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Dark Blue

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Dark Blue (2003)

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Reviews Counted:127

Fresh:73

Rotten:54

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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    61 - 80 (sorted by date)
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    Audiences game for a nasty, turbulent ride, which is mercifully relieved by some neat performances and jaunty pacing, will strap in their seatbelts.

    Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
    02/22/03
    Doris Toumarkine
    Doris Toumarkine
    Film Journal International

    Effectively gritty when need be, but for most of its running time meanders as it tries to find its central story arc.

    Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Dustin Putman
    Dustin Putman
    DustinPutman.com

    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

    While David Ayer's script lacks the deft plotting of L.A. Confidential, it has something most thrillers sorely lack: a conscience.

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Ken Fox
    Ken Fox
    TV Guide's Movie Guide

    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

    Dark Blue is similar to Training Day, but it's a better movie because the issues aren't as clear-cut.

    Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
    Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
    St. Paul Pioneer Press

    A flawed film, but occasionally a haunting one.

    Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Moira MacDonald
    Moira MacDonald
    Seattle Times

    Dark Blue has its moments, but also too many nagging problems that undermine the effort.

    Full Review Source: Screen It! | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Jim Judy
    Jim Judy
    Screen It!

    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

    Russell is campaigning to get back into acting shape after such goof-arounds as 3000 Miles to Graceland and Escape From L.A. But shoving him through the grinder of cop cliches, then giving him a Frank Capra climax, invites defeat.

    Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    David Elliott
    David Elliott
    San Diego Union-Tribune

    Shelton tackles every New York cop-film cliche here and gives them a bracing West Coast spin, capturing L.A. with the same breathless rapture others have brought to New York.

    Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Joe Baltake
    Joe Baltake
    Sacramento Bee

    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

    Dark Blue takes the premise of Denzel Washington's recent Training Day and plants it in a more realistic world.

    Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Jack Garner
    Jack Garner
    Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

    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

    After an hour of not much, Dark Blue stumbles onto a terrific scene, the sort that makes the whole movie worthwhile.

    Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Gary Thompson
    Gary Thompson
    Philadelphia Daily News

    Dark Blue is a bit of a mess, but like the Rodney King mess, it makes you think. Any film that accomplishes that can never be out-of-date.

    Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Jay Boyar
    Jay Boyar
    Orlando Sentinel

    Needed more grit and finesse.

    Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Kim Morgan
    Kim Morgan
    Oregonian

    Director Ron Shelton, like Russell, is working outside his normal range. ... And, like Russell, Shelton adapts well to the new surroundings.

    Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Sean Means
    Sean Means
    Salt Lake Tribune
     
     
    61 - 80 (sorted by date)
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