Review: Street Kings

Arlington (CMR) - Street Kings could have been a great movie considering known actors such as Keanu Reeves and Chris Evans are paired up with award winning actors such as Hugh Laurie (House) and Forest Whitaker.

Street Kings is an action packed movie staring Keanu Reeves who plays Tom Ludlow – an LAPD cop who doesn’t take no for an answer when it comes to solving crimes. He often goes overboard, overriding standard rules and restrictions in solving different cases. Though it works in his advantage, Ludlow finds himself questioning the need to be overboard. It has a ‘Training Day” which is a little bit expected: it has the previous films writer David Ayer take on the director’s chair.

With the names that have been thrown into this movie, it could have been a great movie. But it’s just pure disappointment.

You can feel right from the start that it has really tried to exploit the popularity of the Training Day (you could even say LA Confidential) and earn some money from it.

I know Keanu Reeves is no Denzel Washington and I even give him credit for giving justice to the character. Keanu doesn’t really try hard but he can certainly show how good actor he is in this movie. And the rest of the actors have also done their part to make this movie supposedly good. But the thought that you are making a movie that supposed to have the tone of a well known movie but ends up almost copying it is not a good idea.

Street Kings is an action intensive movie and that’s all it is. It also tries to make sense by small dialogues that are supposed to be gripping and powerful but nothing there. That makes this movie a little bit awkward, it’s relatively action packed and the drama is also lacking. I was thinking they are trying to create a movie with the “Departed” type of dialogue but they fell short. Maybe they should have watched “Shoot ‘em Up” and follow the story strategy – shoot and shoot until the credit rolls.

The action in this movie is impressive as it features great gun fights (no Matrix there) here and there but not that much that you can say its action packed.

Fans of Keanu Reeves will also have a great time identifying his mannerisms as he continues to say words that don’t seem to make any sense but sounds cool anyway.

In the end, this movie is half baked of everything: it tries to be a bad cop redemption movie while creating a good action film. You get to find them both in this movie but you can’t just say that it’s a good “Training Day” like movie or a good action flick.

The story is not that fast paced that will get you to the edge of your seat.

Maybe, just maybe this movie will be better in DVD when all the deleted scenes are shown and the gags are well documented.

Street Kings is not a film set to rule the streets of movies which makes me feel sorry for the great actors who are included in this film.

CMR gives Street Kings a rating of 3/5.

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