neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Dark Blue
	Ron Shelton Kurt Russell, Scott Speedman, Brendan Gleeson, Michael Michele, Ving Rhames, Lolita Davidovich 2003		Ron Shelton, the writer/director whose sports-oriented films "Bull Durham," "White Men Can't Jump" and "Tin Cup" are the genre's gold standard, can stretch beyond the field of play, as he proved with "Blaze," his feisty take on the love affair between stripper Blaze Starr and Louisiana governor Earl Long. For "Dark Blue," Shelton dips into the blood 'n' guts of a James Ellroy police story about a cowboy cop in Los Angeles, and nails it good. Veteran officer Eldon Perry, played with grim, hard-nosed precision by Kurt Russell, is part of the Special Investigations Squad overseen by manipulative Jack Van Meter (Brendan Gleeson). Eldon's career is his entire world, but his violent response to crime may be his downfall in the days following the 1992 Rodney King case. With his rookie partner (Scott Speedman), Eldon is assigned to solve a multiple homicide that occurred during a robbery in roiling South Central L.A. Revelations about the case could uncover police corruption and smear Eldon himself, forcing him to choose between his duty and his reputation. With Ving Rhames as a crusading police chief and Lolita Davidovich as Eldon's estranged wife.