Street Kings [Blu-ray] [2008]

starring keanu reeves and forest whitaker primarily, this is a tale very much in the style of the tv show "the shield", though perhaps not quite as good. also similar to a film called "dark blue" a few years ago starring kurt russell. keanu reeves plays it in his usual understated method, allowing for the showier actors to steal the stage - notably forest whitaker who is, as usual, absolutely breathtaking. also watch for the cameo by hugh laurie, playing a variation on his "house" persona, apparently.

overall i rate this film highly - it's dark, brutal and well-made with great performances throughout.

Street Kings made little impact at the box office, but it's actually a very decent film. Keanu Reeves is excellent in the lead role and his character has great depth. The film had me gripped from the first five minutes right through to the end. Although it offers up little in the way of surprises at the end, I found myself asking all kinds of questions about the characters for the first hour.
Great support from Chris Evans and Forrest Whitaker - Street Kings has a great script that takes the time to develop the characters. The script was co-written by James Ellroy which probably explains why for large parts it feels like LA Confidential set in modern day.
This is a film that is definitely worth a watch if you like a good thriller where all of the characters have depth. The bad guys have genuine reasons for being the way they are, and the good guys are flawed.
Overall, a well written thriller, with a solid cast.

I'd never heard of it, it had Keanu in the lead role, and I bought it 2nd-hand. Everything hinted this film was a turkey, but it wasn't!

I'm really glad I took a punt and bought it despite my reservations, as it turned out to be action packed, with a pretty good story line too, which centred on the relationship between corrupt LA cops and the LA gang culture.

Keanu plays a cop on the edge, who breaks in to crack dens and kills his suspects on site - shooting first and asking questions later, he plants evidence and does what he has to to make sure the bad guys don't get away. However, he uncovers that he may not be the only bent cop in the LAPD, and that other may be bending the rules for personal gain rather than to rid the streets of scum.

We get the usual wooden acting you'd expect from Keanu, but a supporting cast which includes Forest Whitaker and Hip Hop's 'The Game' and 'Common' (plus original Blood gang member and OG 'Bones') make for a believable cast, who carry him through every scene so it's never a problem. The sets and scenery are great, action sequences are tight and punchy, and overall the film was a really good watch.

The twists and turns are fairly expected - but then they always are these days - and you arrive at the bad guy you always knew you would, but the journey there is enjoyable. Plus there are a few suprises along the way - Hugh Laurie being one of them. I still can't get used to him and an American accent.

Overall the film reminded me very much of 'Training Day' staring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, and I think anyone who liked that film, will enjoy Street Kings too. The Blue Ray transfer is excellent and it made a change to be pleasantly surprised for once. I was expecting garbage but got gold.

There's the usual extras on script writing, filming, stunts, and cast - but then there's a history of the LAPD, the gang problems in LA and even the police prodecures from police brutality complaints, internal affairs and so on. It even gives you a run down of the LA cops uniforms - they certainly didn't scrimp on the extras on the disc and they have all been considered.

Overall 7.5 or even 8/10 - Street Kings will be enjoyed by anyone who likes films about gang culture or just wants a decent action flick. It's not great - but it's certainly not bad.

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