“Dark Blue” takes place in April 1992 in the few days before and immediately after the release of the Rodney King verdict. The movie’s opening montage of police footage ends with the beating of Rodney King and sets an excellent tone of darkness for the film. The film begins as Perry (Kurt Russell), a detective for the LAPD, paces around his living room and anticipates more news about the city’s most important trial. He is on edge because he knows a certain verdict will throw the city into turmoil.
Perry, along with many others in his department, is a hard-boiled, corrupt cop. He trains newcomer Keough (Scott Speedman) in the art of detective work, demonstrating to him that the job requires using force, whether it be necessary or not. Working under top detective Jack Van Meter (Brendan Gleeson), the two receive a strange assignment from their boss. After two snitches Van Meter swore to protect rob a convenience store and kill four people, Van Meter directs Perry and Keough to murder and frame two sex criminals for the crime.
Ving Rhames plays Deputy Chief Arthur Holland, a good cop who recognizes Van Meter’s bigotry and corruption. His devotion to bringing Van Meter to justice is unequivocal: He will stop at nothing. Meanwhile, Keough carries on a relationship with Sgt. Beth Williamson (Michael Michele), one of Holland’s underlings who insists they don’t reveal their last names to each other in an effort to keep the relationship simple. Williamson devotes herself to Holland’s cause, and thus begins a war within the department between Holland and Van Meter.
The movie uses a somewhat cookie-cutter plot that leads to an inevitable ending. Everyone has seen the veteran-training-the-rookie plot before (“Training Day”), but here Kurt Russell tries to make it something different. His character is not dynamic, but his portrayal is dynamic. It is surprisingly one of his better performances in recent years, and although it is not outstanding, it adds great dimension to an otherwise overwrought character. His self-deprecating philosophy toward the end of the film shows Perry as a thinking, evolving cop, not just one stagnating in evil.
The film is somewhat predictable, but the ride remains fun. It does contain a few viscerally intense scenes that make viewing worthwhile. Choosing the volatile setting of the L.A. riots creates just the right atmosphere for a story of a corrupt police department on the verge of much-needed reformation. The scenes of the riots themselves, though, are brutally violent and disturbing. There is a great shot toward the end when Perry looks out over the city from the police academy on a mountain, and the audience sees the city. Patches of downtown burn and smoke clouds hover on a horizon of skyscrapers. Such a shot adds even more to the perceived intensity of the film, and rightly delivers a defininitive message about the damaging faces of corruption.