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Street Kings | 
 enlarge | Director: David Ayer
Actors: Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Cedric The Entertainer
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $4.80
You Save: $25.19 (84%)
New (49) Used (42) Collectible (2) from $4.80
Rating:  59 reviews
Sales Rank: 3378
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 109 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: FOXD2252609D
UPC: 024543526094
EAN: 0024543526094
ASIN: B001BP4K22
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: August 19, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Former rental with center label and minimal rotations. Boxart in great shape also.
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Product Description
Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 08/19/2008 Run time: 100 minutes Rating: R
Amazon.com
Street Kings is a pungent bouquet of corruption, violence, multi-ethnic mayhem, macho glee laced with macho angst, and fluorescently obscene dialogue from the mind of James Ellroy. Its hero, though he'd scarcely consent to be called one, is L.A. police detective Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves), for whom life is a wound that won't heal and dealing out retribution to scumbags is the ongoing treatment. Ludlow's the star player--"the tip of the [expletive] spear"--on a team of detectives headed by Capt. Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker). Coach Wander relies on his boys to keep breaking lurid cases, usually through deeply darkside underground work, and raising his profile with the media and the department. In pursuit of these goals, nothing is forbidden except failure, and the truth is what you make it look like. This is familiar Ellroy territory, most effectively translated to the screen in L.A. Confidential (which should have won the 1997 Oscar, and would have if Titanic hadn't launched that year). If you know Ellroy's ground game, you can pretty much guess where Street Kings is going, and where it's been. Still, the twists and torques of its urban road-rage course maintain the centrifugal force needed to hold us in our seats (a tactical highlight: refrigerator adapted as rolling barricade), and the movie keeps bopping us with oddball casting coups: comic Jay Mohr and Northern Exposure/Sex and the City veteran John Corbett as two members of Coach Warden's gonzo detective squad; Cedric the Entertainer doing a nicely nuanced turn as a street creature; Hugh Laurie doing a less-hyper version of House, if House worked Internal Affairs.
The problem is that director David Ayer keeps everything intense. Dialogues are shot too close-up, line readings are too strident, the action is too nonstop slam. Recall Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential and the mind's eye summons up a whole spectrum of existence, mood, place, historical period, emotional investment; there's an amplitude to the picture and the sensibility bringing it to us, something besides the whodunit and the endless rap sheet of nasty what-they-done. Everything in Street Kings is one-note, and with Keanu Reeves playing it implosive and Forest Whitaker locked in crazier-than-an-outhouse-rat mode, that's no way to stay the course. --Richard T. Jameson
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Stills from Street Kings (Click for larger image)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 54 more reviews...
Exigent circumstances June 26, 2008
Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana)
18 out of 23 found this review helpful
"We're the police. We can do whatever the hell we want. It doesn't matter what happens; it's how we write it up."
(Tom Ludlow)
Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) is one angry and bitter cop. His wife died (not shown in movie) in a rather tragic manner, and her autopsy was mishandled by the pathologist. Unable to put it behind him, he drinks at every opportunity while functioning as the point man for an elite police unit headed by Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker). Anything goes in this unit, and once the case is solved, the cover-up begins.
Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):
1. Dirty cops get the job done quickest
2. Internal Affairs can smell "dirty" a mile off
3. Nobody likes a snitch
4. Revenge is best when it's not served in the wrong place at the wrong time
5. DNA will out
6. Plot gets twisty
7. Plot gets silly
8. Not so grand finale
Never thought I'd say this, but Reeves is improving with age. His gritty portrayal of the troubled hero is mostly believable, except for the chemistry-free love connection. Whitaker almost foams at the mouth at times, but in my opinion, this isn't his best performance by a long shot.
Hugh Laurie should never have left the "House" based on this script, and Chris Evans doesn't exactly get his flame going with his relatively small part. Also with small roles are Gangsta Rapper The Game and Hip Hop artiste Common, plus Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Terry Crews, Cedric the Entertainer and Prison Break's Amaury Nolasco.
With no shortage of bankable stars, the ending is the thing that drags this movie down, and as Whitaker's character says: "This is about cops helping cops. And if a teacher, or a fireman, could do it, they would do it too."
Rated: 3.5 stars
Amanda Richards, June 25, 2008
Exciting police drama April 20, 2008
Kelley Hunt (Texas, USA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Keanu Reeves has come a long way as an actor. If you watch his early films you can see how he struggles to make his emotions authentic, without always succeeding. I think this was a break-through film for him. He is very believable as Tom Ludlow the soused "street fighter" cop who bends and breaks rules to get the job done. Whether he is romancing his gal, grieving over a dead cop, or exploding with rage - the emotions feel "real". And he is even more handsome than he was in his youth.
This was an exciting film from start to finish. There is not one dull moment where your mind begins to wander. The soundtrack was excellent- a menacing heartbeat that always forewarns us of dangers to come. The beautifully done cinematography included vivid colors, wrenching close-ups and sweeping panoramas of L.A. Great work! I think it is too bad that so many movie critics gave this one luke-warm reviews because "Street Kings" is a good film worth seeing. I know I will be eagerly awaiting the dvd release.
Leave the lights off for this part of the police world October 5, 2008
Judy K. Polhemus (LA)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
"Street Kings"--James Ellroy--deepest corruption, unrelenting violence, hidden acts, provocative coverups--this is a world that Joe and Julia Citizen will never see. The average citizen might assume corruption in police departments, but will never ever guess its extent as "Street Kings" shows.
Governmental and military black ops are kept secret with no written records in efforts to make a dent on destroying evil (philosophically speaking) in the large world. "Street Kings," through the pen of James Ellroy and the direction of David Ayer, exposes a layer of police work that parallels that of black ops. Written records are required in this case but highly filtered and altered.
Keanu Reeves is a surprising choice as Tom Ludlow, police op extraordinaire, but quite convincing as the take-no-prisoners kind of guy--one of the Street Kings of the police underworld. However, his work eliminating evil is protected by his boss, played his usual soft-spoken way by Forest Whitaker, the king of the Street Kings. Perhaps not playing his role viciously took the onus off his character's ultimate revelation.
Once the first scene rolled with its explicit violence and the take-down by death of vicious thugs, the tone of the film is set. Tom Ludlow shows his mettle and his job--ridding the world of dark evils. At a group gathering of police ops for ritual drinks, Ludlow again shows his nature--roiling underneath a seemingly calm exterior, willing to act NOW, and barely containable by his boss, Whitaker's character.
On the other hand, Whitaker shows his hail-fellow-well-met persona, appreciative of Ludlow's work to enhance his own political inside clawing to the top. By movie's end, we see just what Whitaker's character truly wants.
The plot becomes quite complex with the addition of two men--Hugh Laurie as Internal Affairs and Ludlow's former partner who decides to go to IA. More murder, more mayhem. Through it all, believe it or not, Ludlow remains true to himself and to his necessary role in the police underworld.
The film's conclusion is a shocker. I never guessed the depth of the police underworld and what our guardians of the streets would do for public safety and their own protection. Is this just a movie based on a book for entertainment value, or does the movie show truth filtered through fiction?
And if you like James Ellroy... August 21, 2008
Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States)
9 out of 13 found this review helpful
Despite the fact that we are seeing a plethora of 'bad cop' movies, it is hard not to like STREET KINGS by the preeminent writer of this genre, James Ellroy. This film is not unique in subject matter, but the pace of the action, the keen directing by David Ayer, and the cast of important and popular actors makes this film well worth watching.
Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) is a damaged person after his wife's 'unsavory death' and he is the take-no-prisoners type of cop who goes after the tough gangsters and offs them rather than arresting them. His boss is Captain Wander (Forest Whitaker) whose unit is filled with corrupt cops (Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Amaury Nolasco, Chris Evans etc). There is brutal activity surrounding a personal feud between Ludlow and Washington (Terry Crews) and during a convenience store holdup, Washington is killed in Ludlow's presence. Internal Affairs Captain Biggs (Hugh Laurie) is out to pin the incident on Ludlow, but what happens as the death of Washington is investigated throws light on the depth of corruption within the police force. The manner in which each of the corrupt cops is taken out serves as the rapid-fire conclusion of the film.
This is a dark film and were it not of Ellroy's storytelling gifts it could seem banal. But Reeves and Whitaker give excellent performances and draw the audience into this putrid vat of cop corruption despite the urge not to watch the deeds. A good action, heavily noir film. Grady Harp, August 08
3 Stars: Once You Open your Eyes... August 20, 2008
Woopak (Where Dark Asian Knights Dwell)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
STREET KINGS is the latest police thriller by director David Ayer, responsible for other police thrillers such as "Training Day" and "Dark Blue". Police corruption has been the main theme for most police dramas, and this film is no different. The screenplay by James Elroy is full of intrigue and bleakness that delves into the dark side of the LAPD.
Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) is a cop on the edge, an alcoholic and would stoop to the most extreme measures to solve a crime; usually his suspects turn out dead. He does get the job done though, and is favored by his commanding officer, Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker). As a result, Tom's past sins have been covered up for years, he works tightly in a special unit and his existence is a melting pot of violence and death. One day, his former partner (Terry Crews) becomes an informant for Internal Affairs, is killed in a convenience store shooting. The incident had awakened some "intestinal fortitude" in Tom, and now he must find those responsible along with a young detective (Chris Evans). Little do they know that they are opening up a huge can of worms.
"Street Kings" does have all the elements I like in a cop film; it's gritty, very violent and fast-paced. The film isn't going to be recognized for originality, it has all the usual formulas we've all seen before; corrupt authority figures and the hunger for money and power. The film does do one thing right and it does convince the audience that it is worth watching. The heavy and mean dialogue combined with gunfights which are quite bloody and full of intensity, it has all the qualities of a film that any male movie fan would love. The director understands what he has set out to do, and he has structured the film to move as pure adrenaline as it goes through the insides and outs of the LAPD. The film is full of detail as to how and why the corruption is inherent in the "cop system".
The screenplay plays a bit like a morality play as hotshot cop; Tom Ludlow goes through the workings of evidence tampering and cover ups. Tom's character is a man who barely sees injustice due to the things he has seen; his phrase "Bad creates more Bad" actually sums up his bleak view of his world. The script is full of "bad language" that it sometimes makes Tom's use of complex terms a little out of place. Keanu Reeves is a decent actor in my book, but I did somehow see his limits with this role.
The film does have a complex plot and is quite intense, and this is where the problems begin. The film needed to breathe at times and relax and let all its complexities settle in. The unraveling of its main twist in the third act seemed a little too `cardboard' that seemed to fail its maze of intrigue and controversy in the film's set up. The film made a compelling point when it made the darkness of the police system come full circle, with a lot of paranoia and mistrust that suggested a strong clever resolution to all the mayhem. I expected something more than a climax full of cliche that is quite familiar in action films. Forest Whitaker's final speech seemed a little too melodramatic that the film's primary set up just didn't match up.
It would be really difficult to express as to why I would say "Street Kings" is a good film because honestly, it did have a lot of faults. Some parts of the investigation seemed a little too convenient and too easy, while the final act seemed to lose much of its forward momentum when it proved less than stimulating as I've hoped for. However, I did enjoy "STREET KINGS"; it's full of attitude and the sharp-tongued dialogue did convince me to look beyond its holes. Director Ayer knew the film's limits and knew exactly what he needed to do in order to hide its flaws. It does provide an exciting ride while seeing through the eyes of a burned-out cop. The film is cleverly paced, and its action and grittiness will definitely see you enjoying its tough-guy thrills with a lot of bloodshed and body count.
Recommended! [3 Stars]
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