Review of Street Kings (2008) by Edward B — 19 Mar 2009

Had it ended 10 minutes earlier than it did, it would have been a pretty decent revenge flick. However, the plot twists upon plot twists create a payoff so ludicrous it sullies the entire picture. Say what you want about how implausible the ending of Gone Baby Gone was, at least that ending created a moral dilemma that fit in with the themes of the overall movie.

Good performance by Keanu Reeves; he actually pulled off the tough and dirty cop role. Hugh Laurie is great, although he was barely in this thing. Forest Whitaker, and Chris Evans provide decent supporting roles even with the awkward dialogue they have to utter. The film has a neat gritty feel to it. David Ayer is familiar with this material so he's able to bring a good sensibility to it. The weak link here is James Ellroy's script, which goes from convoluted to ludicrous to downright stupid.