Os Reis da Rua

I wasn't expecting much from Street Kings, just to be entertained and that's what I got. Keanu Reeves played the part good, Hugh Laurie did exceptionally well, while the worst acting in the movie was from Chris Evans. Chris Evans was wooden and didn't seem to be able to act his way out of a glass box, during the argument in the locker room between him and Reeves I bit my tongue to keep from laughing as Reeves was actually doing a good job. The story was good, flawed and slow in places, but overall good. Sure the movie could've had a better cast but it doesn't and the only surprise here is that Chris Evans was worse than Keanu Reeves.

Keanu Reeves's acting has been called Luc warm by the critics, I don't think he is the worlds worst performer, There are so many other performers I'd like to give that crown too has the worst, but he does not fit in that category. So far his performances are not Oscar worthy, but he manages to make them memorable for the most part.

Set in the mean streets of L.A. veteran cop Tom Ludlow(Keanu Reeves), who has had a strong chip on his shoulder since his wife died, uses dirty methods to get the bad guys, but his captain(Forest Whitaker) does not care, has long as he gets results. But then things begin to come down on him, When he is caught up in a shooting of a former friend turned enemy(Terry Crews), Then Tom starts being investigated on why was he there. Tom secretly begins his own investigation, he has the feeling he might have been set up, will he find out the truth, or will the truth get him killed? It was entertaining to say the least the best cop thriller since L.A. Confidental. It had great suspense and great performances by everybody in the film.

"Street Kings" definitely has the street-cred. Keanu looks real bad-ass, Forrest Whittaker looks like he's digging back into the character he played on "The Shield", writer director David Ayer is no stranger to life on the cop circuit, having written "Dark Blue" and "Training Day among others, and the movie also brings on the token rappers for good measure in Common and The Game. But does it work? Reeves plays Tom Ludlow, a Vice detective on a Special Forces unit in LA, led by Ludlow's friend and former partner Captain Wander (Forrest Whittaker). Ludlow's a dirty cop, but he feels in a good way. He'll execute and then tweak the crime scene if it means taking the low-lifes off the streets for good.

His former partner Terrance Washington (Terry Crews) doesn't see it that way though, as he is in the midst of ratting him out to the head of Internal Affairs, Captain Biggs (Hugh Laurie). When he finds out, Tom follows Washington around, walking right into a convenience store robbery where Washington is gunned down execution style. Wander tells Tom he'll take care of it, but Tom is a man who values justice more than anything. He partners with a homicide detective named Diskant (Chris Evans) to follow the evidence and solve the murder.

The movie, by David Ayer, couldn't be more hard-core. It's filled with riveting gun-battles and fights and it's a movie not afraid to show some real brutal violence and blood. The verbal exchanges between characters are also exceptionally written, heated and intense with a good ear for dialogue. My favorite line by far this year is "Why don't you do the department a favor and clean your mouth out with a buck-shot." And the story pulls off a compelling morality play, sending Tom up a ladder of murder and corruption, and at the same time, climbing him further toward his own redemption. Sure, you can probably see the ending coming if your paying close enough attention, but think about it, the movie couldn't end in a better way.

This is the kind of movie Reeves is excellent in, giving his character edge and toughness but also never losing track of the character's underlying moral dilemma. Whittaker is also incredible in this movie, sinking his teeth into a character who's basically portrayed as "The Godfather" of LA. Hugh Laurie shows up every once in a while, the character feels underwritten though. Chris Evans does a decent job, Cedric The Entertainer and Jay Mohr are nice additions who add some comedy, and it's a small role but Naomie Harris deserves a shout-out for playing the down-to-earth voice of reason character.

"Street Kings" is hard-nosed, gritty film-making. The cast is right on the money, the writing and direction is terrific, and the action couldn't be more exciting. The year is still young but this is one of my favorite films so far.

When I first took this in at the theater, I had high expectations, and it still blew me away. I remain spell-bound by this. It is an extensively well-thought-out and entertaining film. The plot is compelling, engaging and keeps developing, and while I had a hunch about one twist, I did not see them all coming. This has spot-on pacing, not a boring second to be found, or an overwhelming one for that matter. The cinematography and editing are excellent throughout. Every moment of the action is awesome, intense and exciting without being unrealistic(within the bounds of Hollywood, that is... which, if going by this, is actually entirely acceptable), and there is a solid and fitting amount of it. The music is appropriate for where this is set, not to mention really cool, consisting mainly of hardcore rap. As you can probably figure out, the tone of this is brutal, dark and gritty, through and through, and should not be viewed by anyone who may not be able to take it. The writing is astounding; the script, the dialog, the overall story, all of it. There is a lot of slang(the subtitles certainly helped me out), and some instantly memorable and utterly quotable lines. Almost all of the humor, which is also very rough(and the amount of which is considerable), lies in what is said, how it's put and/or its delivery; think verbal, British comedy(with four-letter words). The characters are distinguished, credible, and psychologically accurate, with no real exceptions, and while there is a heavy dose of macho-ism and bloated egos(some bits are soaked in, and dripping, testosterone), it never gets ludicrous, and there are several characters who help keep it grounded, in their more agreeable personalities. I think it is also notable that this, beyond a sequence lasting no longer than a few seconds, this does not at any point stoop to the lowest common denominator and try to appease and appeal to the young male demographic by simple parading something to gawk at. This isn't denying the existence of such, it just has nothing gratuitous in the way of it other than aforementioned brief part. The acting is magnificent, for basically every part(I owe Evans a heartfelt apology, the guy can actually do great work, and be pretty bad-ass), Reeves is believable, and Whitaker performs well in everything required of him in this. Both Laurie and Mohr, honestly, if you didn't know they usually go for making people laugh, you wouldn't know from this, they're straight-faced and professional all the way(and I'm not saying they're not funny in this). There is plenty of disturbing content and a ton of strong violence and language in this. The DVD holds an interesting director's commentary, a handful of informative featurettes, deleted scene with the option of hearing Ayer's thoughts on them(by the way, David, if I may call you that, I promise you, you put another movie up on the silver screen, and I *will* almost without a doubt go to the cinema to catch it when it comes out), alternate takes and vignettes(really short documentaries). All of them are well worth the time. I recommend this to fans of the people involved in making it, as well as of the genres and those who want to watch pictures set in this environment. 8/10

Here's another movie the critics dismissed that turned out to be a great movie. I was initially hesitant to go see the movie because of the negative reviews, but went to see Forrest Whittaker, Hugh Laurie and Keanu Reeves. I think most critics can't look at Reeves and not see Bill Preston Esq or Neo. However Keanu Reeves shows range in the movie and heads up the movie wonderfully.

This movie is a fast-paced LA Cop movie. It starts off great and never slows down. Money well spent at the Theater, and I'm the kind of guy who'd walk out of a movie that does not engage me. I would watch it again.