Product Description

A ROBBERY HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION TRIGGERS A SERIES OF EVENTS THAT WILL CAUSE A CORRUPT LAPD OFFICER TO QUESTION HIS TACTICS.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35317 in DVD
• Brand: MGM HOME VIDEO (UNDER FOX)
• Released on: 2003-06-24
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 118 minutes

Features

• Adrenaline is high, tempers are hot, and racial tensions are boiling over. Against this explosive backdrop, LAPD detective Eldon Perry tutors his rookie partner 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 up --Assistant Chief Arthur Holland threatens to end Perry's b

Amazon.com
The Rodney King riots of April 1992 hang like a keg of dynamite over Dark Blue, a crackling tale of Los Angeles police corruption that gives Kurt Russell one of the best roles of his underrated career. Adapted by Training Day screenwriter David Ayer from a story by L.A. Confidential novelist James Ellroy, the plot finds Russell's rule-bending detective teamed with a promising young partner (Scott Speedman) whose ethics have yet to be tainted. Their boss (Brendan Gleeson) is a lawless maverick, maneuvering the unwitting detectives into covering up a lucrative robbery scam, while L.A.P.D.'s Deputy Chief (Ving Rhames) campaigns to bring them all down. While adhering to familiar cop-thriller formula, director Ron Shelton (Bull Durham) escalates tension with forceful impact, drawing a climactic parallel between the King riots and the fallout from Russell's cynical behavior. It's a powerhouse combination, allowing Russell to find shades of complexity in a character who realizes, almost too late, that he's a devil in the hell of L.A. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
Another tale of crooked cops, this time set in 1992, in the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict. Kurt Russell, his good looks puffy and slumped, plays a Los Angeles police veteran who has been promoted to lieutenant by dint of dogged persistence. His partner (Scott Speedman) is learning the ropes of corruption, while the squad's boss (Brendan Gleeson) has been tangled up in them for years. The screenplay is adapted from a James Ellroy short story; we get the Ellroy smell of moral rot, but none of his momentum-these errant souls may be driven, but in circles, and they spend so much time bewailing their predicament that the cracking of crime feels like a passing hobby. Only in the last half-hour does the movie, like Los Angeles itself, ignite. Ron Shelton, the director, picks up the pace as Russell scrambles through the inferno of the King riots. With Ving Rhames as a senior policeman of surreal nobility. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Don't go by the trailer.
Many people were misled by the original ad campaign for "dark Blue". The trailer for "Dark Blue" tried to showcase the film as a straightforward shoot-'em-up flick, but that's not the case. Many people figured that "Dark Blue" was a film that was slapped together quickly to capitalize on the then-success of "Training Day".... which also isn't the case.

For those who actually took the time to go see "Dark Blue" (I was one of those few), they were rewarded with a satisfying, compelling crime drama. Kurt Russell, one of the most outrageously underrated actors in film, gives one of his all-time great performances as a semi-corrupt cop prowling the streets in Los Angeles, circa the Rodney King trial. His balancing act between the cynicism and corruption of his daily life, and the dormant idealism of his youth, is extraordinary to watch. "Dark Blue" is also a return to form for "Bull Durham" director Ron Shelton, who delivers his best movie since "White Men Can't Jump". And there's also some guy called Ving Rhames....

I highly recommend "Dark Blue." - ****1/2, rounded up to 5 stars.

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

Great performance by Kurt Russell
A dark, troubled film about a dark, trouble time Dark Blue was inspired by a James Ellroy story (L.A. Confidential) and has all of the twists and turns one would expect from Ellroy. It's an unusual movie for director Ron Shelton to tackle and he does an admirable job with the material.

Set during the days before the Rodney King verdict, Dark Blue looks at the loss of innocence of one police officer and the potential redemption of another. The cast is outstanding with Kurt Russell deserving of an Acadmey Award nomination (not likely to happen given how early in the year the film was released and the way MGM promoted it)as L.A.P.D. veteran Eldon Perry. Perry has descended into hell and can't seem to escape its torments. He's become a corrupt individual (somewhat like Denzel Washington in Training Day although, arguably, this is a much better film)who has decided to fight criminals by ignoring the rules.

His new, fresh faced partner Bobby Keough (played by Scott Speedman)is Perry's naive, honest and younger doppleganger. Keough is sucked into Perry's world when he must lie during a hearing about a bust where the criminal was killed. The marvelous Brendan Gleeson gives a oily performance as their boss Jack Van Meter . He's playing both sides of the fence and smothered by corruption; he's sold his soul for money using the job to advance his own agenda.

Ving Rhames turns in a nicely nuanced performance as Assistant Chief of Police Arthur Holland. Holland knows about the darkness at the heart of the department and Van Meter's role in destroying the integrity of those in blue. He's convinced he can turn around the situation but he has his own skeleton in his closet waiting to undermine his authority.

I don't want to go into the nicely detailed plot. It would spoil the film. I should warn you it's a dark story but there's also the chance for redemption for the characters towards the end.

The transfer is nice. Strangely, it's a dual sided disc with both pan & scan and widescreen versions of the film. There are three featurettes, a photo gallery and an enlightening commentary by director Ron Shelton.