So Keanu Reeves is back, but not in black. He’s a supercop for the LAPD and his ass is on the line, after rescuing two young girls. His execution style round-up of some Korean gangsters leaves a bad taste in his colleague’s mouth. Not only is Washington bitter about Ludlow’s “heroism”, but he’s also convinced that the supercop is a racist. Ludlow’s hard heart, alcoholic binges and quest for justice at all costs, sends him on a mission to avenge his would-be enemy and uncover a major sink hole in the Los Angeles police department.
Street Kings is reminiscent of Dark Blue with Kurt Russell. The Los Angeles backdrop, the corrupt policing departments, rung-jumping officers and every man for himself attitude all settle into the world of Street Kings. I didn’t really hear too much about this movie, so it was only a pleasure to discover Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Cedric the Entertainer and Naomi Harris in the ranks. Keanu Reeves was okay as Tom Ludlow and his performance was credible. In fact, the whole ensemble pulled together on this one making it a team effort with Reeves as the stalwart.
The action intensity is the main reason to see Street Kings. The scenes are loaded with bullets, and you’ll be happy/unhappy to know that there’s no Matrix bullet time. Fifteen minutes into the film and all Matrix shadows had vanished. Reeves has been accused of being a little wooden in his performances, but he really bites the bullet in this one. One difference to most of his other movies is that you don’t get to see him running pigeon-footed. That’s one of his unofficial trademarks, and it’s probably a good thing they keep the camera off such distractions.
The dialogue was a little cheesy from time to time, and the cops seemed to have their own unique dialect. This wasn’t too distracting from all the mindless action and drama, but did undermine any gritty realism from surfacing. So apart from falling into a similar groove to Dark Blue, the movie held my attention. Street Kings is entertaining if nothing else, and glides over its cracks with enough grace to chide even the grumpiest of critics. If you’re looking for a solid action flick with a good cast and familiar police story, then you’ve met your match.
The bottom line: Action-packed.
