Dark Blue

Starring:Kurt Russell, Lolita Davidovich
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

The Rodney King riots of April 1992 hang like a keg of dynamite over Dark Blue, a crackling tale of Los Angeles police corruption that gives Kurt Russell one of the best roles of his underrated career. Adapted by Training Day screenwriter David Ayer from a story by L.A. Confidential novelist James Ellroy, the plot finds Russell's rule-bending detective teamed with a promising young partner (Scott Speedman) whose ethics have yet to be tainted. Their boss (Brendan Gleeson) is a lawless maverick, maneuvering the unwitting detectives into covering up a lucrative robbery scam, while L.A.P.D.'s Deputy Chief (Ving Rhames) campaigns to bring them all down. While adhering to familiar cop-thriller formula, director Ron Shelton (Bull Durham) escalates tension with forceful impact, drawing a climactic parallel between the King riots and the fallout from Russell's cynical behavior. It's a powerhouse combination, allowing Russell to find shades of complexity in a character who realizes, almost too late, that he's a devil in the hell of L.A. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Falls disappointingly short of its potential; "C+".......2007-02-09

I was a little disappointed with this - Kurt Russell (the main reason I checked this out) does a fine job but it's the story that's lacking I think. There just isn't enough subtlety to it, evidenced in the amount of corruption that is portrayed and how "ordinary" the real bad guy turns out to be. The concept of setting this in the climate of the Rodney King incident was very creative and the writers did a good job of keeping that in our memory throughout the story. In the end though, while the story seemed to aspire to working on several different levels at once, it just couldn't quite pull it off and there isn't enough nuance for me to truly recommend this: I'd suggest you rent 'Backdraft' if you're looking for a great Kurt Russell drama.

KURUPT, AND DASH ARE GREAT.......2005-11-18

DARK BLUE
GREAT FILM

This film is as powerful as it is gripping and not necessarily because it is a classic film, because it's not. The film its self is a good film but not one of the all time greats, it's because of the subject matter in this film, and that makes it good. The film is centered around Eldon Perry {Kurt Russell} and his rookie partner played by Scott Speedman. As they are out to solve a robbery/multi homicide during the time of the Rodney King beating, which has everything/nothing to do with the film. As the film proceeds toward the end of the film each one of the two proceeds to have a change of heart. One because he is really a good hearted person and the other because his wife leaves him and his boss wants to have him killed. So one dies for his beliefs and the other gives out the dirt live in front of the force and media about what he did and his boss.
One of the most interesting things about this film is the riot that breaks out because of the verdict in the King beating trial. In fact one of the most memorable moments is when DASH MIHOK is killed by all the black guys because he is white, sadly things like that really happened when the riot happened. Director Ron Shelton did an excellent job with this film, but the acting is what makes this film a great movie.
Kurt Russell may actually give his best performance ever in this film, his gritty corrupt cop role is played with excellence. And Ving Rhames is excellent in his role as well has the next chief of police, I was really pleased to learn of his presence in this film. But the best thing about this film is two small supporting roles in KURUPT, and Dash Mihok. The two fiendish friends in this film who kick it off in the beginning are definitely the most entertaining to watch threw out the entire film. I dare u to watch the film and not agree with me. Each scene the two are in is heightened by their presence. I just wish these two would have had more screen time.
Over all this is a very good film, I recommend it to any body looking for a good, entertaining film.

Russell and Rhames shine in this police drama..........2005-11-09

Dark Blue takes place in 1992 and we often see in the background of the movie the event's that led up to the L.A. Riots, which first all started with the video of the Rodney King beating.

Russell is of course with the L.A.P.D. and is in deep with a brotherhood of corrupt cops, fabricated evidence, and cover up. His vigilante style of justice is troubling for his new rookie partner, a young, somewhat passive guy who is not sure if he can hang with the cronies who hide behind the badge.

Russell is absolutely awesome in his role. The long hours, the drinking, and somewhat skewed view of society drives away those who love him, while all the more making him better at what he does: Being a corrupt Cop!

Ving Rhames shines as well as a good cop who is outnumbered by the good ole boys mentality (race card inserted here). He know's what is going on, but cannot prove it.

Blackmail, murder, double standards, and all out corruption bleed through the screen as the peices of the puzzle begin to come together. The corruption is so vivid that we start seeing "what goes around comes around" to be a main theme in the film.

Russell and Rhames bring this film most of it's life as the story overall is nothing we have not seen before. It's a fictionalized cop drama set during the time of the Rodney King Beating and the L.A. Riots. The film did do a good job of re-creating the riots, whose chaos we see glimpses of at the height of the film.

Kurt Russell should of got an award for this role.......one of his best performances.......2005-10-04

Like that dymanite performance from Denzel Washington in Training Day, Kurt Russell (Breakdown, Miracle) gives off a blazing hardcore performance as a third generation cop who brings in his new partner, played by Scott Speedman (Underworld, My Life Without Me) and shows him the ropes. Russell's father's friend, played by Brendan Gleeson (28 Days Later, Troy), who just so happens to be his boss, lures the two detectives into covering up a robbery which two of his informants played by Kurupt and Dash Mihok (The Thin Red Line), where involved in and Ving Rhames (Rosewood, Pulp Fiction) plays The Deputy Chief who is trying to bring them all down. Superb Cop movie just like Training Day, though I like them equally....Training Day is still a good good movie. Russell's performance anchors this movie highly which the backdrop leads up to the riots of 1992 and the Rodney King beating that took place. Towards the end with the scenes of the rioting, it becomes intense. Scott Speedman shows talent here and he's out of his Felicity faze. Gleeson gleams with devilishly deeds. Also starring Michael Michele, Lolita Davidovich (Hollywood Homicide, Mystery Alaska) and Master P (Hollywood Homicide, I Got The Hook Up). One of the best movies of 2003...it scores a bullseye

Trite, Predictable, Simplistic....overall a Disappointment.......2005-08-23

As you can tell by the header, I was disappointed by this movie. Since Kurt Russell plays the lead, I should not have been surprised, because the parts he plays are generally rather predictable and simplistic (Tango & Cash, Snake Plisskin, etc). I just don't picture Kurt as lead actor in a gritty, realistic drama...but, eternally the optimist, I hoped that this might be the exception. It wasn't.

The story involves two LA detectives, one a grizzled and thoroughly corrupt veteran (Russell) and the other a somewhat principled but weak-willed and easily manipulated rookie, Bobby Keough (Scott Speedman). Russell's character (Eldon Perry) is controlled and protected by an exceedingly corrupt superior officer, Jack Van Meter (nicely played by Brendan Gleeson), who uses Perry to further his profitable and flagrantly illegal interests.

If you have ever watched "The Shield" on FX cable network then you will be familiar with this general setup....a morally ambiguous detective is used to further his superior's agenda.....but here is the problem: The Shield (a television series) is vastly superior in every way: plot, acting, characterization, dialog, direction, etc. to this feature film. It is like comparing filet mignon to cheap hamburger. Once you see a quality, nuanced drama like The Shield, this movie and all like it are rendered unwatchable.

Characters in Dark Blue are caricatures with almost no depth. They guzzle whiskey and laugh about their flagrant crimes. The plot and dialog are contrived and unrealistic. There is no subtlety....no intellectually stimulating complexity. Eldon always does exactly as he is told: if mass-murdering thugs (employed and protected by his superior) are to be sheltered from arrest, simply go out and murder a couple of stray ex-cons and let them take the rap (posthumously) for the real criminals. Never mind that neither of the ex-cons is even close to being a plausible suspect. No one would be fooled by this ruse, except perhaps in this mindless movie.

Eldon gets his partner Keough to perform one of the cold-blooded murders ordered by Van Meter, and thus begins their downfall, because Keough has a spontaneous change of heart and suddenly cannot accept the guilt of his actions. One minute he is guzzling whiskey with his cronies and laughing about lying to a shooting review board, and the next he is overwrought with guilt. Not at all likely in real life, but it suits the plot.

Things gets even sillier when the partner (Speedman) then teams up with the assistant chief's (Ving Rhames) predictably beautiful ex-mistress (Michael Michelle) to try to arrest the real thugs and use them to bring down the whole perverted mess. Heaven forbid that he simply come forth and provide evidence to accomplish this end. What follows is a lengthy, confused, and poorly choreographed pursuit of the thugs and a predictable gun battle with equally predictable outcome.

The ultimate farce, however, is reserved for Eldon himself, who drives around South Central Los Angeles during the peak of the Rodney King riots trying to find and arrest a black suspect....which he easily accomplishes....and then drives away without a scratch. This reaches the level of surrealistic absurdity and is an insult to the true horror of the riots.

Equally unconvincing is Eldon's spontaneous change of heart at the end of the movie, during his promotion ceremony (such irony), when he delivers a rambling, preposterous and unconvincing indictment of his father, himself, and his evil superior....which is simplistically and immediately accepted (in true movie fashion) by all who hear it, and who then immediately jump to arrest and condemn the naughty superior. This is silly, implausible, and an insult to any viewer above the age (and maturity) of a 10-year old. Jump up at your next promotion ceremony and deliver a rambling condemnation of your superior and see what happens. This type of naive nonsense occurs in only one place: the movies....bad ones.

If you were thrilled by Tango & Cash, and thought Snake Plissken was a brilliantly-portrayed anti-hero, then by all means hit the "Buy It Now" button for this DVD. But, if you want complexity, subtlety, realism, plausibility, and infinitely superior acting, plot, characterization, and direction....do yourself a huge favor and use your money to either subscribe to FX on cable, or buy/rent DVD's of The Shield series....filet mignon is always better than cheap hamburger.

Average customer rating:

A technically accurate war film
Dark Blue World--Excellent
Not what one would expect.
a unique ww2 aviation movie
Fantastic Film

Dark Blue World
Starring: Hans-Jörg Assmann , Juraj Bernáth , Charles Dance , Jaromír Dulava , and Radim Fiala
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0000648X2
Release Date: 2002-05-28

Amazon.com

Director Jan Sverák's Dark Blue World embraces sentimentality with such brio it is hard to resist. The film relays the little-known WWII story of Czech fighter pilots who escaped the Nazi occupation of their country to fight in Britain's Royal Air Force. Those who survived the battles were placed in work camps upon their return home by a then-entrenched, paranoid Communist regime. Sverák (Kolya) tacks back and forth between Franta (Ondrej Vetchy), a worldly captain in the defunct Czech Air Force, and Karel (Krystof Hádek), his earnest young recruit, as they leave home to fight the enemy on foreign soil. Only one returns to tell his story, from a prison hospital bed. While enduring life in the RAF with fellow Czech pilots, Franta and Karel manage to fall in love with the same woman, learn English, swing dance, recite poems, sing rousing Czech songs, and perform heroic feats. Dogfights in the air and inevitable losses ensue, but it is the genuine camaraderie evoked by a gifted cast of Czech actors that saves the film from effusive excess. Like a charismatic captain steeling his company before battle, Sverák can't resist indulging romantic clichés, but his actors, in their fresh intensity, are more than up to the task set before them. --Fionn Meade

Customer Reviews:

A technically accurate war film.......2007-03-01

The other reviwers did a good job describing the love triangle, the tragic story of the Czech pilots treatment by thier own countrymen under Communism after the war, and all the other human elements to this very human, beautifully filmed melancholy film.

But I would also like to add, for aviation buffs, particularly fans of flight sims such as Il2, this is one of the best portrayals of air combat in all it's excitement, thrill, elegance, danger and FEAR, that has ever been produced. The flight scenes are breathtaking, and unusually for films dealing with world war II aviation, very effectively bring you into the cockpit, into the clouds and both behind the guns and in their lethal path... Anyone who loves WW II fighters, flying, spitfires or warbirds in general should watch this film.

Dark Blue World--Excellent.......2007-01-14

From the very beginning Dark Blue World is an excellent film. It follows two Czech pilots who join the RAF to fight the Germans during the Battle of Britain and the consequences of what their passion to defend their country brings upon them. They flying scenes are wonderful. You become attached to the two main characters and at times it brings a tear to your eye. It is a story of friendship and love born out of war. In the end one loses everything.

Not what one would expect........2007-01-11

A bit disapointing, acting not what one would expect. Very true in background.

a unique ww2 aviation movie.......2006-12-18

The plot has been referred to by others, but will add my veiw that this a wonderful ww2 movie, with excellent acting, and spectacular flying sequences for all Spitfire fans. Highly recommended.

Fantastic Film.......2006-12-01

This is a beautiful film about the Czechoslovaks who took part in the Battle of Britain. The Czechs / Slovaks (along with the Poles) represented the two largest contingents of foreign pilots fighting for Britain. I especially liked the humorous moments where they are learning English and then applying their newly learned language to real life situations (such as trying to pick-up English girls). There is love, romance, joy, sadness and drama here. You will like this very endearing film.

Nadia, Secret of Blue Water - The Dark Kingdom (Vol. 2)

Average customer rating:

Action, drama, excitement, and more!
A 5 STAR DVD!
A 5 star DVD!

Nadia, Secret of Blue Water - The Dark Kingdom (Vol. 2)
Starring: Yoshino Takamori , Noriko Hidaka , Yûko Mizutani , Toshiharu Sakurai , and Akio Ôtsuka
Director: Hideaki Anno , and Shinji Higuchi
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

10-12 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

( N ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Nadia, Secret of Blue Water - The Adventure Begins (Vol. 1)
Nadia, Secret of Blue Water - Aboard the Nautilus (Vol. 3)
Nadia, The Secret of Blue Water - The Deep Blue Sea (Vol. 6)
Nadia, The Secret of Blue Water - Nemo's Fortress (Vol. 5)
Nadia, The Secret of Blue Water - Nadia in Love (Vol. 9)

ASIN: B00005MEUT
Release Date: 2001-08-14

Amazon.com

The second installment of this anime adventure gets even grittier than the first. Our intrepid preteen inventor Jean and his charge Nadia are sea bound after their first run-in with the Nautilus. A small island looks like paradise until they are shot down. They find a dark kingdom full of warlords turning the island into a giant power station while enslaving or killing the island's residents. One lone survivor is little Marie, who quickly joins our adventurers as they try to escape. The armed-to-the-teeth baddies make the bumbling Grandis (also stuck on the island) seem even more cartoonlike. Chases, gunfights, captures, and escapes are all part of these four episodes (numbers 5 to 8), but by the end we will have a new villain to contend with and a few secrets will be revealed about the highly prized blue water necklace that Nadia wears around her neck. Ages 10 and up. --Doug Thomas

Description

The last few days have been pretty hectic for young inventor Jean Ratlique. After rescuing Nadia and her pet lion King from the villainous Grandis, he's been chased; shot at; rescued by an American battleship; swept overboard; menaced by a sea monster; and rescued again, this time by a futuristic submarine named the Nautilus. Now he and Nadia are aloft once more, and headed for Africa. But the nearby deserted island isn't as deserted as it looks. And Grandis is still after Nadia's Blue Water gem. The adventure is just beginning!

Customer Reviews:

Action, drama, excitement, and more!.......2002-01-19

The second installment of NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER is arguably the best of the ten volumes (until Volume 10), and, even if one decides to stop watching the show by the time Volume 2 comes to an end, he/she will feel as they've watched truly first-class entertainment. There's action sequences, truly maniacal villains, and just enough emotional trauma to keep viewers engrossed. And each episode only builds one's interest, encouraging him/her to keep on watching until the grand climax.

It starts off with Nadia, Jean, and King (her pet lion cub) getting shot down from their aeroplane over a strange island. The two seem to be falling for each other as they work together to survive in this mysterious new world which happens to be filled with danger. Little do they know that Grandis, Sanson and Hanson have also ended up on the island and are continuing to pursue them. But the tables become abruptly turned when it is revealed that an evil cult organization is governing the island.

This organization is Neo-Atlantis, whose inhabitants constantly go around wearing menacing-looking masks, almost to suggest the Nazis or any other powerhungry army in real life. Its leader, Gargoyle, is one of the most unusual villains in any Anime I've seen to date. Like his fellow soldiers, he, too, hides his face behind a mask, covers his head in a tall hood, but he wears a red suit and black tie. He's not an over-the-top monster like, say, Wagnard from RECORD OF LODOSS WAR, but a cruel, calculating, misanthropic fiend obsessed with world conquest. He's also manipulative, sarcastic, and very deadly -- he threatens to kill anybody he pleases, and taps into other people's weaknesses in order to make them do his bidding. He even employs a supercharged weapon, the Tower of Babel, which can wipe out an entire island in one blast... much to his glee and delight. "It is glorious! The world will know the wrath of God once again, and they will kneel in fear to our authority!" he gloats as he observes the destruction of one such island, demonstrated by the power of his weapon.

In their efforts to stay alive, Nadia, Jean, and King encounter a little girl named Marie (an absolutely adorable cutie who is the spitting image of Mei from MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO), whose parents, we find out, have been gunned down by the Neo-Atlanteans. Marie and King are both captured by the soldiers, and Nadia and Jean sneak into the secret base to rescue them, only to have Nadia be captured herself. In Gargoyle's clutches, Nadia is brutally interrogated and almost forced to betray Jean by revealing that she left the Blue Water with him before turning herself in. Jean nevertheless is determined to rescue her, and, in doing so, finds unlikely allies in Grandis, Sanson, and Hanson, who are also captives at the base.

To reveal anything more would be giving major spoilers, but the buildup in this volume is so spectacular you'll wish it would stay that way throughout the show. (More on that in a later review, however.) The artwork is imaginative and spectacular for a 1990 Anime TV series, and the music, which started out as a bit bland, turns dark and mysterious, like the show. What makes this volume stand above the rest is that it can be watched as an individual adventure *without* seeing the first installment. It's suspenseful, action-packed, and full of interesting twists and turns which will leave you dangling on the edge of your seat.

ADV Films' second DVD continues to share the same great qualities as its predecessor, video and audio wise, even though the extras have remained unchanged. I spotchecked the Japanese language track, and while it's good for the most part, I'm not sure if I liked the voices of Marie or Sanson. Marie sounded too high-pitched and Sanson too deep. Fortunately, the dub does not suffer from this problem. The principals from the first volume continue to display great work (even Jean's French accent becomes less distracting as the show goes on), and the voices for the new characters introduced are well matched. Eleven-year-old Margaret Cassidy -- the third of the child performers which make the dub special -- plays Marie, and she does an excellent job sounding like a cute little girl. Her childish voice is convincing, her giggling endearing, her cries mournful, and she offers some of the best lines too. Cassidy's biggest moment, however, is to sound stressed and frightened as she recalls the death of her parents. This is a very demanding scene which requires a lot of emotion to pull off, and Cassidy truly shines here -- a rare feat for child actresses at any age. Gargoyle's English VA, David Jones, was the one voice that I found to be questionable. The problem isn't that Jones doesn't do a good job, but his inflections of Gargoyle are a rather different contrast to that of Motomu Kiyokawa. Rather than sounding menacing and scary, Jones instead comes off as casual, sarcastic, and arrogant. However, this is all in line with the character. If the dub directors were trying to emphasize his attitude a little bit more, then Jones succeeds in doing so. Despite this debatable performance, Monster Island's dub of NADIA is good work, and probably one of their most underrated efforts.

The quality of the show varied after this volume (the Nautilus episodes are on the same level as these four episodes, however), but the second addition to NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER remains a classic.

A 5 STAR DVD!.......2001-08-16

This is the best DVD i ever bought! The story is good! The characters are good! every thing is great! that's why this is a 5 star DVD!

A 5 star DVD!.......2001-08-16

This is the best DVD i ever bought! The story is good! The characters are good! every thing is great! that's why this is a 5 star DVD!

Average customer rating:

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass
Starring: Nicole Kidman , Daniel Craig , Eva Green , Dakota Blue Richards , and Adam Godley
Director: Chris Weitz
ProductGroup: Theatrical Release
Binding: Theatrical Release
ASIN: B00005JPNW

Average customer rating:

Falls disappointingly short of its potential; "C+"
KURUPT, AND DASH ARE GREAT
Russell and Rhames shine in this police drama...
Kurt Russell should of got an award for this role.......one of his best performances
Trite, Predictable, Simplistic....overall a Disappointment

Dark Blue [Region 2]
Starring: Kurt Russell , Scott Speedman , Michael Michele , Brendan Gleeson , and Ving Rhames
Director: Ron Shelton
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0000AM73Z

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Customer Reviews:

Falls disappointingly short of its potential; "C+".......2007-02-09

KURUPT, AND DASH ARE GREAT.......2005-11-18

Russell and Rhames shine in this police drama..........2005-11-09

Kurt Russell should of got an award for this role.......one of his best performances.......2005-10-04

Trite, Predictable, Simplistic....overall a Disappointment.......2005-08-23

Charlie Rose with Ken Pollack; Kurt Russell (February 21, 2003)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Ken Pollack; Kurt Russell (February 21, 2003)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

Description

A look at the threat posed by Iraq and possible responses to it with the author of The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq, Ken Pollack. Then, actor Kurt Russell talks about his new movie, Dark Blue, in which he plays a Los Angeles police officer.

Average customer rating:

crack addict

Manufacturer: 3rd degree
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
Product Features:

Behind The Scenes
Photo Gallery
Full Motion Chapter Menu

ASIN: B000P8F9CG

Product Description

An addiction to perfect asses leads to a voyeuristic anal attack on some of the most beautiful and talented asses in the business. The little red head Audrey takes a giant butt plug so far up her ass you'll swear it split.

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