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.
Dark Blue (2003)
Tomatometer
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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
Reviews for Dark Blue
An unoriginal, uninspired good cop/bad cop movie with one-dimensional characters.
Kurt Russell creates such a despicable character that I hoped he would get his *** kicked by rioters...
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.
Speedman doesn't show much in his first big movie role, while Russell shows too much.
Despite the battered grandeur of Kurt Russell, this fable of rotten cops in Rodney King's L.A. is mostly macho posturing.
The script is overloaded with exposition and incident, and for long passages it shows all the verve and imagination of an episode of Hunter.
A crackling and solidly acted -- if somewhat familiar -- police-corruption thriller.
The use of that verdict as a narrative device more than 10 years later does not feel particularly relevant.
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.
Dark Blue proclaims itself a character drama and a voyage of self-discovery for the flawed cop -- which proves to be its fatal weakness.
Dark Blue is down and dirty, with a fading star and dialogue that's awful, but its directness works in its favor.
If melodrama were a ticketable violation, this flick would rack up fines for to-the-hilt performances and cliche-laden scenes.
A fair-to-middling cop drama whose intentions are unfortunately rendered murky and submerged by a predictable story and limp characterization.
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.
Suffers from a predictable, glaringly obvious plot, thinly sketched characters, and truly wretched dialogue.
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.
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.
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