Sidewalks On The Corner

Keanu Reeves is king of these streets In "Street Kings." Is the film good?

Follow up:

"STREET KINGS"
Fox Searchlight Pictures
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence and pervasive language
Directed by: David Ayer
Written by: James Elroy and David Ayer
Produced by: Erwin Stoff, Alexandra Milchan, Lucas Foster
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Naomie Harris, Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Cedric the Entertainer, Amaury Nolasco, Terry Crews, Common and The Game

STUDIO SYNOPSIS:
For acclaimed novelist James Ellroy, the sunny exterior of Los Angeles will never shed enough light to illuminate the darkest parts of itself. In the City of Angels, moral codes designed to govern are difficult to uphold-especially by those determined to harm and protect us. With STREET KINGS, David Ayer, one of LA’s native sons, wields his camera onto the streets that are not found on picture postcards but on a city of contradictions and often-tragic consequences. Keanu Reeves stars as Tom Ludlow, a veteran LAPD cop who finds life difficult to navigate after 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. Academy Award® Winner Forest Whitaker plays Captain Jack Wander, Ludlow’s mentor and superior. The stellar cast also features Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Cedric the Entertainer, Amaury Nolasco, Terry Crews, Naomie Harris, Martha Higareda, Common and The Game.

The screenplay is based on an original story by James Ellroy and written by James Ellroy and Kurt Wimmer and Jamie Moss. Ayer, known for bringing gritty realism to films such as TRAINING DAY and HARSH TIMES, is directing. The film is produced by Lucas Foster, Alexandra Milchan and Erwin Stoff. Arnon Milchan, Michele Weisler and Bob Yari are executive producers.

J.P.'s TAKE
Almost everyone keep secrets, however when you harbor those secrets for too long, they may come back to haunt you. In "Street Kings," officers, who are sworn to uphold the law, now act as if they are above the law. There was a "hail storm" of bullets; an army of bad guys and even badder cops and buckets of blood.

In the middle of it all stands L.A. Detective Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves). He finds himself fighting a loosing battle in the mean streets of Los Angeles, Additionally, he also finds himself confronting a scandal within the LAPD, which includes himself along with multiple members of an elite police squad.

The story revolves around the good cop, bad cop dilemma, which reminds me of Denzel Washington in "Training Day," where you weren't really sure if he (Washington) were a bad cop or a just good cop pushed to the edge. Writer David Ayer who wrote “Training Day” returns to direct "Street Kings,” which explains the raucous atmosphere in the movie.

Keanu Reeves is in a pivotal role, playing a first time hard-edged cop. His character is nothing like the outstanding police officer he played in "Speed." Reeves character is bitter, disgruntled, and just plain fed up. I really felt as if he had nothing to loose. Forest Whitaker never disappoints in his performances, however, there is a hunt of over acting as his character Captain Jack Wander. Hugh Laurie steps away from his role as TV’s “House,” to play a sneaky detective hot on the heels of Ludlow. Laurie can’t help but to inject a little bit of “House” into his character, just to spice things up a bit. There is a star-studded cast of supporting members, with some surprising performances from Terry Crews, Jay Mohr, Common, Cedric "The Entertainer," Chris Evans, and Naomie Harris.

“Street Kings” was bloody, gritty and the action kept the adrenalin pumping. There were plenty of nice twists here and there to keep the story interesting, although at a certain point in the film I started to get a little confused. The ending was somewhat shocking; however, once I’ve placed all the chess pieces on the board, I found that it wasn’t totally surprising.

The classic film “Dirty Harry” was a memorable film and was considered hard-core for its time. I found “Street Kings” just as memorable and hard-core. I enjoyed the ride.