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Street Kings (2008)

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73 comments in total

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85 out of 109 people found the following comment useful :-
The critics must be crazy, 11 April 2008

Author: atifrahman from USA

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.

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60 out of 88 people found the following comment useful :-
Well Written Throwback Cop Thriller!!, 9 April 2008

Author: yellocar from United States

Just saw it at a sneak preview and really enjoyed it. Keanu Reeves was fantastic in this film and it really showed me what a great actor he is. I have had a hard time imagining him in anything since The Matrix, but he really pulled this character off and showed me what he is made of.

The rest of the cast is solid as a rock too, but the thing that really stood out to me was the writing. This film is a throwback to the cop thrillers of the 1970's, but with MUCH better writing and bigger budgets. There are even a few genuine laughs to go with all of of the action and it is great to see Jay Mohr doing something other than "The Ghost Whisperer!" The audience reaction in this movie was refreshing as well. It is quite easy to get absorbed in this one.

Prediction: Street Kings is the number one film on it's opening weekend.

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38 out of 46 people found the following comment useful :-
This is a great movie!, 13 April 2008

Author: catbuttons from United States

Action from beginning to end. I saw this with my sis and bro-in-law last night. We are all 50-ish grandparents and we loved it. Keanu Reeves is always getting bashed by the critics because he refuses to advertise his private life like Tom C. The man deserves his privacy, just like the rest of us. All the acting was top-notch, nothing over the top or wooden. Real testosterone, just like the law enforcers I know. You have to have the balls to be a cop these days. The Disco character was acted just like a brave newbie cop in over his head. He was not "wooden" If you like action from start to finish, go see this movie. This deserves to be a blockbuster!

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46 out of 67 people found the following comment useful :-
Back To The Roots, 11 April 2008

Author: MrSavari from United States

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

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45 out of 66 people found the following comment useful :-
The police are the Street Kings and Keanu Reeves is their enforcer, 10 April 2008

Author: Douglas Young (the-movie-guy) from Memphis, Tennessee

(Synopsis) Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves), a veteran LAPD Detective, works in a Special Vice Squad Unit in Los Angeles. Ludlow has been suffering from depression since his wife died. On top of that, his former partner, Detective Terrance Washington (Terry Crews) is murdered by two gang members. Ludlow goes on a wild and reckless quest through the mean streets of Los Angeles to track them down and get justice for Washington. Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker) is Ludlow's supervisor who must keep him from going over the edge and out of the cross-hairs of Internal Affairs Captain James Biggs (Hugh Laurie).

(My Comment) Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker were excellent in playing their parts. In the first 10 minutes, we get to see how good Ludlow is in using his guns. The movie races at such a fast pace, and it is so intense at times that you don't know who is the good guy or the bad guy. There are some great shootout scenes, and whatever you do, don't get in Ludlow's way, because he will take you out. Usually, the police have this cop culture of protecting each other. After they imply that Ludlow had something to do with the murder of Detective Washington, he begins to question his loyalty to his fellow officers, especially, when they hang him out to dry. At that point the movie gets real interesting. The only problem I had with the script was that it put the tough cop Ludlow in a gloomy mood the whole movie. I would have preferred him to be a cop with self-control and strength of mind. If you enjoy cop dramas, you will like this one, because it has so many twists and turns and back stabbing to keep you interested and wanting more. You will love some of Ludlow's interrogation techniques of the bad guys. (Fox Searchlight, Run Time 1:49, Rated R)(8/10)

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24 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :-
Quite An Entertaining Cop Thriller, 13 April 2008

Author: DarkVulcan29 (DarkVulcan29@aol.com) from United States

Keanu Reeves's acting has been called Luc warm by the critics, I don't think he is the worlds worst performer, There are so many other performers I'd like to give that crown too has the worst, but he does not fit in that category. So far his performances are not Oscar worthy, but he manages to make them memorable for the most part.

Set in the mean streets of L.A. veteran cop Tom Ludlow(Keanu Reeves), who has had a strong chip on his shoulder since his wife died, uses dirty methods to get the bad guys, but his captain(Forest Whitaker) does not care, has long as he gets results. But then things begin to come down on him, When he is caught up in a shooting of a former friend turned enemy(Terry Crews), Then Tom starts being investigated on why was he there. Tom secretly begins his own investigation, he has the feeling he might have been set, will he find out the truth, or will the truth get him killed? It was entertaining to say the least the best cop thriller since L.A. Confidental. It had great suspense and great performances by everybody in the film.

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22 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
Explosive entertainment, 12 April 2008

Author: C-Younkin from United States

"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.

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28 out of 43 people found the following comment useful :-
Totally recommended, even for non cop movie fans, 13 April 2008

Author: mercy740

I wasn't expecting to like this movie; the cop genre is not my favorite after all, but I did. I really did. It does feel like a B movie or sort of film noir, perhaps because it only cost 20 million to make. But the cast was top notch. As much as I love Keanu Reeves, I always go into any movie of his cringing, "Will he do well? Will he survive this?" And Reeves delivers with aplomb. This is easily his most nuanced role to date - he truly wears the weight of a cop who has seen and done too much on his face. The action scenes were kick ass and I loved to see Amaury Nolasco play against his Prison Break type. All the actors were great, though I thought Forest Whitaker was a little OTT.

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23 out of 38 people found the following comment useful :-
Loved it, 14 April 2008

Author: somthingugly from bacon

Keanu Reeves is at the top of his game playing a semi-corrupt cop in a squad of corrupt cops who operate in the L.A.P.D. Reeves old partner is murdered in a gangland style assassination while Reeves is present. One thing leads to another and Reeves it out chasing the guys who did it. However, it is not that simple, something bigger is at work so Reeves and Chris Evans team up to find out the who and the what. All the actors do a great job, the story moves along very well, the action is very well done, real, and gritty. The Supporting cast of Forrest Whitaker, Hugh Lourie (spelled that wrong I think), Cedric the Entertainer, Jay Moore, Common and others are excellent.

It is a shame that the only advertising I have seen for this is on the internet....but since it is #2 at the box-office, I guess that worked out just fine. Anyway, great movie.....really great movie.

Recommended to-- Fans of Shows like The Shield and movies like Dark Blue, Harsh Times, Training day, fans of Keanu Reeves, Forrest Whitaker, Chris Evans, and this genre in general Not Recommended to-- Jackasses, fans of crappy movies, Blind People, Al Sharpton....and people who don't like cop movies

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20 out of 36 people found the following comment useful :-
A Nutshell Review: Street Kings, 9 April 2008

Author: DICK STEEL from Singapore

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

So I continue my foray into the theatrical releases this week as a break from the Festival proceedings, and choosing Street Kings is a no brainer. It was in Speed that Keanu Reeves donned a Kevlar vest and a devil may care attitude to save a speeding bus from annihilation, and after that he's gone on to other blockbusters such as the Matrix trilogy and countless of other romance movies. Here, he revisits that action genre as a cop with questionable morals, and while some may gripe over his acting ability, I thought that he was given a role totally within his range - that of a clueless gunslinger who's caught up in a web of intrigue far greater than he can fathom.

Based on a story James Ellroy, who gave us L.A. Confidential and Black Dahlia, we continue the tale about corrupt cop culture, and with director David Ayer at the helm, who delivered Harsh Times and wrote Training Day, there's some amount of credibility and expectation with these two powerhouses collaborating, and from my previous enjoyment of their earlier movies, thankfully, Street Kings delivered spot on, with hard hitting, uncompromising action coupled with violence without remorse, and a deep undercurrent brewing on the political angle within the police department as well.

We get introduced to Reeves' Detective Tom Ludlow of the LAPD, who in the first 10 minutes, we witness a classic Dirty Harry styled cop who lets his guns do the talking, and employs questionable tactics in getting the job done. And he gets off the hook easy because of his sterling reputation, and no doubt being given special treatment and protection from his direct boss Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker). Naturally it gets slowly revealed that the entire police team has plenty of skeletons in the closet, and while Wander may be the patriarch of the force, politicking his way to more power, he has his enforcer, Ludlow, at his side to straighten things up.

And with corrupt cops come the probe by Internal Affairs, and here's where things start to get interesting, with potential moles, and doubtful loyalties being thrown around, and in the midst of it all is severe corruption, that it's nearly impossible to try and trust anyone around, more so when Chris Evan's Detective Paul Diskant gets thrown into the fray to investigate a case against Ludlow. For those who enjoy cop dramas, you'll be in for a real treat with the twists and turns, betrayals and double crossings, and when it comes down to the crunch, out comes the guns.

But more importantly, it allows us to question just how much are we willing to sacrifice our moral ground, especially when revealing the truth will put us in bad light, or get us into trouble, and we're talking about trouble with a capital T, where innate self-preservation instincts will take over if we do not consciously make a conscientious decision to come clean. We can cover up, get people to cover up, or better yet, have someone in power to cover it up for you, but that only means you get sucked into a system, and it will continue to breed within you, for the worse.

Street Kings is excellent stuff that blew me away (caution: Fan Boy mode is on), and the ending sure is one of a kind, with the usual soliloquy, but one that really made you think on both sides of the equation - what one would do and say in order to save oneself, and how one can lie straight into the eye of another. It's classic black eat black, showing how deep the rot has permeated, and the ending just demonstrates that sometimes unorthodox methods work, but with a caution that there are always more powerful people out there who play others like pawns on a chessboard. Besides, it was nice to see Forest Whitaker getting into the rough and tumble of things after a rather docile role in Vantage Point.

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