Street Kings (2008) User Reviews

It brings nothing new, but does everything right.

[The_Amazing_Spy_Rises · 7/10 · 28 November 2008]

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.

"You bored or something?" No, that would be the *exact* opposite of what I was during this

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 8/10 · 20 January 2010]

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

Explosive entertainment

[C-Younkin · 8/10 · 12 April 2008]

"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.

sometimes kind of ridiculous, but it holds the attention and stirs the pot a little

[Quinoa1984 · 7/10 · 13 April 2008]

I didn't go into Street Kings expecting a masterpiece, and I didn't get one. What I did expect is what I got, more or less: a competently made corrupt cops drama that throws on some heap-loads of stereotypes (not just racially or ethnically but just movie stereotypes, which may possibly be true to form them), and even crazy hysterics. If there is any significant achievement it's in taking the cop movie into such depraved depths it's like looking at a very entertaining infected boil: you know it'll pop any minute, and the pus might just run out a little bit here and there till there's more to squeeze out. There's almost an underlying current of hopelessness that gives the movie some intellectual lift, but at the same time it's such a time-waster that unless you're hardcore fans of the actors it's just about worth a rental.

Keanu Reeves goes from wooden to soggy-bottom wood as a cop who has been doing some dirty tricks to catch the bad guys lately (like setting up two Koreans- who are bad dudes for sure- by having them jack his car and then catching up with them to pop caps in their behinds), and he might be ratted out by his former partner. But when his partner is killed in very conspicuous circumstances, he goes to investigate it further while on a quasi-probation for even being at the scene of the crime (the crime, by the way, has one of the cheesiest "don't die on me" moments I've ever seen, laughably bad in how it's executed, no pun intended). Now, the conclusion shouldn't be at ANY surprise to anyone in the audience who's at least seen ONE other work by James Ellroy, the film's co-writer.

What does give it just a bit of extra lift is the extreme quality of the conclusion, how things seem so ridiculous that in any other hands this would be total nonsense. David Ayer, the director (and writer of Training Day, the perennial new millennium corrupt-cop saga), does have a good handle on the material though, even with ham-bone performance; Forest Whitaker is one of them, sadly, as he basically retreads his persona from The Last King of Scotland as the "King" of the corrupt cops. There is some not too shabby work, like a nearly phoned-in-from-House performance from Hugh Laurie (not unappreciated if you are a House fan), but it's mostly from supporting players like Jay Mohr in odd mustache and Common, the rapper, as one of the 'thugs'. It all kind of blends together as a pulpy orange of a B movie, good for something to not ponder too long over, but not as horrible as you might expect for a genre piece. It's a flavor of the season.

Formulaic entertainment

[amesmonde · 19 January 2016]

An infamous undercover cop becomes a pawn when he is implicated in the murder of his former partner.

What could have been an average police corruption thriller is elevated by Keanu Reeves, the supporting actors and David Ayer's kinetic slick direction. Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie and Chris Evans are on form. Notable is Terry Crews as ill-fated Terrence Washington. Reeves delivers the flawed alcoholic cop Detective Tom Ludlow successfully, while the role may not be as suitable as John Wick, it certainly one of his more dramatic roles.

The film stands in the shadow of the like of Training Day (2001) but has enough punch, with bloody hard hitting scenes to stand on its own. It's probably on par with the comparable Dark Blue (2002, Ayer incidentally wrote the screenplay) but unavoidably falls into the trappings of the genre.

Ayer's is wise to use a predominately on location shoot and portray graphic violence to give credence and weight to the proceedings. As Ludlow is set up and goes about uncovering a deeper conspiracy screenplay writers, the profound James Ellroy and underrated Kurt Wimmer successfully dot i's and cross the t's crafting a satisfying if somewhat predictable tale. The ending emulates the feeling of the closing of Dirty Harry (1971). Always topical and prevalent, I suppose you can never have too many films which highlight the pitfalls of greed and corruption.

Overall, formulaic yet entertaining.

Thriller with plenty of tension, suspense, dirty cops and all-star-cast

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 4 April 2023]

An extremely violent thriller about a jaded cop including hair-rising scenes , gruesome crimes and breathtaking chases. This nail-biting thriller packs plot twists, noisy action, pursuits , shootouts, and continuous intrigue .An undercover cop, LAPD detective Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) , disillusioned by the death of his wife, is implicated in the murder of an officer and must struggle to clear himself. Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker) always covers for Ludlow, as do even his somewhat jealous colleagues. Along the way , Tom is confronted by his former partner, Terrence Washington (Terry Crews) . After technically excessive violence against a vicious Korean gang during the liberation of kidnapped child sex slaves, Ludlow becomes the target of hotshot Internal Affairs captain James Biggs (Hugh Laurie) , who feels passed-over after Wander's promotion to chief. But some members of the elite task force find themselves being taken down one by one . When Tom is wounded , at the Hospital he's healed by a particular nurse who turns out to be his girlfriend, Grace Garcia (Martha Higareda). Later on , Detective Tom Ludlow meets Detective Paul Diskant (Chris Evans) and both of them join forces to investigate the sinister events. Ludlow works his way through the twisted rungs of the police and the deadly streets of Los Angeles for answers that only lead to more questions. And other cops and members of drug gangs are also gunned down . Their City. Their Rules. No Prisoners.

Nice action film displays action-packed, thrills , fast-paced , shootouts , wild fighting images , police brutality and spectacular chase sequence in South Central . James Ellroy wrote the surprising screenplay in the mid-1990s with the same formula of his previous works and inspired by the O. J. Simpson trial. James Ellroy's script for Street Kings (2008) bears certain resemblance to the screenplays for L. A. Confidential (1997) and Dark Blue (2002) . It's a noir movie whose plot is really complex and twisted , the ordinary issue in which certain law enforcement members suspected of being corrupt who are slain one by one and a deranged cop is given a major murder case by a corrupt commander/supervisor who sends him on a wild goose chase looking for fictional suspects and/or pinning the crime on criminals with prior records, only to learn that his boss is the real culprit. While the film was praised for its acting performances, action sequences, and dark tone, the script was criticized for its clichés about police corruption. Keanu Reeves is nice giving an efficient acting as a ruthlessly efficient, unorthodox undercover cop and haunted by the death of his wife . Keanu even did all of his own stunts in the film with no stunt stand-in. And a fundamental fun is to guess which prestigious , famous actor appears here and there, showing his charm and acting skills, including the following : Hugh Laurie , Chris Evans, Cedric the Entertainer, Jay Mohr, Terry Crews , Naomie Harris, Common , John Corbett, Amaury Nolasco, Michael Monks , Clifton Powell , among otheres.

This bone-chilling motion picture was professionally directed by David Ayer , though it has too much dark scenes , and it was shot in grueling 42 days . Ayer is a prestigious writer and director with successes enough , writing or directing films as : Fury , SWAT , Training day , The Tax Collector , U-571 , Fast and furious saga, Suicide Squad , among others. The film is followed by an inferior sequel, ¨Street Kings 2: Motor city¨ (2011), released direct-to-video in 2011 by Chris Fisher with Ray Liotta , Shawn Hatosy , Scott Norman , Clifton Powell, Kevin Chapman . Rating : 6.5/10 . Decent thriller.

Who Is The King

[damianphelps · 7/10 · 24 April 2022]

This is an actors film, the plot is straight down the line, but the stars of the film make this a thoroughly entertaining movie.

The film wastes some opportunities by under utilising the 'squad'. The squad has some good actors in it who aren't given enough time to shine.

Otherwise its lots of fun :)

A predictable story with 2 great actors

[eclecticderby · 7/10 · 9 April 2008]

It's a well crafted film, with very good gun fighting scenes that tends to become a bit overboard, but still realistic enough. The story is predictable, but satisfying enough without being over complicated.

The main thing that make this movie better than many mediocre gangster films is Forest Whitaker. It's sad that he only got so little on screen time.

My favorite scene is not the gunfights and action scenes. It is the final showdown in the film. A true testament to the acting prowess of Forest Whitaker. He simply steal the thunder and lift the show single handedly.

Reeves on the other hand played out his character (a cop with moral dilemma) with the usual broodiness, seen-it-all personality. Pretty much like in Constantine. A well acted, believable character.

Watch this movie if you happened to walk into the cinema one weekend with nothing in mind.

a decent action picture. Nothing in it hasn't been seen before, but the filmmakers do wield it well enough to make it enjoyable and sometimes hair-raising

[TheUnknown837-1 · 7/10 · 1 January 2009]

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.

Possibly one of the best cop thrillers in years!

[ivo-cobra8 · 10/10 · 16 November 2015]

Street Kings (2008) is one of the best cop action thrillers from Keanu Reeves. This movie was released in 11 April 2008 (USA) after hearing about this movie that Keanu Reeves made another action movie I rushed to see it right away, if it is any good and I was right! It is a good action thriller! It is one of my favorite best Keanu Reeves movies, I am still a big fan of him and I always enjoy this movie. I also had no idea that Chris Evans (Captain America The Winter Soldier, Avengers) started in this movie as the main support cast opposite of Keanu Reeves. Chris acted outstanding in here as Detective Paul Diskant. This is a slick perfect action thriller about dirty cops and a cop been killed, while other cop is blamed and framed for his death, by other follow officers, now he has to clear his name and punished the guilty ones and finding a Justice on his own way! I know a lot of people don't like this movie that is fine, but is 1.000.000 times way better to seeing this flick than watching the new Keanu Reeves movie Knock Knock! The mystery, the acting and the action in this movie is outstanding!

"Street Kings" is possibly one of the best cop thrillers in years since the likes of The Departed, Training Day, Dark Blue, and To Live and Die in L.A.! Keanu Reeves gives a very strong performance as a veteran L.A. detective who is struggling with his conscience as he deals with both delivering brutal street justice and mourning the death of his wife. Oscar winner Forest Whitaker gives another strong performance as Keanu's hard-nosed boss, whose duties include keeping Keanu within the confines of the law and out of the clutches of Internal Affairs. Hugh Laurie (TV's "House") was a real surprise in the movie, as he plays the captain of Internal Affairs who is out to bring down corruption in the force, particularly amongst the Vice Squad (which includes Keanu, Whitaker, and a couple of appearances by Jay Mohr and John Corbett). And Chris Evans ("Captain America The Winter Soldier") gives a very convincing performance as a young detective who teams up with Keanu after evidence implicates the latter in the death of his ex-partner.

This movie is filed with a lot of action and twists, although some were predictable it kept me interested to the end. Keanu Reeves played a good part along with Forest Whitaker who always gives a top notch performance. It is a fun flick, specially if you are Keanu Reeves fan or you like the actor. This movie was pretty good. I enjoyed it very much. great cast. good story. I know this type of Bad cop movie has been done before in different ways. Keanu Reeves did a way better job as a cop in Street Kings then he did an architect in Knock Knock. Very believable. Great camera and make-up work. there was a good part in this movie were you can feel how cold the streets could be. But for the most part it was very predictable. In this movie are two rappers in here that both plays different characters and they did a good job on acting. Even some people would not agree with me. Common as corrupt LAPD deputy masquerading as "Coates" and The Game as Grill. I think both did a good job playing their roles. Street Kings got a also a sequel which it sucked ass! Both of the roles Keanu Reeves passed in the sequels Speed and Street Kings. Because he knew it was a bad idea and the sequels will be a failure and they really were.

Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) is a veteran LAPD cop who finds life difficult to navigate after the death of his wife. When evidence implicates him in the execution of a fellow officer, he is forced to go up against the cop culture he's been a part of his entire life. This is Keanu Reeves that I love and not his role in Knock Knock, this movie kicks ass!!!!!! And I don't care if you put down this review I stand by my morals of a Keanu Reeves fan boy and I love an action films that he made! I am giving this movie 10/10 it is one of my personal favorite Keanu Reeves best action thriller.

Flawed but good movie.

[chance84 · 7/10 · 12 April 2008]

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.

The critics must be crazy

[atifrahman · 9/10 · 11 April 2008]

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.

Okay thriller had too many cooks and was too long in the oven to as good as it should have been

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 14 May 2008]

James Ellroy penned tale of a cop, played by Keanu Reeves, who is a loose cannon sent on the trail of the killer of his murdered partner. Protected by his captain because he can get things done and hounded by Internal Affairs, Reeves soon finds he is descending into a world that he really should not be part of. Reeves is okay, if a bit wooden as our antihero. Part of the problem is that he isn't given a great deal to do beyond allowing events to play out around him. To be certain he is a participant in events but there is a coldness to him that doesn't give a great many clues as to what is happening inside him. One would suspect he took the role because it offered him a chance to say some pithy lines, and behave in a more or less serious manner. The rest of the cast is quite good and one suspects that Forest Whitaker (as his boss) and Hugh Laurie (The Internal Affairs guy) took the roles because they got to play a bit against type. Good instead of great the films script, a long time in the oven, shows signs of being worked and reworked so much that the script becomes confused because too many hands lost track of what was going on. Rest assured that the central thrust and much of the dialog seems to be the work of Ellroy, the ending is most assuredly his in plot if not writing, but all of the details the additional writers have added have blurred what ever had attracted a long line of directors and stars to the project. Worth a look on DVD or cable where you're more likely to forgive the flaws.

Kings of Crap

[DaveDiggler · 2/10 · 21 April 2008]

Street Kings" is an over-the-top, unrealistic portrayal of corruption within the police force. Setting it in LA is the only way to make a film with such ambition of distorting reality even possible. LA is heavily diverse with all kinds of people which is a good backdrop for racism and more importantly racist cops. LAPD is also a place where the police have been scrutinized and publicly shamed for involvement in corruption that resorts anywhere from murder to police brutality to not paying for coffee. And in the one track mind of David Ayer who hit it big with "Training Day"- which was a much better film, but also terribly flawed as well- just can't seem to get away from showing cops in a extremely negative light. Here he basically rips off his own film… again- see "Harsh Times". The good thing about "Training Day" was Ethan Hawke's character. He was a good cop under the wing of a corrupt cop. There was a good and evil battle there. Keanu Reeves is supposed to be that good guy, but he's a veteran of 18 years and he has quite a history of corruption. Right from the first scene of the film he's puking because, naturally, he's an alcoholic due to the death of his wife. A lot of cops are alcoholics so it's only natural for the main character, once again, to be an alcoholic in a David Ayers film. Then he goes and buys little airplane bottles of Vodka- three of them- chugs them down, then proceeds to make a routine sell to a couple of Asians who are looking to buy a Machine gun. These Chinese (Or whatever they are) are the guys he's looking for in a kidnapping of two missing persons. Ludlow (Reeves) goes on a racist tirade about their looks and then they follow that up by beating the crap out of him. Only then does he tack them down and kill them all. That's what he does: He kills people. No warning, no police procedure of any kind, he's merely a vigilantly with a badge; a cowboy in the mold of Jon Wayne.

The writing in this film is terrible. It's not even close to realistic and it paints a picture of corrupt cops who own the streets through fear and intimidation- they act the same way as the criminals do. Oh, you've seen that done before? Naturally you come across guys who cover up, set up, spree kill, kill other cops, get involved in drugs, and pretty much any kind of corruption you can think of in about a span of five days. This is made routine in an Ayers film which was okay the first time around. Now it's getting out of hand and it makes his previous films look even worse because we now see where Ayers wants to take this subject: No where. Ayers packs years and years of police corruption into weekend retreats as if it's an everyday routine: A casual drug deal here, an everyday spree killing there, and the usual torture-thing over here. This stereotypical technique of painting all cops evil is not unlike "Training Day" or "Harsh Times" where reality is not needed. You don't notice how bad of a writer someone is until they prove to you that they can't create a character that's three-dimensional or, more importantly, different. Ayers can't provide drama. He has to put his characters in the most extreme circumstance every five minutes because, when he doesn't, his films get boring with tedious everyday interactions that just don't work because they're not in any way, shape, or form realistic. If these cops aren't corrupt they're aspiring to be corrupt. The forgettable cast and the forgettable plot will probably leave smarter audience members with the same feeling I had. If I could tell Ayers something I would tell him this: "Stop beating your stupid message that corruption exists within the police force to ad nausea levels that only a Paul Haggis could rival!! Stop it!! You don't like cops! Great, got the picture." Ayers showed promise as a writer. Now he shows that he can't come up with a single original idea as his films stand on clichés, coincidence, and exaggeration. He adds nothing new that hasn't already been done- even by him. "Street Kings" depends on coincidence to drive the plot, such as a chase scene where a suspect runs through the neighborhood as Ludlow drives around the streets to find him (I think I've seen that before and if Ayers makes another movie I bet I see it again). Naturally, Ludlow is waiting for him and he throws something at his legs- looked like a chair, I wasn't paying much attention since I already knew what was going to happen- which takes the suspect off his feet as he falls into a barbed wire fence. This will also give Ludlow the opportunity to torture him by pulling him against the wire so it cuts into his skin. The man pleads for help as he thrives in pain, then gives in. Ludlow get's his answers. Not a single original idea is created. It's a work of dreadful perfection. The acting is bad, the direction is bad, and the writing is so bad it should have never been written let alone pitched, read, and then made. How did Forest Whitaker get himself involved in this? It's hard to even imagine his performance from "The Shield" compared to this hammed up, pay check cashing snooze fest. Of course he wasn't out done by Keanu Reeves and that one guy who pops in mediocre roles for some odd reason in big budget films. That dude's best acting performance came in "Not Another Teen Movie." Maybe you remember him? No? Me neither. They both were upstaged by Whitaker which shows that Forest can be a better actor than Reeves and the other guy without even trying- or at least he doesn't look to be trying.

Biggest flaw is Reeves acting

[stephen-317 · 7/10 · 31 December 2021]

He has presence and action but dialogue is not his strong point. As soon as we move from Wick/Neo to a bit of acting the scene dies. Whittaker seems to stumble around trying to find a good place to show his ability and Laurie can't believe he makes more money than Fry. Violent and well made, it's a shame the decent movie making bit went wrong.

Not the first of its kind, but certainly far from the worst.

[Punisher55 · 7/10 · 20 December 2008]

Street Kings is an interesting product of a cop film. It isn't a wall to wall mindless action film but yet it remains fairly violent and gritty. It isn't really a cop partner flick but it features buddy elements.

The best way to define Street Kings is a cop revenge flick with some twists throw in for good measure. Predictable? For the most part. The action scenes are enjoyable. The film has a certain mean mentality that benefits the subjects the film discusses such as political corruption and racism. Keanu plays the role with distance and anger that from time to time works. The supporting cast holds the film together and makes it all come together nicely. The problem is the film may have a bit too many characters to juggle. The film has a rough time developing the characters and the given situations.

Again, this might be asking a bit much from a film called "Street Kings" but for a gritty 2 hour cop flick starring Keanu Reeves it could have gone much worse. Worth a viewing for its acting and action.

I'm already packed Street Kings

[jaredmobarak · 6/10 · 11 April 2008]

What I love about David Ayer's work is that he is unpredictable and unafraid to tell a story in all its brutality. From his penned script Training Day to his directorial debut in Harsh Times, we are treated with bad men and worse men, doing what they need to survive and not worrying about the consequences. When I saw the trailer for his new film Street Kings, I thought I'd be in for a three-peat, but I should have looked at the writing credits. Don't get me wrong, I like James Ellroy and Kurt Wimmer, I enjoy much of their work, however, knowing Ayer's catalog makes me believe that it was their fault why I did not love this film. The aesthetic is there, the language is there, and the violence is never shied away from, but the story itself never surprises. You will be able to see what will happen straight from the getgo and unfortunately that just isn't what I'm used to seeing with Ayer. I expected more and hopefully for his next film he won't go gun-for-hire and write his own new urban street tale.

Don't be fooled by the trailer, this is not a story about a corrupt cop on his day to day jaunts busting heads and covering his tracks. It's about the good cop that has lost his faith, while he may go against the rules, he will only do it for the right reasons; he hasn't gone completely off the deep end. No, it's those around him that are lost and he must find two cop killers when everyone just wants to let it go in order to save his skin. True he wants the cover up to keep his job, but he also wants justice for his ex-partner, a man he began to dislike but a man he loved and would not let die in vain. In effect, then, we are treated to a much slower paced plot then you may want as he goes out on his own to solve the case off the books. More a straightforward cop drama then a crazy shoot-em-up, we are shown this one story thread through to its inevitable conclusion. It's all tidied up with a bow, villains explain the whole plan like the old cliché goes, and we get closure. Ayer, you aren't supposed to be so cut and dry, what happened? Being such a by the numbers tale also means sacrificing a lot of character development. Roles like Naomie Harris' are throwaways, putting a name actress in a small part with no real substance. The same goes for Hugh Laurie, third billed and quite entertaining, but does his Captain Biggs have any real need to be there? You could have put any guy off the street in that role and it would have served its purpose as a MacGuffin to be explained later. And how about Common? The guy owns his five minutes of screen time; it's just a shame that is all he is allowed. Not to mention John Corbett who doesn't even get a billing on IMDb, now that's just strange.

The acting is great overall though. Forest Whitaker is a bit too showy for me, but I love the guy so I give him a pass; Chris Evans is top-notch as usual, hopefully a true breakthrough role is coming for him; and Jay Mohr comes out of nowhere playing the aged Sgt. without any of his trademark wit. Even Cedric the Entertainer comes in shedding any comedic preconceptions. He plays his not-so-bad thug sounding like Terrance Howard in Hustle and Flow; I was shockingly impressed. The guy that holds it all together, though, is Keanu Reeves. I know people hate the guy, but I think he is solidly perfect here. He has the dejection and death sentence look about him, taking the kills for himself so that his partners don't have to live with the guilt. He knows what he does is wrong, but he does it because he believes he has to. Sometimes to keep the city safe, you have to bend the rules. Reeves looks weathered and beat-down here, totally believable as the cop looking to do right despite his actions. Real good stuff.

So, well directed and well acted, but yet not that great? Doesn't seem to make sense, yet that's my feeling. All the good stuff tries to overcompensate for the generic, lackluster story. One thing about cinema, though—and maybe the writers strike was worth it, even though those wanting the strike for more money were mostly the hacks, the true auteurs already get the cash—a good script overcomes all and a bad one cannot be saved. Unfortunately this one never goes that extra mile to be completely unique and the performances just fall into place when necessary rather than enhancing to bring the tale to new heights. If you haven't seen it yet, go rent Harsh Times, save this one for a rental in a few months instead.

Corruption within the LAPD?!? No way

[reddiemurf81 · 7/10 · 19 July 2021]

A veteran police officer (Reeves) is implicated in the death of a fellow officer. His unit and their boss try to cover the matter up,, but will the vet officer be able to let the matter go, or will he uncover deeper secrets held by those he trusts most?

Far too predictable!

[shanayneigh · 6/10 · 27 August 2008]

I kind of enjoyed this movie. Technically, there's nothing wrong with it. The acting is OK, although I'm not a big fan of Amaury Nolasco's. The story is somewhat engaging.

But it fails completely with the whole "who dunnit" thing (I don't want to give too much away). It's blatantly obvious from the very beginning who did it, so the filmmakers attempts to give the story some twists and turns in an effort to confuse the audience as to who did it are completely dead in the water.

It's a shame, really. The whole movie, you're just sitting there waiting for the inevitable showdown.

Cracker movie!

[pink_floydilia · 9/10 · 18 February 2022]

I'm ashamed to admit that being such a huge keanu reeves fan, I missed this movie until now - 2022!! Soo glad my husband educated me in this masterpiece.

From the get go your thrust into a corrupt, dark and violent underbelly of LAPD. While this genre isn't new, this movie delivers some fresh ideas in the way the mysteries of who is leading you in which direction becomes more complex as the film goes on.

Until the very end you're guessing.

Action packed. Excellent cast. Surprise storyline's. And Reeves delivered a ripper performance.

Sometimes ridiculous story with great cast that sells it

[imdb-23821 · 7/10 · 16 August 2021]

How often do you get Keanu Reaves, Forest Whitaker, Chris Evans, Hugh Laurie, Cedric the Entertainer in one film among others? While the script sometimes borders along the ridiculous and cringeworthy (I just wanted you to have this (smoking gun)... LOL), it's very well sold by Reeves and the rest of the cast.

In short here is the stock story. Reeves is the Dirty Harry of his generation. But he had a falling out with his partner who went totally clean and resents Reeves because... it's a movie and he saw the light of being straight and is now trying to get Reeves in trouble with Internal Affairs for going above the law. Or is he? Reeves goes to a store with a robbery about to happen in progress when it's really a hit. But the video will put Reeves in question about what he was doing there while 2 gunmen with machine guns murder his former partner. Reeves will need to navigate IA, other cops, the dangerous drug underworld to find out who the killers are.

If you can overlook some silly parts, it's a fun, cliched but well acted with a great cast and does maintain some credibility and plenty of suspense. Not great but certainly better than average and certainly better than modern tripe.

Back To The Roots

[MrSavari · 10/10 · 11 April 2008]

Over the past few years, the Action genre has continued to leave film goers mad. We have returned to what made this genre so appealing in the first place. We have returned to the time of classic cop thrillers such as Serpico and Chinatown. A modern day classic...Street Kings.

Do not miss this gritty story of a rogue cop who is pushed past his limits by corruption, greed and violence. Keanu Reeves plays the role perfectly in his stunning performance as Tom Ludlow. Forest Whitaker gives an awesome supporting performance as Wander.

Although there are a few rap artists in this film, they each play street thugs, which is not a far stretch.

The best film I have seen in theaters for a LONG time, yet I feel it will be overlooked by most.

Street Kings is an instant classic!!!! -Mike

Technically Well Made Standard Cop Fare

[jzappa · 7/10 · 31 October 2008]

A story's characters must have certain qualities, and something in their life caused them to have them. Even if we never, ever see the causal scenes, the writer must know that those causal scenes happened. The characters in Street Kings have qualities caused by lives of watching cop movies from the 1990s. I enjoyed this movie. It was not the trashy cash-in action movie one could easily presume it to be.

Keanu Reeves plays Tom Ludlow, a disheartened L.A. Police Officer Who Doesn't Play By The Rules, and is Haunted By The Death Of His Wife. All of the cops in Ludlow's unit, including their captain, Forest Whitaker, twist, manipulate and at times totally shatter the rules of conduct habitually. Their intent is, time and again anyway, to take care of crime in an approach that they see as more effective, which finds them more often than not lying, fabricating reports and stage-managing evidence to cover their tracks.

The movie opens with Reeves, Waking Up With A Hangover. Working undercover, he meets with two Korean gangsters in a parking lot, who are looking to buy a machine gun from him. After a brutal beating, they steal his car. Tracing his car to the Korean's hideaway, Tom breaks in and kills everybody, and then finds two missing schoolgirls who were the reason for his pursuit of these guys in the first place. He then moves on to cover up what really happened. While the other officers in his unit applaud him, he is challenged by his ex- partner, Washington, who no longer accepts the corruption and fraud and has returned to a law-abiding status as a cop, reporting the issues to Internal Affairs Captain Hugh Laurie, who starts an investigation against Reeves while at the same time proving once again that British actors playing Americans are so seamless and impeccable at it that vice versa doesn't compare.

Perhaps Reeves belongs in this sort of film. It would be insulting to deny that he is above Bill and Ted, but he has yet to show strength in a sophisticated dramatic role. He is not a bad actor. He simply belongs to a certain age group. He plays embodiments of what most young guys envision themselves to potentially be, were they protagonists in action films. Street Kings, though it is no Speed nor Matrix, is no exception. He gives his character bitterness and stiffness. Perhaps the film's strongest performance is by Whitaker. In a film full of prospectively compelling characters, he reaches full potential with the written part.

A great deal of this movie's charm is its attention-grabbing assembly of actors. Chris Evans, one of our newest pretty boys whose chops as an actor have had to wait awhile to truly show themselves, plays a young rookie detective with the predictable outcome. Stand-up comic Cedric the Entertainer is an unlikely and very persuasive choice in the role of a forlorn drug dealer used by Reeves and Evans as an informant. I was particularly surprised by the chilling performances by an actor named Cle Sloan and rapper Common as Fremont and Coates, or perhaps two criminals masquerading as Fremont and Coates, a question that in itself poses a relevant moral symbolism for the effect the undercover police work has on the film's cops.

Who isn't entertained by Jay Mohr being thrown in the trunk of a car, but by now I'm thinking that there is that familiar action movie tradition, the abundance of sausage. Where are the female characters? I am careful not to say, Where are the women? Because of course there are women, but it seems the only woman in the film is Naomie Harris, the entirely scripted and trite Voice of Reason, who of course is later in peril. Duh!

Street Kings is overall pure, laid-back entertainment. It is violent, vindicating as such, ripe with an interesting cast and not infected with the flashiness that most crime films with rappers as actors suffer. David Ayer is respected and deservedly so for his insight into the inner workings of police, in particular the LAPD, with such scripts as Antoine Fuqua's powerful Training Day, the watered-down cornball walk in the park S.W.A.T. and his directorial debut Harsh Times, perhaps the most interesting of all his concepts. Frankly, screenwriter James Ellroy, the mind behind the ageless L.A. Confidential, is an ear-perking name in the crime genre as well, having written Street Kings years ago, inspired by the O.J. Simpson trial. Unfortunately, Ayer's sophomore effort at the helm falls prey to the other extreme, which is that there is not a lot of energy here. It is purely standard fare, technically well made but without the sparks which would make it memorable.

Gritty streets of LA police movie.

[TxMike · 27 October 2008]

Keanu Reeves is Detective Tom Ludlow who has a reputation for mixing things up and coming out on top when it comes to criminals.

Forest Whitaker is his supervisor Captain Jack Wander, and he has ambitions to keep moving up the ladder, with LA Mayor as perhaps his ultimate goal.

Hugh Laurie of TV's "House" fame is Captain James Biggs, working inside to investigate possible police corruption.

The story hinges on the broad premise that corruption is an integral part of how the LA police department gets things done. The corruption is "managed" to make sure all the good guys are protected. If you have to break into a home and shoot everyone, then there is a way to make it look like the officer was fired on first and had no choice.

Now I suspect this is a gross exaggeration of how things really work, but this is a movie after all. I actually like the story, but I never felt that I was watching real policemen at work. I always felt like I was watching actors pretending to be policemen, and some of the dialog and acting seemed too contrived.

Still, my wife and a I were entertained.

SPOILERS: Tom's former friend and partner, Washington, was rumored to be "dropping a dime" (talking to internal affairs) about Tom. Tom is upset, follows him to a convenience store, where two men with automatic rifles shoot the clerk then kill Washinton. But Tom is only grazed. It turns out the masked bandits were actually police from another district, and the whole thing was set up by Captain Jack Wander to protect himself, and to further his goals for more power and money. Tom eventually gets on top of all that, saves his own skin, and disposes of Jack. Biggs of IA ends up protecting Tom because Jack was their target all along.

Plot holes, Corny Dialogue and Mediocre Character Development

[user-26785 · 3/10 · 20 April 2008]

Street Kings was a complete failure as a film mainly as a result of a almost incoherent story line and cringe-worthy dialogue.

Without spoiling the film, all I can really say is that Street Kings is filled with character actions that leave the viewer scratching his or her head. It fails to link actions to character, or explain relationships between characters.

It does have some brutal action scenes, which added some liveliness, but much of the movie was various characters vaguely explaining what has happened, leaving the viewer bored as hell.

However, boredom is alleviated by the non-stop barrage of corny dialogue and lame clichés.

The ending just tops it off, as it makes no logical sense, nor emotional sense, and the final climax of the film was a real let down. If i hadn't seen this film for free, I would have been very upset.