Review of Street Kings (2008) by Will S — 09 Jun 2011

Other than LA Confidential there really have not been that many good Ellroy screen adaptations. More's the pity then that this is probably the one pic that comes closest to being a solid 2nd best. The fact that Ellroy wrote the screenplay speaks volumes (ex-queeze the I-just-couldn't-help-myself pun); in fact, it's often the dialogue itself that just blows you away at times.

Nevermind that this is old territory done better (Copland or Colors anyone), it's still excellently executed and other than the usual mis-casting of Keanu-can't-act-in-a-roll-someone-else-could kill-in, one rolls along with the myriads of unsubtlies and dubious twists until about 20 mintues before the end, whereupon we all come to a smake-in-the-face blindingly screeching halt with a more than dubious denoument that, quite honestly, beggers a drunkard's belief.

There are times when one gets angry at the obvious, then there are those times when one's frustration erupts as indignant outrage (last 20 mins of Spielberg's A.I, pu'leeeez!). One can only imagine that Ayer's forst outing as a director of an Ellroy work (for whom he has written twice previously), led him to a rigidity to the Ellroy-penned script than would otherwise have been muted by one not so endebted.

And this is what kills this pic for me most. I can attempt to ride with the Keanu-thing-a-me-jig, but the last of it just puts the bullet in me where it shouldn't. One thing that I adored most about this pic mind you, other than the brilliantly bang-in-your-face Ellroyesque dialogue was Ayer's great eye for minor character casting roles.

I would liek to see more from him, at least away from Ellroy, on something with which he could treat more intimately. We'll see with his End of Watch which will be due out some time next year..