Director Ron Shelton, best known for sports flicks (Bull Durham, Tin Cup), brings a powerhouse punch to this police drama, adapted by David Ayer (Training Day) from a short story by James Ellroy, of L.A. Confidential fame.

Kurt Russell digs into the juiciest role of his career as Eldon Perry, a conflicted sergeant from a long line of racist cops. Now, while he trains a rookie (Scott Speedman)in how to bend the rules, Eldon is investigated by the deputy chief (Ving Rhames) and set up by his own boss (a devilishly fine Brendan Gleeson).

helton, who stages the electrifying climax against the 1992 L.A. riots ignited by the verdict in the Rodney King case, starts more fires of character and incident than he can handle. No matter. Dark Blue is a film of wounding power. It stays with you.

“Helen Wheels”

A rollicking good-time hard rocker, "Helen Wheels" was not about a woman but about Paul McCartney's Land Rover, the anthemic chorus voicing the vehicle's reckless joy as "she" took to the road. The song was added to the U.S. version of Band on the Run but was issued only as a single in McCartney's native U.K. "I like that because it's a British road song and there's not many of those around," said McCartney. "It's always Route 66. But Carlisle? How many songs have got Carlisle in them?"