Review of Dark Blue (2002) by Dominic M — 25 Jul 2004

[b]Starring : [/b]Kurt Russell, Scott Speedman, Brendan Gleeson, Ving Rhames & Lolita Davidovich [b]Written by :[/b] David Ayer [b]Directed by :[/b] Ron Shelton.

It's been a very long time since Kurt Russell has graced the screen as the main character. The last one that comes to mind is 1997's effective thriller "Breakdown". It's also been a long time since director Ron Shelton has made a detective/crime film. In fact, it's his first. Shelton is best known for his sports themed films ("Bull Durham", "White Men Can't Jump"). In 1988 Shelton passed on casting Russell for "Bull Durham" and chose Kevin Costner instead. Now, fifteen years later the two team up for the first time in "Dark Blue".

1992. Los Angeles. Street riots. Corrupt police. Kurt Russell plays Eldon Perry, a dirty cop that was raised to enforce the law in a very different way. He takes orders from Van Meter (played perfectly by Brendan Gleeson), the most corrupt officer in the L.A.P.D. They've got the system manipulated and in the palm of their hands. No one can stop them, until Perry's new partner enters. Bobby Keough (played by Scott Speedman) is a rookie who Perry and Van Meter take under their wing hoping to corrupt and manipulate him as well. Meanwhile, as the dirty Los Angeles Police Department officers are spreading lies daily, there, in the midst of all the chaos, stands one good cop. His name is Chief Harlan (Ving Rhames), and he will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.

After seeing many things he never expected, Keough becomes confused about his partner and doesn't know what to think or who to trust. I'll stop there, because I'd hate to give away any more of this outstanding story, but what I can tell you is that you'll see some sequences never brought to the screen before. This film succeeds, it succeeds very well. Partly because of Shelton's suspenseful directing, especially towards the scenes in the streets. it also succeeds partly because of David Ayer's ("L.A. Confidential") solid screenplay. But the success of "Dark Blue" should mostly be given credit to Kurt Russell. His performance is unlike anything audiences have ever seen him do. It's a good choice for him, because he played it well, very well. It's the performance of his career. This one is worth the trip.

Rated R - 1 hour, 56 minutes (review written on 2/22/2003.