Street Kings

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.

STREET KINGS Welcome to Street Kings, the movie that sees Keanu Reeves returning to the genre that made him famous, the action/crime/thriller. And boy is it good to have him back. Whatever your opinion of Reeves is as an actor, I really think he's grown on me in recent years. This also might have something to do with the fact that the guy really doesn't make bad movies that often. Street Kings is definitely in the upper tier of his work, both in his performance and as a film.

One thing that should immediately stand out to you is the size and profile of the cast, which is not short on stars. However, underneath the sea of recognizable faces is a gripping thriller with enough gunfire and blood to satisfy most fans of the action genre, as well as a compelling story to keep the crime buffs interested. We follow Reeves' Tom Ludlow, a brutal and unforgiving LAPD detective, as he works the streets of Los Angeles without rules and uses whatever force is necessary to get the job done. However, when he is implicated in a crime, he must put all he knows behind him to save his life and career.

Keanu Reeves...I can't think of many actors who have played more characters that define the word 'badass' (maybe Mark Wahlberg). So what if his abilities are limited to being dark, moody, and the definition of brooding intensity? He's GOOD at it! He can play the most repulsive guy (like he does in this movie as well as Constantine), yet still come off as likable, which is why I'll finally admit that I like the guy.

The massive supporting cast is headlined by Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, and everyone's favorite snarky doctor, Hugh Laurie. While Whitaker does his usual theatrical/over the top act, it really fits with his character and doesn't detract from the film. Laurie is also great in a scene stealing role as the Captain after Ludlow's badge. Chris Evans is forgettable, but not horrible. Cameos from "The Moniker Team", as I like to call it, are welcome additions as well. This team consists of Common, The Game, and Cedric the Entertainer. Common's cameo as an ice cold villain is memorable and almost scary. I loved him. Amaury Nolasco annoyed me once again, while seeing John Corbett in a movie was kind of weird, considering that he 'retired' a few years ago.

The mood and atmosphere of Street Kings is where it gets its title. It really felt like a constant power struggle within the movie not only between the characters, but with Reeves' character as well. His character's light and dark sides both come out in the film, but the real twist is which side comes out on top in the end. The film has several twists and turns, including a somewhat predictable revelation as to who the main bad guy is, but I found that I was never bored. It is well paced and definitely entertains with some dark and dry humor here and there.

With Street Kings, you've got a thriller that doesn't bring a lot of new things to the table in the 'dirty cop movie', but instead has a strong foundation in its cast and director (David Ayer, the man behind other dirty cop stories such as Training Day and Harsh Times), which shows on screen. It's one of the better thrillers this year, and is worth a look if you're into the genre.

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.

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

A man wakes up in the morning with a very pessimistic, worn-down, can't care about anything expression. He sleeps with a gun in his hand. He doesn't care about anything that happens to him or anybody else. Now…where have we seen this before? Many times, over and over again in cop movies. Basically, David Ayer's Street Kings is just a retread of what other cop-corruption movies have done in the past. But what it does is cleverly blend them all together to create a story that may not be pumped full of intelligence, is compelling enough to keep us guessing at least most of the way through.

Street Kings stars Keanu Reeves as the stereotypical don't-care-about-nuthin' police officer. His wife is dead and he's often used by his boss (Forest Whittaker) for taking down bad guys. When Reeves becomes suspected in the murder of his former partner (Terry Crews), the common tales of betrayal, corruption, and loyalty come up as Reeves takes the law into his own hands, blood is shed, shells are emptied, and the whole cycle starts over again until a conclusion is reached.

Yes, there is nothing in Street Kings that I call original, but then again, there are few movies these days in the early years of the 21st century that are. Hollywood seems to have lost its nerve for newer, bigger ideas and is just going back over the movies that made big bucks in the past. But Street Kings is effectively made. I really liked Keanu Reeves as the pessimistic cop, I enjoyed the other actors in their performances and roles. The action is hair-raising. The setting of a world of corruption and hatred is well realized with the script. The dialogue is oftentimes very vulgar, sometimes over the top, but that can be looked over. And like I said earlier, even though the plot elements have been used over and over again, the screenwriters wield it just write so that you'll have several guesses about what happens next or simply no idea whatsoever. So, while it's not a great movie in any regards, Street Kings is a fun, shoot-'em-up action picture with good performances and lots of adrenaline and therefore, gets a recommendation from me for members of the action movie fandom.