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Dark Blue

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Dark Blue (2003)

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Reviews Counted:31

Fresh:17

Rotten:14

Average Rating:5.8/10

Consensus: Kurt Russell gives a good performance. Too bad there’s nothing here that you haven’t seen before.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violence, language and brief sexuality

Runtime: 3 hrs 56 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Feb 21, 2003 Wide

Box Office: $9,059,588

Synopsis: There aren't many cops left like Eldon Perry (Kurt Russell). A member of the Los Angeles Police Department's Special Investigations Squad (SIS), veteran Perry is no stranger to the violence of the... There aren't many cops left like Eldon Perry (Kurt Russell). A member of the Los Angeles Police Department's Special Investigations Squad (SIS), veteran Perry is no stranger to the violence of the streets and the tough decisions that come with the job. He rarely questions the orders given by his powerful boss, Jack Van Meter (Brendan Gleeson). When Van Meter's nephew, Bobby Keogh (Scott Speedman) joins SIS and becomes Perry's partner, the stakes are raised. Keogh, who idolizes both his uncle and Perry, is eager to prove himself. But the naïve rookie has no idea how deep the corruption in the department runs. Set during the racially charged days before the Rodney King verdict and the ensuing L.A. riots, DARK BLUE also looks at racism within the department through its focus on Assistant Chief Arthur Holland (Ving Rhames), who questions the SIS brotherhood and is determined to be the first black chief of the LAPD. Russell is a powerhouse as Perry, a man who has made some difficult decisions in the name of justice. Directed by Ron Shelton (BULL DURHAM, TIN CUP) and based on a story by James Ellroy, the film also stars Michael Michele, Lolita Davidovitch, and rapper Kurupt. [More]

Starring: Kurt Russell, Scott Speedman, Ving Rhames, Brendan Gleeson

Starring: Kurt Russell, Scott Speedman, Ving Rhames, Brendan Gleeson, Michael Michele, Lolita Davidovich, Kurupt

Director: Ron Shelton

Director: Ron Shelton
Screenwriter: David Ayer
Story: James Ellroy
Producer: Caldecot Chubb, David Blocker, James Jacks, Sean Daniel
Composer: Terence Blanchard
Studio: MGM/UA

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Release:

Jun 2, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • From the writer of Training Day comes this "terrific corrupt-cop drama" (Entertainment Weekly) set in the days leading up to the L.A. riots. Starring Kurt Russell (Escape From New York) and an acclaimed ensemble cast, this gritty police thriller "keeps you on the edge of your seat with white-knuckle suspense" (The New York Observer). Adrenaline is high, tempers are hot, and racial tensions are boiling over. Against this explosive backdrop, LAPD detective Eldon Perry (Russell) tutors his rookie partner (Scott Speedman) in the realities of police intimidation and corruption as they investigate a high-profile homicide case. But as the body count rises and the evidence just doesn't add upAssistant Chief Arthur Holland (Ving Rhames) threatens to end Perry's brand of "justice" if Perry's own demons don't destroy him first.
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    Reviews for Dark Blue

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
    05/19/04
    Jeff Strickler
    Jeff Strickler
    Minneapolis Star Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
    03/02/03
    Peter Rainer
    Peter Rainer
    New York Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    02/28/03
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Russell is the reason to go to the theater. He will continue to hold your attention when things around him -- like the storyline -- lose steam and credibility.

    Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
    02/25/03
    James Berardinelli
    James Berardinelli
    ReelViews
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Well worth recommending.

    Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
    02/24/03
    Richard Roeper
    Richard Roeper
    Ebert & Roeper
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Fails to make the grade as either a gritty crime drama or an intriguing piece of historical relevance.

    Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
    02/24/03
    Michael Rechtshaffen
    Michael Rechtshaffen
    Hollywood Reporter
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Harrowing and compulsively watchable morality play.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Michael O'Sullivan
    Michael O'Sullivan
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The movie ends not with a bang but a wimp.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Stephen Hunter
    Stephen Hunter
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Until it dissolves into conventional melodrama during a climactic fracas, this fast-paced story is never less than watchable.

    Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Mike Clark
    Mike Clark
    USA Today
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A flawed and melodramatic affair with echoes of Training Day and L.A. Confidential that nevertheless has the whiff of truth.

    Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Peter Howell
    Peter Howell
    Toronto Star
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    While Dark Blue may not be easy to watch, it's exceptionally well made.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Mick LaSalle
    Mick LaSalle
    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Dark Blue is a film of wounding power. It stays with you.

    Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Peter Travers
    Peter Travers
    Rolling Stone
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    While much of the action rings true in Dark Blue, and the events leading up to the riots make for a tense, eerie framework, the movie heads in a disastrous direction ...

    Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Steven Rea
    Steven Rea
    Philadelphia Inquirer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Gritty, gripping, a bit uneven, but Kurt Russell hits all the right notes.

    Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    John Anderson
    John Anderson
    Newsday
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Too many elements of David Ayers' screenplay fall flat, from individual lines to Bobby's sudden change of heart.

    Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Tom Long
    Tom Long
    Detroit News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The script throws enough curveballs to raise Dark Blue slightly above the genre average.

    Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Ty Burr
    Ty Burr
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Arizona Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Its intelligence is undermined by a hyperbolic, overwrought noir style that wavers awkwardly between NYPD Blue jitters and grand opera.

    Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Liam Lacey
    Liam Lacey
    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Like Los Angeles in the spring of 1992, Dark Blue generates tension but eventually goes up in smoke.

    Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Robert Denerstein
    Robert Denerstein
    Denver Rocky Mountain News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Dark Blue is not a great movie, but it has moments that go off the meter and find visceral impact.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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