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Street Kings

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Street Kings (2008)

April. 10,2008
|
6.8
|
R
| Drama Action Thriller Crime
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Tom Ludlow is a disillusioned L.A. Police Officer, rarely playing by the rules and haunted by 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 career, ultimately leading him to question the loyalties of everyone around him.

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Karry
2008/04/10

Best movie of this year hands down!

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Lovesusti
2008/04/11

The Worst Film Ever

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VeteranLight
2008/04/12

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

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Listonixio
2008/04/13

Fresh and Exciting

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Imran Ahmed
2008/04/14

Keanu Reeves may not be the box office star he was some years ago but this movie still deserves a watch. It's a classy 'good cop, bad cop' movie with some standard twists ... who's the good cop and who's the bad cop? The action is steady and the dialogue even steadier. If only I had a dollar for each wry quote from the movie! The one this missing is the love interest. Yes, there are a few ladies - they mourn, they grieve and they're sexy but they are peripheral to the movie. It's almost as if the writer threw the women into the script because no one watches a movie without women - or do they? In summary, a good detective thriller which will keep viewers engrossed until the very end.

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Stephen Bird
2008/04/15

We've all heard the age old story of corruption within the police force, well "Street Kings" takes that story and sets it ablaze..., fair dues the story itself was somewhat predictable, but just because you know the destination you're heading to, doesn't mean the journey can't be fully enjoyable.The protagonist, Detective Ludlow, is a man on a mission, his mind scrambled by the recent death of his beloved wife, he pulls no punches even when he becomes embroiled in the framing of a police officer's murder, Ludlow sets out to uncover the mysteries that are haunting him. You could label "Street Kings" as just another crime film with Keanu Reeves inserted into the lead role, but it's more than that, Reeves showcases high standards of acting ability and makes you feel empathetic towards his poor detective character. The supporting cast features some real heavy hitters, most notably Forest Whitaker as Captain Wander, head of Detective Ludlow's unit, from the very beginning there was a sense that something was not quite right with this character, but any clues as to his real motives were expertly kept under wraps until the time came for him to reveal his true colours.A young, pre-Captain America Chris Evans showed real credibility and talent as Detective Diskant, a partner of sorts for Ludlow, who's natural demise came later in the film than I thought it would, giving the young actor some extra exposure and screen time, which he duly lapped up. Yes "Street Kings" is quite racist and incredibly tongue in cheek but that just adds to the realism, helping to flesh the film out and give it an added dimension, if you are easily offended by certain things then I'd definitely avoid this film.The presentation was dark and disturbing, illustrating the underbelly of LA perfectly..., the tones and colours chosen were apt and even during the daylight hours there was a sense of darkness in the air, painted onto the screen by a perfectly qualified cinematographer and art department, kudos to them..., drawing you further into the story and making the mystery more intriguing.Alas my final note is to say, not an exceptional film, but a fine film that will keep you gripped until the end, enjoy!

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A_Different_Drummer
2008/04/16

Most of my reviews have a story.No wait let me correct that. Most of my better reviews have a story.Here I had just finished the bizarre and controversial second season of True Detective (this written in 2015) -- a series which tries to run a similar plot arc and fails, notwithstanding some brilliant performances, including Rachel McAdams like you've never seen her -- and it occurred to me that this film from 2008 had actually done it right.So we have Reeves before he became irreversibly type-cast doing martial arts films, Whittaker who has never given a bad performance in his life, and Laurie taking time off from House to leave an unforgettable impression in his scant screen time. (And still with one of the best American accents in the industry, upstaged only by Robert Taylor in Longmire) And direction to die for.A near-perfect film, you can watch it over and over, it never really gets old.Just wanted to set the record straight.You're welcome.

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seymourblack-1
2008/04/17

Any story that comes from the pen of James Ellroy can reasonably be expected to feature a complicated plot, hardboiled dialogue and rogue cops. In this respect, "Street Kings" certainly comes up to expectations and although it's not in the same league as "L.A. Confidential" or "The Black Dahlia", this movie is, nevertheless, a thoroughly entertaining, action-packed thriller about police corruption, murders and betrayals.Detective Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) is a LAPD vice detective who habitually operates by his own rules and regularly short-cuts the legal process by executing the criminals he encounters in his work. An example of this is seen when he goes undercover as a guy who wants to sell a machine gun to some Korean gangsters. The Koreans beat him up and steal his car but Ludlow simply makes his way to their hideout and shoots all four men dead before rearranging things to make it look as if they'd killed each other. He then rescues the two children that they'd kidnapped. His methods are obviously effective but not appreciated by everyone.Ludlow's furious when he hears that his ex-partner, detective Terence Washington (Terry Crews) has been informing on him to Internal Affairs Captain James Biggs (Hugh Laurie) and so follows Washington to a convenience store where he intends to tackle him face to face. At the store, two masked men rush in and a shoot-out ensues during which Washington is killed before the gunmen take off again. The circumstances under which Washington was killed naturally appear to be suspicious and implicate Ludlow because somehow during the mêlée, one of his bullets ended up in Washington's body and, of course, he had a powerful motive for killing his ex-partner.Ludlow is fully supported by his boss, Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker), who appreciates his work and sets about removing any incriminating evidence from the crime scene. Wander advises Ludlow to forget about what had happened and not concern himself with trying to pursue the two gunmen. Ludlow finds it impossible to do this and with the help of a young detective called Paul "Disco" Diskant" (Chris Evans), tries to track down the killers. His investigation proves to be full of surprises, mainly because of the enormous amount of police corruption that he unearths along the way.Keanu Reeves portrays his character as being like a wounded animal in his behaviour. He's suffering emotionally after the death of his wife and is clearly damaged and burned-out after years on the streets where he's learnt that the only way to do his job and survive is by acting outside of the rules. In his tough-talking working environment, the only emotion he can openly express is anger and this has led him into suppressing his other feelings and self-medicating with copious amounts of alcohol to cope."Street Kings" is gritty, violent and full of twists with plenty of action, tension and an above average story It starts off at break-neck speed and does a good job of maintaining its momentum throughout. The most lasting impression it leaves is of the widespread corruption that's portrayed as being endemic at every level of the LAPD. For anyone who's surprised or appalled by this, the reassurance that Ludlow is given at the end of the movie (that the Department needs officers like him) will be particularly depressing, especially in view of who gives him that endorsement.

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