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This is another one of those gritty cop films where the line between good and evil becomes obscured as Kurt Russell and company go about their daily duties as LA Detectives.
DARK BLUE is set during the period leading up to the Rodney King race riots in Los Angeles. Russell is breaking in a rookie partner ( Scott Speedman) and teaching him a credo he had passed down to him from a family of lawmen: father, grandfather, etc. It's a credo that says it's okay to break the law to enforce the law, and that the only good bad guy is a dead one.
But Speedman, unlike Russell, is not a product of genetics. After being coerced by Russell into gunning down an unarmed suspect, the rookie finds himself sickened at what he has become. To redeem himself, he decides to help the Assistant Police Chief ( Ving Rhames) rid the LAPD of Russell and his kind. What follows is not pretty, and after a double cross forces Russell to confront his own demons, there is a terrific and satisfying conclusion.
I love Kurt Russell. He is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, probably because he is thought more of as a Star rather than an Actor. But Kurt really does have great acting chops when given the right material,and as he did in TOMBSTONE, he does a great job here portraying a truly complex character.
Dark Blue is not as well done as NARC, but these are two completely different styles of filmmaking, and Dark Blue comes across as better than the average cop flick thanks to an excellent story by James Ellroy, good directing and excellent acting by an ensemble cast that includes Kurt Russell, Ving Rhames, Brendan Gleeson, Lolita Davidovich, Scott Speedman, etc.
For Kurt Russell fans like me, this will be a keeper.
:35:
BTW: this is a double sided disc with Widescreen on one side and P&S on the other. I played the Widescreen side, of course, but ran into a problem about midway through the film. The screen went black, sound shut down and after a few seconds began to play, but by then a scene had been skipped. I tried to go back but the picture would just freeze up. I lost about 3 minutes. Suffice to say, the disc is going back to Walmart tomorrow for an exchange. Just hope the rest are not like this.
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DARK BLUE is set during the period leading up to the Rodney King race riots in Los Angeles. Russell is breaking in a rookie partner ( Scott Speedman) and teaching him a credo he had passed down to him from a family of lawmen: father, grandfather, etc. It's a credo that says it's okay to break the law to enforce the law, and that the only good bad guy is a dead one.
But Speedman, unlike Russell, is not a product of genetics. After being coerced by Russell into gunning down an unarmed suspect, the rookie finds himself sickened at what he has become. To redeem himself, he decides to help the Assistant Police Chief ( Ving Rhames) rid the LAPD of Russell and his kind. What follows is not pretty, and after a double cross forces Russell to confront his own demons, there is a terrific and satisfying conclusion.
I love Kurt Russell. He is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, probably because he is thought more of as a Star rather than an Actor. But Kurt really does have great acting chops when given the right material,and as he did in TOMBSTONE, he does a great job here portraying a truly complex character.
Dark Blue is not as well done as NARC, but these are two completely different styles of filmmaking, and Dark Blue comes across as better than the average cop flick thanks to an excellent story by James Ellroy, good directing and excellent acting by an ensemble cast that includes Kurt Russell, Ving Rhames, Brendan Gleeson, Lolita Davidovich, Scott Speedman, etc.
For Kurt Russell fans like me, this will be a keeper.
:35:
BTW: this is a double sided disc with Widescreen on one side and P&S on the other. I played the Widescreen side, of course, but ran into a problem about midway through the film. The screen went black, sound shut down and after a few seconds began to play, but by then a scene had been skipped. I tried to go back but the picture would just freeze up. I lost about 3 minutes. Suffice to say, the disc is going back to Walmart tomorrow for an exchange. Just hope the rest are not like this.
My Homepage!
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