True Blue

TV thrillers. So many of them and they all somehow mesh together in your mind. It's sad to see Tom Berenger, a quality actor, not getting any good roles these days in movies, so this is basically what we can expect in the future. That said, True Blue gave me quite a shock; in the sense that I actually found it entertaining.

Tom stars as a broken down, physically aggressive, alcoholic detective with a past (do they come any other way?) who's investigating a crime that may uncover some police corruption. So who's really a True Blue?

This is actually a fairly well written yarn, fast paced and well acted. Tom is solid as the stereotypical detective and the rest do a good job as well. The plot is well constructed and offers a few unexpected twists in the end. It has that TV feel to it, but it does well what it sets out to do; entertain those less demanding. This is no Chinatown, but it's a solid mystery none the less.

A tough cop is taken off a major drug case because of his 'cowboy' antics and finds himself assigned to a case where all he has is a severed hand floating in the water. Luckily for him the hand still had fingers so the prints lead us to a missing city hall employee.

Exploring the girl's past leads us into involvement with a Chinese drug gang which are hero has reason to detest. Next we are led to a pedophiliac elected official, blackmail, several dancers, some murders and dirty cops.

Berenger carries the film singlehandedly and it follows a predictable course until the end. The 10 minute conclusion takes us thru more twists than most mystery writers can concoct in several novels so most viewers should come away well satisfied.

I'm unsure as to what I really think of this film. I enjoyed watching it, though it was in reality nothing special. It started rather slowly, and for the longest time you are not sure what the story is about. Are we watching Tom's character, Rem, falling in love, ruining his career, or is the film about the investigation and finding the baddy! Well neither story really worked out. The plot through out the film is complicated and about persons you don't see at all in the movie, though the ending (at least to me) was a surprise (one of this time when you think you've cracked it, but then there is one final twist!). And the love story was unbelievable and looked more like a middle aged man getting turned on by a teen. However, there was something about the film that still kept me interested, so like I say, I'm not completely clear as to how to judge it. I think what maybe kept the film both interesting and enjoyable was very good acting by Lori Heuring, playing the girl Nikki. 5/10

What could have been and should have been is not what is.

What is - is not what you expect and what you expect is not what is.

The last few minutes of this movie are just stupid.

Watch for the train scene...

If the cops were bad from the beginning, then it would all make sense...

...but I suspect it was rewritten several times and cut so much that the script was just stupid at the end.

• and on another note...why do the single/divorced /widowed police always have to fall in love with the stripper/prostitute/witness? It's a bullshi t way to write a script that was written in the eras of the 1940's and 50's and should be done with.

True Blue (2001) is typical standard fare for action film. A loose cannon police officer gets involved with a pretty young woman who may possibly be involved in case he's investigating.

Three young boys find a severed hand hanging to a boat in a Central Park pond. Rem Macy (Tom Berenger) is the investigation. The investigation will lead Macy into the underworlds of the city. Many of the local politicians are involved in the shady underground.

Nikki, the roommate of the murder victim asks to stay at Macy's place. He accepts figuring that it will be safe for Nikki. Now, Macy has to use his head and make sure other parts of his anatomy don't cloud his judgement.

True Blue has some nice twists and turns, as well as a fine performance from Tom Berenger (Major League). The film is decent enough for a viewing, but not a movie that I would rewatch.