Review of Street Kings (2008) by Chads. — 12 Apr 2008
At the outset of "Street Kings", Detective Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) walks into a Korean gang den and mows down the unarmed men in cold blood. His former partner, a black man, accuses him of being racist.
Since the Asian nationals were harborers of sex trade children, Tom's actions are rationalized as being just. The film itself, not just the detective's colleagues, protects the morally ambiguous cop.
If the dead Koreans didn't imprison two minors in their compound, the audience would turn on Detective Ludlow. The men he shoots unlawfully needed to be more evil than himself. It's the difference between being an anti-hero like "Dirty Harry"(Clint Eastwood as Bill Callahan) and a dirty cop (Denzel Washington in "Training Day").
But here's the rub. Tom is a dirty cop. But in the context of the LAPD, he's not half-bad. Again, this a result of the film's agenda to suture the law officer's nihilism. To the film's credit, the suture isn't complete the second time around.
After a case of friendly fire in a grocery store, Tom goes to the wife of the victim.
This review of Street Kings (2008) was written by Chads. on 12 Apr 2008.
Street Kings has generally received positive reviews.
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