Director: David Ayer (Harsh Times)
Writers: James Ellroy, Kurt Wimmer, Jamie Moss, David Ayer
Producers: Lucas Foster, Alexandra Milchan, Erwin Stoff
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Cedric the Entertainer, Naomi Harris, Amaury Nolasco, Common and The Game
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 109 min

The trailer suggested that if nothing else, Street Kings would entertain and I’m please to report that on that front, the film delivers. Chases, shootouts, acrobatic feats, rogue police officers; it’s all in there unfortunately, the story is so damned convoluted that character motivation becomes blurry. Reeves plays Ludlow, a bad ass cop taking matters into his own hands. We soon find out that he’s not rogue but rather working for an elite Vice squad led by Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker). Things go sideways when Ludlow witnesses the assassination of a former partner at which point he joins forces with a young detective (Chris Evans) to track down the cop killers. What Ludlow doesn’t realize is that he’s being played by both his Captain and the hard ass Internal Affairs bigwig Captain James Biggs (Hugh Laurie). Confused yet?

It’s not clear how it happened but somewhere along the line the great James Ellroy let the story behind Street Kings get out of hand. Perhaps it was the collaboration with Kurt Wimmer or maybe it was a sad attempt to write a modern cop movie but the weakest link in David Ayer’s newest film is the script.

The who’s playing who story line is fine when done well but the problem here is that there’s too many hands in the pot. Everyone is playing everyone and you’re never quite sure where the story is going. Though for the most part problems like these seem to be overlooked in popcorn flicks, when you have a cast and director with this much talent, the mess is a huge disappointment.

Ayer is best known for having written the screenplay for Training Day but looking at his films since then, it’s clear that dirty cops, or more accurately good cops vs. bad cops fighting it out on the streets, is a theme he’s comfortable working with. His directorial debut, 2005’s Harsh Times, was unjustly buried by Bauer Martinez Studios. That film sported great performances from Christian Bale, Freddy Rodríguez and J. K. Simmons along with an interesting and well executed story but beyond that, it also showed that Ayer had some flare for direction and that trend continues here, particularly with the good performances he elicits from everyone involved.

You’re unlikely to find a bigger Keanu Reeves fan that yours truly but I will also be the first to admit that the man is no Johnny Depp. Surprisingly, Reeves shines in the role of Ludlow and for the first time in years he shows that he’s capable of playing more than Ted the surfer or “The One”. There is depth to his portrayal of a cop on the edge and Reeves plays it for all it’s worth only occasionally falling into old (bad) habits. Chris Evans has shown that he’s more than just a pretty face and I’m happy to see him get some more serious work after his great turn in Sunshine. Heck, Ayers even gets good performances from the typically annoying Cedric the Entertainer, makes good use of the bad ass street cred of rappers The Game and Common and gives Whitaker enough rope to play the role of “The King” to the fullest, complete with over the top, in character monologues. I particularly liked seeing Whitaker and Reeves play off of each other; easily some of the cheesiest lines of dialog in the film but those two certainly have chemistry.

Aside from too complicated plot threads, the other major weakness of the film are the female characters. I’m all for seeing strong women in film but it angers me to see female characters added to stories as a pointless (and disruptive) plot points. Not only does it cheapen the story but it angers viewers. There’s no need for either Ludlow’s girl friend or Washington’s wife and the deviations into those plot threads made me cringe and the audience grumble.

Once again, Ayer takes to the streets of LA he knows so well, inviting the audience along for the ride. There’s no re-inventing the wheel here but Ayer does create a sense of urgency without falling pray to a million edits a second while only occasionally indulging himself with odd moments that look cool but add nothing to the story.

Street Kings is a fine mess. Good mindless entertainment for a Friday night but I expected more from Ayer, especially considering his previous film, this cast, the all around solid performances and the film’s good looks. I believe we have a real talent in Ayer and I look forward to his next film. I just hope he sticks to directing his own material.

Links:
IMDb profile
Official Site
Flixster Profile for Street Kings