Street Kings (2008)

WHAT A PIECE OF CRAP ALL THE WAY AROUND...PAINFUL TO WATCH ALL THE WAY TO THE END. HOW CAN A GREAT CAST AGREE TO A BAD SCRIPT SUCH AS THIS?

Admittedly, David Ayer movies are hit-or-miss for me (leaning more toward miss), but even with James Ellroy writing the thing, "Street Kings" is surprisingly limp. Yet another film dealing with ingrained corruption and racism in the LAPD, this one has a lineup of seasoned and capable acting talent. Reeves, to his credit, is playing against type here as a disillusioned cop who's going beyond department policy and conscience. I mean, he is out there. But this is oddly stale material that never really becomes exciting. There are shootouts, and double-dealings, sure, but . . . eh. The one thing that really surprised me here (even back in 2008, before he nailed the role of Captain America) is that Chris Evans is really the highlight of this cast. Forrest Whitaker on the other hand . . . well, by the end, when the evil operation comes crashing down, the guy just sort of veers off into some sort of comical parody. It's bizarre when that man is the weak link in your film.5/10

If you disagree with my title summary I defy you to list better movies in this genre from the past decade. If you're looking for watchable action movies these days you have to look pretty hard. I could count on one hand how many decent cop thrillers I've seen lately. Street Kings, even with its flaws, is a solid piece of crime drama with some iconic action scenes.Screenplay by James Elroy. I didn't know this before watching the movie but the quality is evident at every step along the way in the drama. The action scenes are intense and there is a lot of tension created to make those scenes resound even more deeply. I think this may be the only movie where I actually liked Keanu Reeves. I've tolerated him before but he's good in this role. Forest Whitaker is another matter. Ever since his over-the-top (read: bad) performance in The Shield series it's obvious that he's either a really bad actor or a one trick pony.The opening few scenes are enough to validate your admission ticket. There are a few other good scenes and a few bad ones but I stand behind my initial statement. I suppose that my praise for this film says a lot more about the sad state of movies these days than it does for the quality of Street Kings.

Here's an underrated actioner that thrills, one of those fiery cop thrillers, that's electric, witha not so bad performance from Keanu to boot. And when it's left in the hands of the writer of Training Day, in what must be his directional debut, that's just adds more plus's. I loved the use of L.A locations here, many we've seen before like in the barrios, or from aerial views, mountains and city in the backdrop, whatever, Street Kings, didn't disappoint one iota. Again this gritty film that just involves you all the way with it's many layers story, that works well for thriller sakes. Again police corruption runs high. Who is good and who is bad. Well there are not many who are good. Keanu, implicated in a robbery, goes to all lengths to find out who's setting him up. He isn't helped by a heckling Hugh Laurie (the film's best performance) riding his tail, who steals the film the way Anthony La Paglia did in Whispers In The Dark, as a smart cocky I.A. officer. Keanu gets matey with an I.A guy (super cool Chris Evans, who's very good here) who could be his last hope. There are car chases, foot chases, some well staged and tense shootouts, you name it. The only let down is it's title, yet fitting just not really original, like a lot of titled films that start with The .... Here is one of the searing cop thrillers, you must grant a view, despite bad hype, and Keanu, back in the action seat, really sells it, with some serious dramatic acting.