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Russell plays Eldon Perry, an L.A.P.D. sergeant who is up for promotion during the time that four white police officers are on trial for the beating of Rodney King. While some have criticized using this historical backdrop as a ploy to weave social context into the film's dramatic filler, (and it may very well be), it's still a damn effective way to lend a sense of realism to the proceedings, effectively reminding us of an unnerving time in the City of Angels.

Perry is an "old school" cop, a real gunslinger who comes from a long line of cops, lives to "get the vermin off of the street" one way or another, and follows most orders without hesitation - even if it means arresting the wrong man for the crime, or putting down criminals in back-alley executions. He's paired with young cop Bobby Keough (Scott Speedman, unconvincing in the role - and if you're gonna play a cop, get fucking haircut, son!), who allows himself to become dragged deeper into Perry's dirty laundry after Perry covers the poor way Keough handled himself in a shooting incident. Meanwhile, Keough's shacking up with Sergeant Beth Williamson (Michael Michelle of Homicide). Beth happens to work for Deputy Chief Arthur Holland (Ving Rhames in overly-righteous preacher mode), who has decided he wants to clean up the department - starting with the likes of Perry and his corrupt boss, Jack Van Meeter (Brendan Gleeson).

But while Ayer carries over most of his flourishes from his previous work, there's also more than a touch of James Ellroy (author of L.A. Confidential) in the mix, which doesn't hurt. Oh, all the rewarmed cop drama elements are there, but Russell's flair, and serviceable performances from most of the supporting cast, keep this from sliding into an overly-preachy and unintentional self-mockery. Hell, Russell is so good here, he even manages to save that hackneyed "Confessional at a big formal event" speech at the end.

While it doesn't manage to avoid the familiar and formulaic (and honestly, what cop movie does these days?), DARK BLUE was a pleasant surprise to watch, and proved that Russell can save just about anything. Hey, I even liked SOLDIER, and he only had about five lines in that!

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originally posted: 04/23/04 15:33:53
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