Kurt Russell saves this picture from being a turkey. He's always watchable and is firing on all cylinders in Dark Blue. He needs to be because nobody else is, especially the scriptwriter. Russell plays a third generation elite SIS LA cop called Eldon Perry who has little respect for due process. He prefers to keep the courts out of his business by shooting hardened criminals in cold blood. In this he's backed up by his bosses, so he doesn't have to worry about getting nailed by the shooting board enquiries every time he uses his piece. But now he's got the straight arrow deputy chief on his back and his rookie partner is starting to flap as things come to a head during the 1992 riots. Russell never lets up as the hard drinking loudmouth but there's not enough action in the story and the rest of the cast are just going through the motions. Perry's character development is hardly realistic but it's good for the film because it gives Russell the opportunity to deliver a very entertaining speech.
