Rating: 
Summary: Best I've Seen in almost 10 Years!
Review: All I can say is box office numbers don't mean a thing. This is one of...if not THE best movie I've seen in almost 10 years. It hit me with more force than any movie I've ever seen. I have over 800 films on DVD and tape at home so that says something. I don't want to say a thing about the story but the acting makes you completly forget your watching a movie, the violence is sickeningly real, and Kurt Russel makes you hate him, then like him, that hate him, then love him. This one will have long lasting effects and is probably one of the best cop movies ever made.
Rating: 
Summary: effective bad cop movie (spoilers)
Review: The Los Angeles that "Dark Blue" presents us with is an urban cauldron filled with street thugs, gangbangers and corrupt cops simmering against the turbulent backdrop of the Rodney King verdict and the riots that erupted as a result of it. In terms of its setup, "Dark Blue" is highly reminiscent of "Training Day," in that here too we have a crooked LAPD veteran cop mentoring an impressionable newcomer who has been assigned to him as a partner. Kurt Russell, in one of his fullest performances to date, makes Sgt. Eldon Perry Jr. an emotionally conflicted, psychologically complex character. Here is a man who has police work running through his veins (his father and grandfather were cops before him), yet, like his forebears, he is not afraid to look the other way or flout the rules when he feels it justified in order to get the job done. His sidekick, Bobby Keough (played by Scott Speedman), is a pretty-boy neophyte still idealistic enough to believe he can make a difference as a cop without having to break the very laws he has been sworn to uphold. Based on a James Elroy story, the David Ayer screenplay weaves a complex tapestry out of a bevy of interesting secondary characters and a number of investigations being conducted simultaneously. The distinction of the film comes with its historical context as the drama unfolds amidst the racial tensions and anti-police sentiment of the Los Angeles of 1992, a powder keg just waiting for the right spark to set it off. Director Ron Shelton does an effective job recreating that fateful day when the city erupted in flames and the whole community faced its moment of reckoning. Perry makes a more sympathetic figure than the corrupt cop played by Denzel Washington in "Training Day." That turns out to be both the film's greatest strength, in that it gives Perry a somewhat greater complexity, and its greatest weakness, in that it leads to the film's least convincing moments, the grandstanding speech the suddenly regenerated cop delivers at the end of the film. The film is less daring than "Training Day" in that it chickens out and redeems its protagonist in the final reel. We also sense that, structurally, the writer simply couldn't figure out how to wrap up his tale in a more believable, naturalistic fashion. The closing moments, which feel tacked on to the drama, reek so badly of contrivance and artifice that they end up undercutting much of the quality of the rest of the film. Be that as it may, "Dark Blue" is a well written, well directed and well acted policier that has more on its mind than just mindless mayhem, shoot-'em-ups and car chases (though there are certainly plenty of those to be found in the film). And Russell alone is worth the price of admission.
Rating: 
Summary: A well-paced, well-acted police thriller.
Review: "Dark Blue," based on a story by James Ellroy, updates the corruption-racism angle of "L.A. Confidential" by about 35 years as it depicts the LAPD in crisis mode at the time of the Rodney King verdict. At the center of the story is Eldon Perry--a particularly loathsome example of LAPD corruption, actually more of a hit man than a detective--who finally begins to question his gunslinger ethics as his life starts to crumble around him. In a way, Perry is like Remy McSwain, the corrupt cop of "The Big Easy," his easy charm masking his dishonesty--except that Perry is far more compromised, and much farther down the road to Hell, than McSwain ever was. As directed by Ron Shelton, "Dark Blue" is a well-paced police thriller, lacking the cumulative power of "L.A. Confidential," but still compulsively watchable. In places, it is brilliant, such as when Perry drives through riot-torn South Central LA right after the King verdict, embroiled in a Hell he helped to create. Unfortunately, Perry is also saddled with a climactic speech that simply doesn't play, though by the end he has plenty of reasons to give it. Kurt Russell, however, gives the speech and the role his all, and as Perry he proves beyond doubt that he can keep pace with the Crowes and Spaceys of the world. Russell hits all the emotional notes in this movie--a blessed change from his one-note roles in movies like "Stargate" and "Soldier"--and he uses his trademark, hound-dog grin like a weapon. It's a performance of enormous power and subtlety. He's matched by the fine, incisive work given by a superb gallery of character actors, including Ving Rhames, Brendan Gleeson, Jonathan Banks, Lolita Davidovich and Michael Michelle. Only Scott Speedman, as Russell's partner, slips below the standard of the rest of the cast, giving a performance that is perfectly competent but shallow by comparison. "Dark Blue" isn't quite all it could have been, but at least it has the courage of its bleak, tragic moral vision, and Kurt Russell's performance alone is worth the price of admission.
Rating:
Summary: Better than I expected; a B-grade "L.A. Confidential."
Review: I'm stunned: "Dark Blue," the new cop thriller starring Kurt Russell and Ving Rhames, is actually pretty good. Based on the previews, I expected it to be a tardy rip-off of 2001's excellent "Training Day," with the same old story of a crooked cop showing an idealistic rookie how to be bad, ostensibly in order to do some good. Actually, the movie that "Dark Blue" more closely resembles is another top-notch California crime saga, "L.A. Confidential" - which isn't too surprising because the script (by "Training Day" author David Ayer) is based on a short story by "L.A. Confidential" author James Ellroy. Here, as in most of Ellroy's material, the good guys aren't all that good; the bad guys are really, really bad; and the legal system is simply a more organized form of corruption. The movie is set in 1992 and begins five days before the violent implosion of South Central Los Angeles. Russell stars as Eldon Perry, a grizzled, cynically corrupt L.A.P.D. detective-sergeant; he's the kind of over-the-top movie cop who keeps a bottle of whiskey in his office desk, opens his phone bill with a stiletto and maces an innocent man in the face to get information (then takes the guy out for a cheeseburger). Perry and his partner Bobby (Scott Speedman) are investigating a convenience store robbery that ended in a half-dozen murders. As the two detectives discover a higher conspiracy behind the robbery, background references to the impending Rodney King assault verdict function like the sound of a ticking time-bomb. But despite its dramatic use of King and the L.A. riots, "Dark Blue" isn't nearly as deep as it wants to be; its underlying messages are that racism is wrong, corruption is bad and telling the truth is better than lying. The movie's strong points actually lie in its brisk storytelling, some interesting if roughly sketched characters, and cool action sequences. Director Ron Shelton is more closely associated with his sports comedies like "Bull Durham" and "White Men Can't Jump," but he handles the shift to grittier material well. The flick is filmed in a grainy gloss that reminds me not just of movies that set in the early 90's, but actually looks like it could've been filmed in the 90's -- which is actually a complement. There are also quite a few good performances: Rhames is solid as a righteous deputy chief, Brendan Gleeson stands out as a 1990's version of the Civil War politico he played in "Gangs of New York" and Michael Michele brings a cool dignity to her role as a police sergeant who's neither as innocent nor as corrupt as she appears. "Dark Blue" isn't quite as strong as either "L.A. Confidential" or "Training Day," but as a B-grade door-kicking cop caper, it succeeds.
Rating:
Summary: Dirty Cops
Review: Set around the time of the Rodney King verdict, this is an LA police corruption drama. It's a hardboiled look into the corrupt side of the law, use of excessive force, racism and violence for its own sake. The author of the story is James Ellroy (LA Confidential) and it's fairly typical of his in your face, tell it like I think it should be told style. Kurt Russell does a terrific job as Sgt Eldon Perry, the rogue cop role with the usual rogue cop problems. He drinks too much, his marriage is failing and he's willing to go to any lengths to put the bad guy away. He is partnered with rookie Bobby Keough (Scott Speedman) who is a willing learner in the ways to get by in the force, particularly as he's the nephew to a high-up (and corrupt) cop. The two walk a fine line between being corrupt policemen and dedicated law enforcement officers determined to bring criminals to justice and uphold law and order. Sometimes, the line gets blurred and this seems to be the important theme to the story. The story kept verging on the cliché but managed to stay (just) on the side of freshness. That is, until the last few climactic scenes where the whole thing seemed to be a trifle too staged.
Rating:
Summary: good overall
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical cop-hating flick
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: packs a punch thriller action story slight drama movie
Review: wow what a great movie. I saw the trailer and said to myself. I have to see this. and I did get it on dvd and am glad I bought it. watched it 2 times already. it will be viewed more over the days and years. it really does show police corruption at its worst. very good character acting. very good scenery. brilliant direction and directing. amazing ending. made me think there might be a sequal but in a way we don't need one. at least I don't think so. then again if one ever did come out I'd give it a chance. I just dont' think we might not need a sequal because I think the whole main points come to light at the end of the movie. and the viewer understands all that was said and shown.
Rating:
Summary: Blue wall of corruption
Review: Kurt Russell is convincing as an alcoholic, ruthless and corrupt L.A. police detective sergeant Eldon Perry. Perry, a member of Special Investigations Squad (SIS), is a third generation cop totally bereft of scruples and feelings including those for his wife and son in a crumbling marriage. Russell is breaking in a new partner, Scott Speedman, to the mechanics of the street on the eve of the riots following the acquittal of the cops implicated in the Rodney King beating. Russell's boss and head of SIS, the despicable Jack Van Meter, played by heavy Brendan Gleason is lining his own pockets with graft. He is secretly orchestrating a robbery ring that is netting gobs of cash using 2 compromised and drug addicted informants to do his bidding. When a robbery goes bad resulting in 4 homicides, Gleason orders the unwitting Russell to clean up his mess.
Ving Rhames. playing stoic and ethical assistant chief of police, Arthur Holland is wise to the rampant corruption but lacks the proof to implicate Gleason.
Russell running wild like a loose cannon through the racially charged ghettoes of South Central L.A. begins to question his morality when ordered by Gleason to frame innocents for crimes committed by Gleason's robbery team.
Russell does an outstanding job in portraying this conflicted anti-hero who begins to see the light as his life is falling apart around him. Gleason is an effective scoundrel as the corrupt police chief. This portrayal of the 1992 L.A. riots is done very authentically
Rating:
Summary: Good cops, bad cops and a great screenplay. Recommended.
Review: The film seems like a formula cop movie. There are bad cops and good cops and a young cop just being trained. There are several romances and a racial angle thrown in. And there's the City of Los Angeles slightly before and then during the Rodney King riots of 1991.
But there's also a great screenplay based on a story by James Elroy. And there is constant action, with a fast moving plot that held me glued to my seat. And, best of all, there is a phenomenal acting job by Kurt Russell, who plays the bad guy cop with so much humanity that I immediately understood where he was coming from and the hard choices he had to make.
It seems as if justice is completely missing in the Los Angeles Police Department in those days. And, as it takes place during the closing days of the trial that set the city ablaze keeps the tension even higher. During the fictional story part, we see lots of murders, some by criminals and others by the cops. It's as if the whole city is living in the Wild West, with outlaw justice being the rule of the game.
Scott Speedman is cast as the young cop who is pushed into doing things he doesn't want to do. Our hearts go out to him because we see his inner struggle. He plays his role well. He's romancing a beautiful African American woman who just happens to be a police sergeant. Michael Michele plays this role. (Yes, that's right, her first name is Michael). I've seen her before, most notably on a season of the TV show, ER. She was the one member of the cast who I've always felt could not act. My feelings haven't changed. She might be pretty, but there is no depth at all to her wooden performance.
Brendan Gleeson is cast as the top cop. He's perfect for the part, with his old-school cop wisecracks. As far as bad guys go, he's even worse than the criminals. Ving Rhames, a middle-aged African American, is cast as a veteran cop as well. He's an honest man who has his own domestic problems. His goal is to bring down the corrupt administration, which is running the city. There's good acting as both these men play out their roles.
Cinematography is good too. And so is the film editing. I liked the way they interspersed what was going on in the Rodney King trial with the fictional story. It made for a powerful film.
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