Quick Thoughts: Dark Blue
Posted by Hedwig on June 7, 2008
It’s been a while since I did one of these quick thoughts bits, but I watched this, half-asleep, on TV last night, so here goes:
Kurt Russell is one of these actors who get better the more grisled they get. Younger, he always looked just a bit too goofy, but now he’s instantly riveting, the lines on his face enough to tell us immediately: this guy has lived. In Dark Blue, he plays a crooked cop, one who thinks he’s doing the right thing, but kills more often than necessary and almost feels entitled to fabricate evidence. He is, of course, accompanied by a rookie naif who will open his eyes to the wrongness of his ways (no spoiler there).
The rookie’s played by Scott Speedman, who does a serviceable job, I suppose. He’s a little blank, but he’s probably supposed to be, and his change of heart is very, very sudden, but it works in the cliché-ridden environment of the film. All in all, it’s a nice corrupt-movie to spend an evening with, and the Rodney King riots make for an interesting – and unsettling – background. The movie doesn’t quite work as a thriller (there aren’t that many thrills) but as a showcase for Kurt Russell’s weary, lines face it succeeds.
As Cool As A Fruitstand 
Craig Kennedy said
I rented this once and I don’t remember much about it except for Kurt and for the fact that I didn’t like it too much. I think the cliches you mention piled up too much. I’m kind of tired of the bad LA cop routine.
Having said that, did your Russell crush start with Death Proof or is it ongoing? 🙂
One of my favorite performances of his is as a younger man in Big Trouble in Little China. His comic timing is perfect when he’s essentially playing it straight. Why don’t they make more comedies where people say and do funny things but the characters don’t know it’s funny? Leslie Nielsen in Airplane springs to mind as an extreme example.
Kaj said
Yes, he’s great in Big Trouble In Little China. Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton says at a time like this. But I think I prefer his earlier roles in Carpenter films, the ones that made him a star.