Street Kings
Posted on April 9, 2008 at 6:00 pm
C| Lowest Recommended Age: | Mature High Schooler |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated R for strong violence and pervasive language. |
| Profanity: | Constant extremely strong language, racist epithets and insults |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | Drinking, smoking, drug use, drug dealing |
| Violence/ Scariness: | Extreme, intense, graphic violence, characters injured and killed, explicit and disturbing images |
| Diversity Issues: | Diverse characters |
| Date Released to Theaters: | April 11, 2008 |
“Street Kings” is a like a Cliff’s Notes version of Training Day
At least that movie had a sizzling performance and an intriguing premise, a young cop’s introduction to the seamy underworld. This one has neither. It is big, dumb, loud, generic, and, worst of all, pretentious.
Keanu Reeves plays Tom Ludlow, and we meet him in what appears to be his daily waking ritual — grab gun, barf, and stop at the liquor store, as the bass line bangs away portentously. Then he and some gangstas try to out-tough each other with threats and insults over some deal. To no one’s surprise except the gangstas, he turns out to be a cop. He goes into the bad guys’ house, guns blazing, and takes everyone down all by himself, for no reason whatsoever except showing off.
Detective Washington, Tom’s former partner (Terry Crews) has been telling Internal Affairs about some of the ways that Tom and his colleagues under Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker) cut corners. Let’s just say that they are not exactly scrupulous about due process. When Washington is killed, Tom is the likely suspect. Investigating that crime exposes the vast reaches of corruption and betrayal. And it provides the opportunity for many, many shoot-outs and other violent confrontations.
It is all supposed to be very tough and meaningful, but even an exceptionally strong cast can’t save dialog like, “This is your mess and I’m cleaning it up,” “It’s time to turn the page and close the book,” and “I gotta watch my own back these days.” Anyone who has ever seen a movie will be able to guess the twist within the first 10 minutes. After that, it’s just waiting for Tom to catch up to you.
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: The Shaping of the Eastern Tradition –an introduction to the great mythic traditions of South and East Asia
Charlton Heston, who died this morning at age 84, had the screen presence for larger than life, heroic roles, and often appeared in films with religious themes. He will be best remembered for his Oscar-winning performance as 
and for appearing as Moses in 
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and provided voice talent for a series of animated Bible stories for children. 
as a policeman who lives on the border, literally and metaphorically, and in a rare romantic comedy, “The Private War of Major Benson.” Whether he was leading a circus (
) or a stranded team of astronauts (
) or even trying to survive as the last man on earth (
), his conviction and commitment made him the essence of a movie star.
