2008 Woodie Awards
Familiar 'Street Kings' is still a gritty, raw experience
Alex Plimack
Arts | 4/9/08
Who knew corruption could be so fun?
"Street Kings," the latest from David Ayer, shows growing pains from the inexperienced writer/director but with more good than bad, it's easy to forget what doesn't work and enjoy what does.
Keanu Reeves is vice detective Tom Ludlow, casually boozing before kicking down doors and getting the pat on the back for being a hero cop.
But when he ends up at the scene of the shooting of former partner Terrence Washington (Terry Crews), he has to keep his ass out of the line of fire and find who's responsible for the hit.
The infamous Reeves dialect is on full force (his first line is the Ted-esque "konichiwa"), but the Point Breaker shows some depth as the cop with the vendetta.
If only it didn't feel very familiar. Even through the smog of the Los Angeles setting, the similarities to "Training Day" are clear (it was Ayer's first script).
Even Forest Whitaker turns in a performance as Ludlow's captain that mimics Denzel's.
But when Ludlow is out busting heads in the gritty L.A. ghettos, "Street Kings" hits its stride, with the chemistry between Reeves and Chris Evans (playing the na've white boy detective Paul "Disco" Diskant) providing a decent enough diversion from the typical one-man vengeance army. As they dig deeper, they learn that there's a significant underlying level of corruption that they're not exactly prepared to deal with.
The tone may be uneven at times, with certain situations coming off as unintentionally funny (and with actors like Jay Mohr, Hugh Laurie and Cedric the Entertainer trying to do drama, how can't they?) and certain dramatic moments feeling contrived.
But what "Street Kings" lacks in focus it makes up for in entertainment.
And if the movie isn't taken too seriously, it can be one raw, gritty ride.
"Street Kings," the latest from David Ayer, shows growing pains from the inexperienced writer/director but with more good than bad, it's easy to forget what doesn't work and enjoy what does.
Keanu Reeves is vice detective Tom Ludlow, casually boozing before kicking down doors and getting the pat on the back for being a hero cop.
But when he ends up at the scene of the shooting of former partner Terrence Washington (Terry Crews), he has to keep his ass out of the line of fire and find who's responsible for the hit.
The infamous Reeves dialect is on full force (his first line is the Ted-esque "konichiwa"), but the Point Breaker shows some depth as the cop with the vendetta.
If only it didn't feel very familiar. Even through the smog of the Los Angeles setting, the similarities to "Training Day" are clear (it was Ayer's first script).
Even Forest Whitaker turns in a performance as Ludlow's captain that mimics Denzel's.
But when Ludlow is out busting heads in the gritty L.A. ghettos, "Street Kings" hits its stride, with the chemistry between Reeves and Chris Evans (playing the na've white boy detective Paul "Disco" Diskant) providing a decent enough diversion from the typical one-man vengeance army. As they dig deeper, they learn that there's a significant underlying level of corruption that they're not exactly prepared to deal with.
The tone may be uneven at times, with certain situations coming off as unintentionally funny (and with actors like Jay Mohr, Hugh Laurie and Cedric the Entertainer trying to do drama, how can't they?) and certain dramatic moments feeling contrived.
But what "Street Kings" lacks in focus it makes up for in entertainment.
And if the movie isn't taken too seriously, it can be one raw, gritty ride.
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