Street Kings (2008)
Average Rating: 5.1/10
Reviews Counted: 151
Fresh: 54 | Rotten: 97
Street Kings contains formulaic violence but no shred of intelligence.
Average Rating: 4.9/10
Critic Reviews: 34
Fresh: 9 | Rotten: 25
Street Kings contains formulaic violence but no shred of intelligence.
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Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 199,242
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Movie Info
In the wake of the L.A. riots, an LAPD vice detective who always went above and beyond the call of duty to keep the streets safe receives a startling wake-up call that leaves him convinced he can no longer employ the tactics that made him so effective in his work. LAPD veteran Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) has borne personal witness to the worst that the streets have to offer, and when his partner, Detective Terrance Washington (Terry Crews), is killed the violence strikes a bit too close to home.
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Cast
-
Keanu Reeves
Det. Tom Ludlow -
Forest Whitaker
Capt. Jack Wander -
Hugh Laurie
Capt. James Biggs -
Chris Evans
Det. Paul Diskant -
Cedric the Entertainer
Scribble -
Jay Mohr
Sgt. Mike Clady -
Terry Crews
Det. Terrence Washingto... -
Naomie Harris
Linda Washington -
Common
Coates -
The Game
Grill -
Martha Higareda
Grace Garcia -
John Corbett
Det. Dante Demille -
Amaury Nolasco
Det. Cosmo Santos
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Street Kings Trailer & Photos
All Critics (156) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (55) | Rotten (100) | DVD (19)
Keanu Reeves' bad-boy cop Tom Ludlow may not play by the rules, but the film sure does.
What could have been endearingly daft remains merely forgettable.
Top CriticIt's really kind of a dirty scummy piece of work.
Another 'roid-raging dirty cop drama from David Ayer.
[James Ellroy] writes Calvinist screeds against sin; filmmakers turn them into shoot-em-up thrillers.
Street Kings wastes a moderately intriguing premise by filling it with laughably clichéd dialogue, one-dimensional characters and implausible turns of events.
Still, as corrupt cop films go, Street Kings has got its moments, and if nothing else it certainly does entertain.
There's only the spectacle of crooked dunces slamming against each other
Grim, brutal bad-cop drama isn't meant for kids.
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.
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.
A solid contemporary crime drama.
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.
Competent but fatally lacking in the element of surprise. [Blu-Ray]
It's never a good sign when a movie makes you laugh out loud at dialogue intended to be taken seriously.
If you can forgive its stale dialogue, which at times seems so egregiously leaden that it might have been better suited to a Mad magazine parody, 'Street Kings' is a tense, aggressively absurd thriller.
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Latest News on Street Kings
April 17, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Chan & Li Face Off Against Sarah MarshallAfter four straight weeks of the box office falling significantly behind last year's pace, the...
April 11, 2008:
The RT Review Revue: Street Kings, Smart People, and Prom NightHow Street is Keanu's Kings? Are Ellen Page and Dennis Quaid too Smart for the critics? Will the...
April 10, 2008:
Critics Consensus: Street Kings & Smart People FlunkThis week at the movies, we've got crooked cops (Street Kings, starring Keanu Reeves and Forest...
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