Street Kings (2008) - User Reviews

Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker) is captain of a dirty Los Angeles vice squad. His team consists of Sgt. Mike Clady (Jay Mohr), Detectives Cosmo Santos, Dante Demille and Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves). We hear and see Ludlow is quite the one man army and his exploits are pretty impressive – however he has an alcohol problem and is somewhat trigger happy. A former member now informant Terrence Washington (Terry Crews) who has now cleaned up his act tries to get info from Ludlow regarding corruption in the force. Wander informs Ludlow that Washington is working under Captain James Biggs (Hugh Laurie) and mentions Washington is trying to rat our Ludlow which he takes acception to.
Wander lets Ludlow know to lay low as he will take care of the situation. Ludlow however refuses his superiors orders and follows Washington into a store. In a mix up of things Washington an innocent bystander in the middle of a robbery is shot and killed by the thieves, whereas Ludlow is now being question why he was first on the scene as members of the force had heard of Washington’s intentions. Caught up in the homicide, Ludlow will have to learn who to trust and who’s to blame which will see him uncover the truth in a mind bending twist!
Street Kings gets marks in all the right places which is saying something as I had very high expectations for this film and all were met. Fans doubting that the director and writers previous efforts (Training Day, Harsh Times) would find it hard adding new and fresh material on the genre will eat their words as critics have hailed it as a masterpiece.
Kings, could be classed as one of Keanu’s best action roles, he gives a terrific portrayal as a crooked LA detective. Forest gives us another Oscar worthy performance meanwhile The Game and Common both do their roles justice. However its Hugh Laurie (TV’s House) character that will surprise most. The direction is key, as the adrenaline thrill ride moves at a blistering speed and the twists are not foreseeable in this gritty underground crime epic.
Without a doubt hands down the best action flick of the year so far, 5 stars and one that is sure to make my top 10 for the year!

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