Billed as the first great movie of 2003, “Dark Blue,” starring Kurt Russell, delivers action, police corruption and predictability.
Set during the days leading up to the verdict of the Rodney King trial, the picture is racially motivated, which happens to be the only believable tension in the movie.
Russell plays Sgt. Eldon Perry Jr., a veteran cop serving on the Special Investigation Squad for the Los Angeles Police Department. Following in his family’s footsteps, Perry assumes the role of the gunslinging loose cannon, capping bad guys as he sees fit.
This above-the-law persona is not all Perry’s doing — he’s an obedient soldier who follows the orders of his superiors, namely Jack Van Meter (Brendon Gleeson). Meter’s nephew, Bobby Keough (Scott Speedman), is Perry’s new partner and is immediately exposed to the off-the-record tactics used by the SIS. These family connections within the department compound the lies and secrecy of the organization, blurring the line between what is right and what one does for family.
Deputy Chief Arthur Holland (Ving Rhames) is the only man who has the cajones to stand up to the SIS and its brutal policies. There seems to be no real good guy, so everyone becomes intertwined in blackmail and sexual relationships that threaten to tear the force apart.
Perry and Keough are assigned to solve a multiple homicide resulting from a botched robbery in the middle of south central Los Angeles. Something is definitely awry, and a cover-up ensues. Unraveling the conspiracy holds the key to ridding the force of its top manipulator.
Perry’s marriage and relationship with his son are crumbling, fueling his drinking problem and magnifying his recklessness. Holland and Keough also deal with relationship dramas — all of which are integral in solving the crime.
Because the movie spotlights police brutality and corruption, setting it in the midst of the King trial made sense. Yet, corruption and brutality occur all the time regardless of what is going on in society. There is absolutely no need to incorporate tension and riots of that time into this movie. More background on Russell’s character and his relationship with those he takes orders from would have helped. It seemed as though the movie laid all its cards on the table right off the bat.
It’s easy to know who is bad and who is somewhat good, and one spends the rest of the time waiting on these characters to make the right decisions or pay the price for not doing so.
As the trailer states, “It’s ‘L.A. Confidential’ meets ‘Training Day.’ ” Unfortunately, “Dark Blue” falls short of both. The part of the renegade cop has been done countless times, and Russell’s performance adds nothing new to the scenario. It is one of his better acting endeavors, yet the plot is laid out in the first 20 minutes, leaving the audience waiting to see who will die and how the bad guys will pay.
