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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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    101 - 120 (sorted by date)
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    Those who criticized Training Day for its lack of credibility will be rolling their eyes at the nonchalance with which Dark Blue plays the race card.

    Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Terry Lawson
    Terry Lawson
    Detroit Free Press
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    An unoriginal, uninspired good cop/bad cop movie with one-dimensional characters.

    Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
    Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
    TheMovieChicks.com

    Kurt Russell creates such a despicable character that I hoped he would get his *** kicked by rioters...

    Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
    02/21/03
    Guylaine Cadorette
    Guylaine Cadorette
    Hollywood.com

    Dark Blue is another harrowingly cynical dirty-cop movie in the recent tradition of Training Day and Narc. Yet it's so much more complex, engrossing and satisfying than those films that the comparison is not entirely fair.

    Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    William Arnold
    William Arnold
    Seattle Post-Intelligencer

    Speedman doesn't show much in his first big movie role, while Russell shows too much.

    Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    Bruce Newman
    Bruce Newman
    San Jose Mercury News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Despite the battered grandeur of Kurt Russell, this fable of rotten cops in Rodney King's L.A. is mostly macho posturing.

    Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    Charles Taylor
    Charles Taylor
    Salon.com

    A better-than -expected police thriller.

    Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    Steve Schneider
    Steve Schneider
    Orlando Weekly

    The script is overloaded with exposition and incident, and for long passages it shows all the verve and imagination of an episode of Hunter.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    A.O. Scott
    A.O. Scott
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A crackling and solidly acted -- if somewhat familiar -- police-corruption thriller.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    Lou Lumenick
    Lou Lumenick
    New York Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The use of that verdict as a narrative device more than 10 years later does not feel particularly relevant.

    Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    Duane Dudek
    Duane Dudek
    Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

    Dark Blue is as interesting and successful as it can be within its limits, but those limits make this a more generic film than its makers intended.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    Kenneth Turan
    Kenneth Turan
    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Dark Blue proclaims itself a character drama and a voyage of self-discovery for the flawed cop -- which proves to be its fatal weakness.

    Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    Ella Taylor
    Ella Taylor
    L.A. Weekly

    Dark Blue is down and dirty, with a fading star and dialogue that's awful, but its directness works in its favor.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    Eric Harrison
    Eric Harrison
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    If melodrama were a ticketable violation, this flick would rack up fines for to-the-hilt performances and cliche-laden scenes.

    Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    E! Online

    A fair-to-middling cop drama whose intentions are unfortunately rendered murky and submerged by a predictable story and limp characterization.

    Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    Gary Dowell
    Gary Dowell
    Dallas Morning News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Wildly average.

    Full Review Source: Supercala.com | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    John Venable
    John Venable
    Supercala.com

    The ending is a little pat and unlikely but until then then Dark Blue refuses to coddle its audience with false virtues or comfortable answers.

    Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    Jeffrey Westhoff
    Jeffrey Westhoff
    Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

    Suffers from a predictable, glaringly obvious plot, thinly sketched characters, and truly wretched dialogue.

    Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    Pam Grady
    Pam Grady
    Reel.com

    In the wake of TV's powerhouse The Shield, Dark Blue comes off as something of a retread, with little of The Shield's electric fury, edgy camera work or deft characterizations.

    Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    Connie Ogle
    Connie Ogle
    Miami Herald

    With its charged themes, Dark Blue is a lot to swallow in only two hours, but a thought-provoking ride for those up to the task.

    Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
    02/20/03
    Bryan Reesman
    Bryan Reesman
    Citysearch
     
     
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