Dark Blue Movie Review 2003

Another James Ellroy L.A. cop novel comes to life in this powerful tale of deep-seated corruption set against the Rodney King verdict and its aftermath. Veteran cop Eldon Perry (Russell) is part of the elite Special Investigations Squad, a brutal, corrupt, and racist unit run by Jack Van Meter (Gleeson). Partnered with Van Meter's green nephew Bobby (Speedman), Eldon is assigned to steer a homicide investigation away from the two snitches who did it. Standing in his way is the black deputy chief (Rhames) who has vowed to shut down the SIS. Russell's outstanding performance anchors the proceedings, which gets somewhat muddled by the pairing of Ayers's hard-boiled script with Shelton's more reflective bent. Ellroy's original first draft was set against the 1965 Watts riots, and Ayers wrote "Training Day" at about the same time he was adapting "Blue."

Distribution

MGM Home Entertainment, 2500 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90404-6061, Phone: (310)449-3000, Fax: (310)449-3100, URL: http://www.mgmhomevideo.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 116 minutes.
Originally from United States.

Cast and Crew

Genres

L.A., Rogue Cops, Interracial Affairs, Books to Film: James Ellroy, Aunts & Uncles, Nieces & Nephews

Screenplay

David Ayer

Cast

Kurt Russell, Ving Rhames, Scott Speedman, Brendan Gleeson, Michael Michele, Lolita (David) Davidovich, Dash Mihok, Kurupt, Khandi Alexander, Master P

Cinematography

Barry Peterson

Director

Ron Shelton

Music

Terence Blanchard

Other

Robert Eber, Paul Seydor, Tom Taylor, Kathryn Morrison, Dennis Washington

Producer

Caldecott Chubb, David Blocker, James Jacks, Sean Daniel, Alphaville, Im Film Produktion, Cosmic Pictures, United Artists