man who is constantly trying to drive a huge wedge between black and white. I have no respect for this director or his films.

Ving Rhames is the only cast member who emerges with some dignity intact. Everyone else should be ashamed for appearing in this diabolical abortion.

The DVD is in good-looking 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and some extras. But when the film is this bad, why subject yourself to more?