Long-absent actor Kurt Russell summons every last ounce of his trademark blue-eyed-bad-boy charm in Hollywood's latest good-cop/bad-cop film release, Dark Blue, directed by Ron Shelton. The movie begins with blurry police footage of the Rodney King beating in 1991 L.A. This disturbing introduction sets the tone for the many controversial acts of violence that follow.
Some have compared this film to Training Day, coupled with complaints that Kurt "ain't no Denzel!" This may be true, but somehow Russell's brooding presence and steely stares fill in enough of the storyline's potholes to make Dark Blue a memorable film in its own right.
Had Russell not thrown himself into this role as completely as he did, the predictable plot would have tossed Dark Blue into the B-movie bin as forgettably as all of his films since Tombstone.
Fortunately for action-movie fans, the film contains plenty of random bloodshed and could even stand a little more well-placed carnage in its illustration of Russell as the cold-blooded, high-profile L.A.P.D. detective.
Even more riveting than the film's suspenseful scenes is Russell's embodiment of his character, it's so thorough that his face saturates each frame with raw feeling. The emotional subplots serve their purpose well and the movie ends with enough incomplete resolutions to escape the common trap of having things tie together too easily to be believable. Maybe this weathered, husky-voiced cop's got a chance at reviving his career.
- Allison Gianino
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