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Movies / Upcoming / Street Kings
Street Kings

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Street Kings (2008)

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Reviews Counted:147

Fresh:54

Rotten:93

Average Rating:5.1/10

Consensus: Street Kings contains formulaic violence but no shred of intelligence.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for strong violence and pervasive language

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:18-04-2008

Synopsis: In STREET KINGS, a police thriller directed by David Ayer, Keanu Reeves plays Tom Ludlow, a veteran LAPD Vice Detective. Ludlow sets out on a quest to discover the killers of his former partner,... In STREET KINGS, a police thriller directed by David Ayer, Keanu Reeves plays Tom Ludlow, a veteran LAPD Vice Detective. Ludlow sets out on a quest to discover the killers of his former partner, Detective Terrance Washington (Terry Crews). Academy® Award winner Forest Whitaker plays Captain Wander, Ludlow’s supervisor, whose duties include keeping him within the confines of the law and out of the clutches of Internal Affairs Captain Biggs (Hugh Laurie). Ludlow teams up with a young Robbery Homicide Detective (Chris Evans) to track Washington’s killers through the diverse communities of Los Angeles. Their determination pays off when the two Detectives track down Washington’s murderers and confront them in an attempt to bring them to justice. --© Fox Searchlight [More]

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Forest Whitaker

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Forest Whitaker, Common, Terry Crews, Amaury Nolasco, Naomie Harris, Jay Mohr

Director: David Ayer

Director: David Ayer
Screenwriter: James Ellroy, Kurt Wimmer
Producer: Erwin Stoff, Alexandra Milchan, Lucas Foster
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

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1 - 4 of 9

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Reviews for Street Kings

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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Everything here is predictable, from the tired plot whose revelations are deeply unsurprising to the gritty dialogue and casual everyday violence of the cops involved.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
10/18/08
Mike Goodridge
Mike Goodridge
Screen International

A general emptiness nags as the story progresses, undermining the solid performances and weaving in a seriously ugly message.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
04/20/08
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

There's plenty of empty bravura, and Reeves is fundamentally blank and uninteresting.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
04/18/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Depressing and sickeningly violent.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
04/18/08
James Christopher
James Christopher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A by-the-numbers, cynical, bad cop-worse cops drama, made even less appealing by Reeves's mannequin-like presence.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
04/18/08
Leigh Singer
Leigh Singer
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

"Are there any square cops out there?" says a supporting character in David Ayer's actioner. The answer, of course, is no - and this violent yarn is all the better for it. Next time out, though, he should probably assign himself a less familiar beat.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
04/18/08
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
Total Film

Last-minute revelations emerge screaming from around the corner like squad cars you heard coming half-an-hour ago, and it all ends with a dull thud instead of a crash wallop. Long after you've stopped caring, it's finally over and out.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/18/08
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

You can almost see the writers (Ellroy, Kurt Wimmer – creator of sci-fi mish-mash Ultraviolet – and first-timer Jamie Moss) charging at one another with false antlers in a challenge to come up with the toughest soundbite.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
04/18/08
Elliott Noble
Elliott Noble
Sky Movies

What could have been endearingly daft remains merely forgettable.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
04/18/08
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Another mean, violent and decently acted slab of Ellroy-flavoured criminality, with an impressively battered Keanu Reeves, but Ayers is no Curtis Hanson.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/18/08
Ian Nathan
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Watchable thriller with a surprisingly good performance from Keanu, although the plot isn't nearly as clever as it thinks it is.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
04/17/08
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

There's only the spectacle of crooked dunces slamming against each other

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/27/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
02/27/09
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

A lot of reviewers seem to have disliked Street Kings because of its negative view of the LA police, and perhaps the country at large. That is not a problem for me.

Full Review Source: Fayetteville Free Weekly | comment Comment
02/02/09
Tony Macklin
Tony Macklin
Fayetteville Free Weekly
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
10/18/08
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

There is certainly something compelling in the film's ideas, but the way they're executed suggest that any true questions about morality and the law are just grist for the action mill.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
10/18/08
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

A solid contemporary crime drama.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
10/18/08
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Keanu Reeves' bad-boy cop Tom Ludlow may not play by the rules, but the film sure does.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
10/18/08
Tom Charity
Tom Charity
CNN.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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Latest News for Street Kings

August 16, 2008: Another wooden performance from Keanu Reeves in high-impact splatter flick. Opens in new window
More...

August 08, 2008: While military man turned director Ayer implicates our culture steeped in violence and the damaging effects of trained killing, whether by police or in war, he's assembled such a deplorable LAPD rogues gallery, it's hard to tell which one is the worst. Opens in new window
More...

April 23, 2008: UK Box Office Breakdown: Craig's Fool Has Disasterous Opening
Daniel Craig's new film - Flashbacks of a Fool - suffers a disastrous opening weekend, coming in at only 11th in the charts. Fool's Gold and Happy Go Lucky are the big successes More...

April 17, 2008: Box Office Guru Preview: Chan & Li Face Off Against Sarah Marshall
After four straight weeks of the box office falling significantly behind last year's pace, the marketplace is finally set to post a win thanks to a trio of new releases... More...

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