The film Text copyright (c) Filmverdict 2006-present. Any film titles and artwork used are copyright of their respective owners.
The fingerprints of crime fiction novelist James Ellroy are all over Street Kings. Present are such familiar themes as cops with morals as questionable as the crooks', the Los Angeles setting, and a complicated narrative with multiple characters. Although several of Ellroy's books have reached the screen before, most notably with the brilliant L.A. Confidential, Street Kings is the first time that he actually receives a screenplay credit. The writer's trademark style shines through in some of the dialogue, which is far more witty and elaborate than most screenwriters would concoct. A prime example of this is in one of the first scenes involving Keanu Reeves' character, in which he tears apart a couple of Korean gangsters with an extremely entertaining verbal assault, paying no attention to political correctness. It's the dialogue that elevates Street Kings to a level slightly higher than superficially similar recent fare like Training Day, and also serves to mask Reeves' well-known acting shortcomings.
Reeves, to be fair, is not bad here. The performance is, as usual, emotionally vacant and basically one-note (he just grimaces and glowers the whole time), but it does seem to fit the character, an alcoholic narc who wakes up at sunset - somewhat justifying the blankness. Basically, his character is Russell Crowe's Bud White from L.A. Confidential, just transferred to a contemporary setting, and the same could be said for the plot as a whole. Fortunately, Reeves is backed by a strong supporting cast, including Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie (keeping his House accent) and the underrated Chris Evans, who was the highlight of the Fantastic Four films but has also done excellent work elsewhere.
The intricate plot is what keeps the film moving at an absorbing pace, and the multiple layers and characters build up to construct an elaborate underworld jigsaw that is typical of Ellroy as an author. There is certainly no shortage of plot twists and hard-hitting violence here, all handled well by second-time director David Ayer (who actually wrote the aforementioned Training Day). The main problem with Street Kings is that it presents nothing particularly new: it does everything at least competently, if not with more flair than the "competent" tag suggests, but there will be few surprises in store to those who've seen their fair share of crime thrillers and have their brains turned on. Fundamentally, it's a slick, entertaining ride that grips for its entire duration but ultimately fails to bring anything particularly new to the table.
The summary
A visit to these streets is worth the time, but don't expect Street Kings to do anything unique. Good, but unremarkable.
Agree? Disagree? Say so in the Guestbook!