- - - -
FILM: DARK
BLUE,
AMERICAN
WEDDING
BY DAVID BLUMENSTEIN
& JACOB ZHIVOV
August 7, 2003
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DAVID BLUMENSTEIN
A bunch of people are going to be turned off this movie
immediately when they hear it stars Kurt
Russell. Another bunch of people will be turned off when they
hear it co-stars Scott
Speedman. However, I'm here to tell you that DARK BLUE is no CAPTAIN
RON, nor is it FELICITY. It is in fact a very good cop movie. You
like cop movies? Then you should go see DARK BLUE.
Dark Blue is set in Los Angeles, 1991, just before the
verdict on the four cops who beat Rodney King is announced. Kurt Russell
is a crooked badass cop and Scott Speedman is his green rookie partner.
Kurt looks like shit in this movie, which is great. In addition to
this, there's a corrupt Whitey named Jack (Brendan
Gleeson), an Angry Black Lieutenant (ABL)* played by Ving
Rhames and a couple of stupid thieves, one of whom is entertainingly
played by Dash Mihok,
who I know I've seen somewhere before but I'm not sure where. It was
probably in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet, or maybe on Law &
Order.
Anyway, this is a good movie, particularly if, like
me, you enjoy cops who kick down doors and hit people and fire guns,
and watch shows like NYPD Blue and The Shield. It should be made clear,
however, that Dark Blue is in fact a drama and not a comedy.
WHAT DID YOU FINK, JAKE?
JACOB ZHIVOV
Kurt Russell's peak of stardom was in the '80s - '90s,
so I think there is no coincidence here that he is playing a cop in
the early '90s, complete with that era's hairstyle, for which he is
famous. While on that note, it's good to see him working again, and
in a good film for once.
It's also good that there are no good cops or bad cops
in this film.
Everyone has a secret and with a run time of 118 minutes we are allowed
to get know our characters, which is becoming rare in films these
days.
Unfortunately, we don't really get any "badge and
gun"** scenes but still fun for the cop film lovers like us.
* Rhames' character is an Assistant Police Chief, not
a Lieutenant. I'm referring to the common decision by film and TV
makers to place the token black character in a position of power over
the main, white, characters in order to make it seem that he has some
power, when in fact it's always the white police chief, or "the
mayor", who is the ultimate authority.
** That's where the cop, frustrated with his superiors,
hands in his gun and badge so he may take on the criminals solo, on
their turf. Or sometimes, the ABL will just fire him, insisting on
his handing in his gun and badge. Either way, he ends up taking on
the criminals solo, on their turf.
DAVID BLUMENSTEIN
I saw American Pie, and I thought it was OK. I didn't
see the second one. The third one, American Wedding (renamed American
Pie: The Wedding in Australia so as not to confuse those who are waiting
for a sequel to American Beauty) would probably be fun for those who
love are care about these characters, or at least the ones who returned
for this third Pie (none of the girls are in it except Alyson Hannigan,
of Buffy and "band camp" fame). I personally have no real
love or caring for Jim or Finch or Stifler or the other guy whose
name doesn't matter, so I wasn't excited by the movie. Actually, the
characters are all OK. Finch is cool. The problem is that what they
say isn't especially funny, and the editing is kind of fucked. I'm
guessing there was a lot chopped out of this movie at various points.
But if you like Stifler... THIS MOVIE HAS ALL THE STIFLER
YOU CAN HANDLE! They should have changed the title to STIFLER'S BIG
MOVIE for all the Stifler that's in here! You get to see Stifler being
a jerk, Stifler lying, Stifler swearing and even STIFLER GETTING SEXUAL
GRATIFICATION FROM SOMETHING INAPPROPRIATE... TWICE!
The best part of this film was where Alyson Hannigan
has a little chat with Eugene Levy (Jim's Dad). Eugene Levy is a very
funny man, and his eyebrows are just excellent. For primo Eugene Levy
fun, go see A Mighty Wind, also out at the moment.
If, however, you see A Mighty Wind and you really feel
you need a little more big-screen Eugene Levy action, American Pie
has it. There's not much, but what's there is OK.
DARK BLUE stars Kurt Russell, Scott Speedman and Brendan
Gleeson. It is rated R and is 118 minutes long. It opens today.
AMERICAN WEDDING PIE stars Jason Biggs, Seann William
Scott, Alyson Hannigan and Eugene Levy. It is rated MA 15+ and is
100 minutes long. It has one scene with naked tits. It opens today.
A MIGHTY WIND stars Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer,
Michael McKean, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Fred
Willard, et al. It is rated PG and is 92 minutes long. It opened at
selected cinemas last week.
BIKER BOYZ stars Laurence Fishburne, Derek Luke and
Kid Rock. It is rated M and is 110 minutes long. It opened two weeks
ago.
BAD EGGS stars Mick Molloy, Bob Franklin, Judith Lucy
and Alan Brough. It is rated M and is 98 minutes long, but I reckon
they could've cut another 10-15 minutes out of it. It opened two weeks
ago.
