Street Kings Movie Review
If you’re not hip to what’s going to happen in Street Kings’ final minutes by, let’s say, 15 minutes into the movie, then either you’ve missed out on every other dirty cop movie ever made or you’re so caught up in how well Keanu Reeves pulls off his role as a tough-as-nails, take no prisoners (literally) officer you’re not actually paying attention to the story. Things are telegraphed so far in advance in Street Kings that the words ‘suspense’ and ‘thriller’ should be banned from use in describing this latest gritty drama from David Ayer (Harsh Times).
Director Ayer has a real eye for capturing LA’s less glamorous streets, and with a story and screenplay by James Ellroy, another storyteller who knows his way around the turf, Street Kings has the makings of a classic cop drama. But somewhere along the line the dialogue and story took a turn down a dark alley lined with film clichés and Hollywood melodrama and didn’t emerge unscathed.
The Story
LA Vice Detective Tom Ludlow (Reeves) knows how to bring down the bad guys. His ‘shoot first, don’t ask questions later’ style may be a public relation person’s worst nightmare, but no one can deny it’s effective in cleaning up the streets. Along with a batch of like-minded officers, and under the direction of Captain Wander (Forest Whitaker), Ludlow and his unit act above the law, which makes them the target of internal investigations. Even Ludlow’s old partner Terrence Washington (Terry Crews) believes the group is out of control, and he’s willing to spill the beans to Internal Affairs Captain Biggs (Hugh Laurie).
If you’re not hip to what’s going to happen in Street Kings’ final minutes by, let’s say, 15 minutes into the movie, then either you’ve missed out on every other dirty cop movie ever made or you’re so caught up in how well Keanu Reeves pulls off his role as a tough-as-nails, take no prisoners (literally) officer you’re not actually paying attention to the story. Things are telegraphed so far in advance in Street Kings that the words ‘suspense’ and ‘thriller’ should be banned from use in describing this latest gritty drama from David Ayer (Harsh Times).
Director Ayer has a real eye for capturing LA’s less glamorous streets, and with a story and screenplay by James Ellroy, another storyteller who knows his way around the turf, Street Kings has the makings of a classic cop drama. But somewhere along the line the dialogue and story took a turn down a dark alley lined with film clichés and Hollywood melodrama and didn’t emerge unscathed.
The Story
LA Vice Detective Tom Ludlow (Reeves) knows how to bring down the bad guys. His ‘shoot first, don’t ask questions later’ style may be a public relation person’s worst nightmare, but no one can deny it’s effective in cleaning up the streets. Along with a batch of like-minded officers, and under the direction of Captain Wander (Forest Whitaker), Ludlow and his unit act above the law, which makes them the target of internal investigations. Even Ludlow’s old partner Terrence Washington (Terry Crews) believes the group is out of control, and he’s willing to spill the beans to Internal Affairs Captain Biggs (Hugh Laurie). Source: About
