Today’s quick review: Street Kings. LAPD detective Tommy Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) has received fame and accolades for his law enforcement work, but his reputation is built on lies. With the help of his captain (Forest Whitaker), he uses illegal tactics to hunt down criminals and buries the evidence. Their abuse of power comes to a head when Ludlow’s old partner (Terry Crews) informs on him to a hard-nosed captain (Hugh Laurie) in Internal Affairs.
Street Kings is a crime drama about a crooked cop caught between a rock and a hard place. Keanu Reeves stars as Tommy Ludlow, a detective whose hatred for criminals and love for his fellow cops has taken him down a dark path. With Internal Affairs closing in on him and his own conscience acting up, Ludlow must decide where his priorities truly lie. Street Kings is a well-constructed film with a star-studded cast and just the right amount of action.
Street Kings has an interesting setup and plays it out well. The conflict has more depth to it than just a choice between selfishness and honor, and Ludlow’s motives are subtle enough for the film to escalate the conflict by pulling him in different directions. The plot is complex enough to be worth following without coming across as overly cerebral. The film is also peppered with enough action to keep the story moving and the tension high.
Street Kings supports its story with a trio of solid performances from Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, and Hugh Laurie. The supporting cast also includes familiar faces like Terry Crews, Chris Evans, Naomie Harrisi, Cedric the Entertaner, and Common. Neither the script nor the acting is enough to rank Street Kings with the best the genre has to offer, but it is an unusually well-rounded movie for its genre, with a good mix of plot and action.
Fans of the crime genre should give Street Kings a shot. The movie makes good on its premise, tells a fairly compelling story, and backs it up with enough action to please fans of the genre. Those who prefer more cerebral, emotionally deep crime dramas may not find exactly what they’re looking for, but anyone else should give it a try.
For a darker and more engrossing tale of police corruption, try Training Day. For another thriller about a dirty cop wrestling with his conscience, try 16 Blocks. For a less action-oriented drama about a police cover-up, try Pride and Glory, Brooklyn’s Finest, Dark Blue, or Internal Affairs.
6.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for a good mix of action and drama, as well as a talented cast.