[.ca] Dark Blue

good overall:
apart from the immplausible premise of those cops having a policy to not take suspects alive and getting away with it and the confession scene at the end, this movie was about as good as training day. a standard amount of extras on the dvd.

a powerful performance by Kurt Russell:
A Film by Ron Shelton Dark Blue opens with what looks like it is an episode of COPS but turns out to be a police chase that ends up as the Rodney King beating by L.A. cops. The movie then turns to show that the cops involved in the incident are now on trial and there are whispers that if the cops get off (as most expect that the will), the city will erupt. It is with this tension that we are introduced to Eldon Perry (Kurt Russell). Perry is an L.A. detective (plainclothes) and is somewhat of a controversial figure. He does his job, gets the criminals, but his methods are suspect. He follows orders, but uses somewhat excessive force in getting the bad guy. Perry views his job as the good guys (cops) versus the bad guys and that he is justified in using any means necessary in getting the bad guys. Perry has a new partner, a young cop named Bobby Keough (Scott Speedman). Near the beginning of the movie we see Bobby in an internal review on his use of force in a case. Bobby shot a perp and with Perry's testimony he is cleared of all internal charges. The movie is less a pure story driven film than it is a revealing of who Perry is and the situation of the L.A.P.D. during the Rodney King era. There is corruption starting at the top and there are idealistic cops (usually young) and there are some cops like Arthur Holland (Ving Rhames) who are still upstanding men and trying to do the right thing even when the other captains are not. This is a harsh look at the L.A.P.D. at a very heated time with the riots just around the corner (indeed, the Rodney King riots begin during the movie). It is a whole lot better than I could have expected and this has to be one of Kurt Russell's best roles. This is one of the better police movies that you will see and is an under-looked gem of 2002. -Joe Sherry

Typical cop-hating flick:
First of all, if you've already seen L.A. Confidential, skip this movie, because it's just a cheap rip-off of it. The only difference is that there's no mystery about it -- everything is completely straightforward, and the audience just waits for the disgusting characters to figure it out. The first thing that made me angry about this film was its use of the Rodney King incident. I can't express how disgusted I am that this is continually used to show the "corruption" of police officers in our society. Of course what we didn't see was Rodney King fighting the cops, but since it's now frowned upon in our society for police officers to defend themselves, especially if the person attacking them is black, it's no surprise that the cops involved have all been made out to be Gestapo. If you enjoy movies that insinuate that all white cops are crooked, bribe-taking, evidence-planting murderers, then please rent this film. Otherwise, avoid it at all costs.

GREAT:
Okay,its not perfect.But in my opinion it rises above the rest because of the greatness of brendan gleeson,kurt russell and lolita davidovich.Kurt russell is white hot as eldon perry,a corrupt cop who realizes too late, what a monster he has become.dont miss this film.

BLUER THAN BLUE:
DARK BLUE is a powerfully understated movie, even though it wastes no agony in its portrayal of what happened after the Rodney King verdict---why do people of any color think that they have the right to protest an injustice by taking it out on people who had nothing to do with it in the first place. Scenes of looting, stealing, angry people jumping on other people's cars, breaking windows---this is the real horror of our so called justice system. Of course, this is the climax of a movie that exposes those "bad cops" for what they are. Powerful performances from Kurt Russell and Brendan Gleeson in particular drive the tale of a cop who finally wakes up and realizes just what a cowboy he has been. There are no easy answers in this one, but even though it's a bad guy vs. good guy world, there is no excuse for the behavior of those who use their legal offices as an excuse to kill anyone they want. Powerfully done.