Writer/director Ron Shelton is primarily known for his light, romantic sports flicks (see Bull Durham, Tin Cup and White Man Can't Jump). Upon seeing his name attached to this good cop/bad cop crime drama, I was immediately curious. Calling this a departure for Ron Shelton, would be a major understatement.

This gritty, ultra violent morality tale revolves around the LAPD, and uses the Rodney King inspired riots as it's backdrop. Kurt Russell plays a third generation cop who, along with a wide eyed rookie (played by Scott Speedman), squares off against a stoic and by-the-book officer (played by Ving Rhames), a ruthless boss (played by Brendan Gleeson) and a city awash in sleaze.

The first thing to take me by surprise in Dark Blue was it's violence. This movie is brutal in it's depiction of street violence and unflinching in it's portrayal of police department corruption. I wasn't prepared for such an assault. I had the same reaction last year when I saw the underrated Narc.

What I really admired about Dark Blue was it's gutsy realism and it's unlimited energy. This movie very seldom let's up, and while it certainly brought to mind Training Day, this film plays more like a 90's version of L.A. Confidential (not surprising when looking at the writing credits).

Russell is a actor who rarely gets credit for his immense talent. In the past five years, he's turned in winning performances in such films as Breakdown and Vanilla Sky. In Dark Blue, he gets in touch with his dark side--bringing to life a character who is easy to love and hate. While he does overplay this role in a couple of scenes (particularly towards the end of the picture), I loved the energy and humanity he brings to the role. Ving Rhames is commanding to be sure, but we see very little of him. Dark Blue is more interested in it's shady characters. Gleeson sinks his teeth into the role of a cop who's been taken over by power and greed. Speedman does a good job as the rookie, and provides contrast as a man who is still undecided as to what path he wants to take in life. It's not an easy choice given that Russell is his mentor.

Ron Shelton has done a great job keeping things moving along. Dark Blue comes at with breakneck speed and a fair share of unexpected shocks, and the staging of the L.A. riots is quite terrifying. Shelton has proven that he's capable of drama and action--Dark Blue has plenty of both.

Dark Blue is a film that really blindsided me. I hadn't heard anything about it until a couple of months ago, and when I saw the trailer, it didn't look all that appealing to me. Although it©ös only in February, I'd say it's the best film released so far this year.