| | | Sworn to protect / Sworn to serve / Sworn to secrecy
Features: DVD, Pan and Scan (TV Format), Widescreen, Dolby Digital (5.1), English, French, Spanish, Subtitled
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 brand of "justice" ...if Perry's own demons don't destroy him first.System Requirements:Starring: Kurt Russell, Khandi Alexander, Jonathan Banks, Lolita Davidovich, Brendan Gleeson, Kurupt, Master P, Michael Michele, Dash Mihok, Ving Rhames, Scott Speedman Directed By: Ron Shelton Running Time: 118 Min., Color Copyright 2003 MGM Studios.Format: DVD MOVIE
"Kurt Russell gives the performance of his career." Jeffrey Lyons, NBC
"The best cop movie since L.A. Confidential." US Weekly
Editor's Note
There aren't many cops left like Eldon Perry (Kurt Russell). A member of the Los Angeles Police Department's Special Investigations Squad (SIS), veteran Perry is no stranger to the violence of the streets and the tough decisions that come with the job. He rarely questions the orders given by his powerful boss, Jack Van Meter (Brendan Gleeson). When Van Meter's nephew, Bobby Keogh (Scott Speedman) joins SIS and becomes Perry's partner, the stakes are raised. Keogh, who idolizes both his uncle and Perry, is eager to prove himself. But the naïve rookie has no idea how deep the corruption in the department runs. Set during the racially charged days before the Rodney King verdict and the ensuing L.A. riots, DARK BLUE also looks at racism within the department through its focus on Assistant Chief Arthur Holland (Ving Rhames), who questions the SIS brotherhood and is determined to be the first black chief of the LAPD. Russell is a powerhouse as Perry, a man who has made some difficult decisions in the name of justice. Directed by Ron Shelton (BULL DURHAM, TIN CUP) and based on a story by James Ellroy, the film also stars Michael Michele, Lolita Davidovitch, and rapper Kurupt.
| Features | Featurettes | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Commentaries | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Widescreen And Fullscreen Versions |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: MGM |
| Release Date: 9/20/2005 |
| Running Time: 118 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2003 | | Catalog ID: 1004603 | | UPC: 00027616886446 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 2.35:1/4:3 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Box Office
"...The film sports quite a few effective moments....DARK BLUE is quite watchable..." 03/01/2003 p.58Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...Scathing and uncompromising....[Featuring] Russell in the performance of his career..." 02/01/2003 p.38-9 Rolling Stone
"...Kurt Russell digs into the juiciest role of his career....DARK BLUE is a film of wounding power. It stays with you..." 03/14/2003 p.74 Entertainment Weekly
"...DARK BLUE goes were all too few films dare to venture these days -- into the heart of moral darkness..." 02/28/2003 p.54-5 Sight and Sound
"...As always, Shelton trusts his cast, and allows Russell to deliver his best work in years..." 05/01/2003 p.42-4 Chicago Sun-Times
"...It has something to say and an urgent way of saying it....It has moments that go off the meter and find visceral impact..." 02/21/2003 p.29 Los Angeles Times
"...An actor for more than 40 years, Russell shows us things here he hasn't before, putting more of himself on the line to convey a complex personal reality..." 02/21/2003 p.C8 Total Film
"...Kurt Russell's mace-first, questions-later cop is a giant creation....A rough and jagged urban thriller..." 11/01/2003 p.112 Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
Dark Blue is not a great movie, but it has moments that go off the meter and find visceral impact. The characters driving through the riot-torn streets of Los Angeles provide some of them, and the savage, self-hating irony of Russell's late dialogue provides the rest. It is a clanging coincidence that the LAPD would be indicted just at the moment it was being exonerated, but then that's what the movies are for, sometimes: To provide the outcomes that history overlooked. - Roger Ebert
L.A. Times 7 of 10
Dark Blue, a brooding, ambitious film about the struggle for the soul of an elite Los Angeles cop, has to struggle with its own soul as well. Sensitively directed by Ron Shelton and helped by what just might be the best performance of Kurt Russell's career, Dark Blue is as interesting and successful as it can be within its limits, but those limits make this a more generic film than its makers intended. - Kenneth Turan
James Berardinelli's ReelViews 8 of 10
For Ron Shelton, who is best known for his sports-themed movies (like Bull Durham, Cobb, and Tin Cup , to name a few), this represents an opportunity to break new ground. Nevertheless, the film would not have been as successful without the performance of Kurt Russell. Russell's approach to the role combines combustible rage, calculated cynicism, and a deeply buried core of humanity striving for redemption. As depicted by Russell, Eldon is never an out-and-out villain. There are nuances of warped, wounded nobility buried under the brittle exterior. This represents one of the young year's most memorable acting turns. Russell is the reason to go to the theater. He will continue to hold your attention when things around him--like the storyline--lose steam and credibility. - James Berardinelli
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