| | | Their City. Their Rules. No Prisoners.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.40:1, English, Spanish, Subtitled
Gripping performances by Keanu Reeves, Academy Award Winner Forest Whitaker and an all-star supporting cast power this action-packed crime thriller, in which a veteran cop finds himself ensnared in a deadly web of conspiracy and betrayal. Reeves stars as Tom Ludlow, a hard-nosed detective with a talent for delivering brutal street justice. When evidence implicates him in the murder of a fellow officer, the violence around Ludlow explodes as he realizes his own life is in danger and he can trust no one.
"A full-throttle thrill ride." Chloe Houser, KPDX-TV
"...an enjoyably tough, blood-splattered action drama that revolves around the one good cop at its center." Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
"...covers familiar territory but does so with ruthless efficiency, intense performances and a densely packed plot..." Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
"...[Street Kings is] a tight, propulsive action thriller, but there's one thing to marvel at, and that's James Ellroy's command of story." Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"A brutal look at police corruption that allows director David Ayer and "L.A. Confidential" author James Ellroy to pool their deeply cynical insights." Peter Debruge, Variety
Editor's Note
David Ayer, who wrote TRAINING DAY, gives us another unflinching look at disillusionment and questionable decision-making within the ranks of the LAPD. Ayer's second directorial effort tells the story of burnt-out Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves), a functioning alcoholic and undisciplined detective with the Special Vice Unit. While so much of this characterization appears resonatingly familiar at first, we soon learn that the character here has been tweaked. While this loose cannon in no way does things by the book, he is also far from playing by his own rules. Ludlow is relied upon by the other detectives in the unit, and by their almost maniacally ambitious Captain Wander (Forest Whitaker), to go outside the law whenever needed. The infractions he is pressured to commit are quickly and uncomplainingly covered up by Captain Wander, while Ludlow and the rest of Special Vice receive accolades for their high clearance rate. Not until one of these cover-ups leads to the brutal murder of his ex-partner (Terry Crews) does Ludlow try to dispel the apathy (and the vodka fumes) clouding his purpose. This procedural melodrama is almost completely internalized within the LAPD, as Vice cops investigate Narcotics cops, who snitch on Homicide cops, and no one talks to Internal Affairs, etc. Crimes are staged, executed, and pinned firmly on suspects with alarming efficiency as the necessary DNA, murder weapons, and fingerprints are then sprinkled around the scenes after the fact.A study in familiar elements slightly skewed, STREET KINGS provides a satisfying dose of bright, loud, violent police work blended with the right amount of discreetly passed interoffice envelopes to keep the taut intrigue in step with the body count. Little time is wasted on exposition, and the audience's ability to extrapolate is given a great deal of credit as Ludlow's dead wife, substance abuse, and past career troubles are flashed at us briefly, then put away in favor of the crisis at hand.
| Features | Audio Commentary By Director David Ayer | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: French, Spanish Dolby Digital Stereo | | Dubbed: French, Spanish | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 8/19/2008 |
| Running Time: 100 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2008 | | Catalog ID: 2252750 | | UPC: 00024543527503 | | Number of Discs: 2 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.40:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"Common and the Game score as baddies....STREET KINGS clips along with brutal efficiency..." 04/25/2008 p.91Empire
3 stars out of 5 -- "The booze-broken future of Johnny Utah is a good look for the film....Reeves thrives." 06/01/2008 p.54 Reel.com 8 of 10
Cops countermanding the law, using the close-knit nature of their badge to secretly settle scores on the street, have long since become a cinematic cliche. The police have gone from donut-munching jokes to felons in blue and black finery. From the decent beat officer taking bribes to buffer his paycheck to the undercover operative in so deep he no longer remembers what side of society he's on, "to protect and serve" has been modified--at least in the movies--to "pervert and steal." Street Kings, the latest motion picture inspired by a story from James Ellroy (L.A. Confidential), dabbles freely in this kind of corrupt no man's land, and for the most part, it's a thrilling journey...It's just too bad then that Street Kings doesn't offer up anything new or original. Indeed, fans of Curtis Hanson's Oscar-winning L.A. Confidential be able to predict the ending without seeing the entire storyline. Yet Ayers delivers enough genre basics, turning the narrative in ways that make the cliches seem clever, that we don't mind revisiting these stale situations. Calling a film derivative is usually considered detrimental. For Street Kings, being an above-average example of an overused idea is not necessarily a bad thing. An influx of invention would have made this a modern classic. As it stands, it's solidly serviceable. - Bill Gibron
ReelViews 7 of 10
Street Kings has the look and feel of an '80s cop thriller. Despite the predictability of the overall story arc, there's suspense and tension to be found between the credit sequences, but the movie is saddled with an ending that is both improbable and borderline insulting. Lead actor Keanu Reeves, who may never become a great actor, has developed enough skill over the years to pull off the role of a dirty cop who begins to grow a conscience. It helps, of course, that his supporting cast includes Forest Whitaker and Hugh Laurie. Director David Ayer, making his second feature, has a screenwriting background in cop movies (including Training Day) and co-writer James Ellory is a respected name in the crime genre. The result of this collaboration is a generally strong motion picture that implodes two minutes before it ends...In a way, cop movies are like romantic comedies - they only need to do one thing and, as long as they do it well, there's no need for them to stray from the one true path. Generally speaking, Street Kings abides by that maxim. The movie has a strong enough identity to keep the feelings of deja vu largely at bay (although Hugh Laurie's character skates a little close to Dr. House for comfort, but Hollywood loves to pigeonhole even the best actors) without going so far afield as to alienate die-hard adherents of the genre. - James Berardinelli
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