‘Street Kings’ Wastes Talent and Potential
-----With Keanu Reeves as its lead, ‘Street Kings’ looked to be a promising crime drama. With the trailer boasting intense scenes of violence and action, not to mention an all star cast, I was very excited. Reeves even seemed to be extending his typical character bounds for this gritty flick. Unfortunately, it did not adequately use its strong cast and quickly became diluted.
-----‘Street Kings’ follows Detective Tom Ludlow, your typical working class shoot-first cop. However, when rival officer and former partner Detective Terrence Washington is gunned down in a convenience store, Ludlow is on scene and implicated in the murder. Now realizing he’ll have to take things to the next level, Ludlow begins his own style of investigation, relying on no one, and ultimately bringing police corruption to its breaking point.
-----Keanu Reeves is commanding in his role of corrupt but just cop, Detective Ludlow. His anger and passion in the role helps carry many scenes. Forest Whitaker is adequate in his role of the watchful Captain Jack Wander, but doesn’t have much to do. Hugh Laurie is excellent as always as Internal Affairs Captain James Biggs. Unfortunately, his talents are hardly used in what is a very bit role. The only other notable performance comes from the charismatic Chris Evans as the inexperienced Detective Paul Diskant. Unfortunately, like the majority of the cast, his talents are also squandered in a small role that goes nowhere.
-----The film’s primary fault is in its erratic script. Never sure what it’s going for, the film get lost in a series of dull and irrelevant scenes. While it does pack the occasional punch, with some cool action sequences here and there, they are too few and far between to be recognized. Add some cliché’s and wasted talent, and you’ve pretty much summed up ‘Street Kings.’ The film beats around the bush so often that when the big twist is made it seems irrelevant and conventional. The cinematography is often dark and gritty, and even visually prestigious is some moments; but without the script and direction to support it, it too, is meaningless.
-----People looking for a gritty story about corrupt cops will get it, but that doesn’t mean they’ll like it. A simple action movie would have provided better direction and more entertainment than this pot of missed potential. After a great trailer, the film proves that all of the parts worth watching were already shown. The end product just falls apart, and the outcome is a poorly executed, poorly made, and surprisingly bad movie.
