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2008's Street Kings is basically Training Day mixed with the television series The Shield, and it's yet another in the never-ending string of films concerning corrupt police officers. In the past, a number of filmmakers have attempted this type of material, resulting in movies ranging from underrated gems like Cop Land to Oscar-recognised films such as The Departed and L.A. Confidential. Speaking strictly from a technical perspective, Street Kings is a proficient effort, but it's also stale. Half the problem with the flick is that this stuff has been done before (usually done better), and is incapable of bringing anything new to the genre. The other half of the problem is the stilted dialogue, the questionable casting choices, a lot of contrived character action and an appalling ending. It's never boring per se, but at no point is Street Kings truly captivating either.
The film's protagonist is police officer Tom Ludlow (Reeves) who's reeling from the death of his adulterous wife (oh, that old cliché?) and whose specialty is bending the law to suit his crime-solving desires. In true Dirty Harry fashion, he has a blatant disregard for any law that prevents him from gunning down criminals. Following one heroic bust (during which Tom started shooting first), the watchful eye of Internal Affairs begins scrutinising Tom's unit. Tom soon learns that a former partner of his, Detective Washington (Crews), has been informing Internal Affairs regarding Tom's methods. When Tom pursues Washington with plans to retaliate, he witnesses the detective getting brutally gunned down by a couple of thugs. To avoid difficulties, the department removes any evidence that Tom was present at the time of the shooting. While the unit's captain (Whitaker) tells Tom to move on, he persists with an investigation to capture Washington's killers. As is often the case with movies like this, the trail leads to a web of police corruption.
Tom ends up pairing with Detective Diskant (Evans). The relationship between the two men makes no sense - initially they're hesitant to trust one another, but then they suddenly relate on a first-name basis and happily collaborate without any explanation of their newfound mutual respect. Meanwhile, the constant discussions of Tom's late wife grow heavy-handed and hinder the pace. Crucially, Street Kings was saddled with a conclusion that's both insulting and improbable. Clearly, nobody knew how to wrap up the story, so the intricate plot was reduced to the simplest solution: Tom shooting everyone. It feels out-of-synch with the rest of the movie. While a bad ending cannot completely wreck an otherwise good flick, Street Kings was a middling effort up until the end. Consequently, the conclusion is detrimental.
While several problems mar the screenplay (which is credited to three writers, including the great James Ellroy), the trite plot is the worst offender. As soon as Washington is killed, it's obvious what's happening and who's behind it. For most of the film, Tom is unable to see what the audience can, which becomes increasingly irritating. Sure, there are twists, but they're never startling. The story is amazingly contrived as well, with characters that feel like automatons in the service of the narrative as opposed to actual flesh & blood humans. Tom's behaviour is ridiculous, and his choices are poorly motivated. Street Kings is director David Ayer's second feature as a director (he previously earned his chops as a screenwriter, having written Training Day and a few other crime films), and his handling of the material is generally impressive. He afforded the film a gritty edge, and the action sequences are of a good standard. Problem is, he's still no Martin Scorsese, Curtis Hanson or even James Mangold.
Keanu Reeves' role of Tom Ludlow is that of a detached, depressed and despondent detective. This is a good fit for Reeves' limited acting range, but his performance is strictly regular. He is unable to bring as much as a modicum of grit or intensity to the character. Even Sylvester Stallone did a better job in Cop Land (in which he played a cop who takes a stand against corruption). Meanwhile Forest Whitaker's performance as the police captain is solid, and Chris Evans is believable as Diskant. Hugh Laurie (a fine actor) also does what he can with his small role. In the supporting cast, Cedric the Entertainer, Terry Crews (utterly wasted), Jay Mohr, Common and Naomie Harris feature in a variety of roles to varying degrees of success, but few make an impact.
On top of the hackneyed dialogue and the generic plotline, Street Kings never offers an exploration of the issues it raises. For instance, Tom is supposed to be a dirty, racist cop, yet this angle is soon abandoned rather than explored in a meaningful way. Street Kings is basically a movie in search of an identity. It features enough recognisable actors, yet there's practically no difference between this film and the slew of other similarly-themed projects which preceded it (some even associated with David Ayer). It's just not audacious enough.
4.9/10
