Street Kings (2008)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

David Ayer

Writers (WGA):

James Ellroy (screenplay) and
Kurt Wimmer (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 April 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Their City. Their Rules. No Prisoners.

Plot:

Tom Ludlow is a veteran LAPD cop who finds life difficult to navigate after the death of his wife. When evidence implicates him in the execution of a fellow officer, he is forced to go up against the cop culture he's been a part of his entire career, ultimately leading him to question the loyalties of everyone around him. |

Plot Keywords:

Death | Lapd | Dead Wife | Black Cop | Police Harassment

Cast

Keanu Reeves	...	Detective Tom Ludlow
Forest Whitaker	...	Captain Jack Wander
Hugh Laurie	...	Captain James Biggs
Chris Evans	...	Detective Paul Diskant
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Scribble (as Cedric 'The Entertainer' Kyles)
Jay Mohr	...	Sgt. Mike Clady
Terry Crews	...	Detective Terrence Washington
Naomie Harris	...	Linda Washington
Common	...	Coates
Martha Higareda	...	Grace Garcia
John Corbett	...	Detective Dante Demille
Amaury Nolasco	...	Detective Cosmo Santos
Noel Gugliemi	...	Quicks (as Noel G.)
Michael Monks	...	Pathologist
Daryl Gates	...	The Chief (as Daryl F. Gates)

Also Known As:

Night Watch (USA) (working title)
The Night Watchman (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and pervasive language.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Turkish

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Ireland:16 | Finland:K-15 | UK:15 | Norway:15 | Malaysia:18PL | Australia:MA | USA:R (certificate #44158) | Hong Kong:IIB | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Sweden:15 | Iceland:16 | South Africa:16LV | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Argentina:16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | France:-12 | Denmark:15 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | Germany:18 (cut) | Italy:VM14 | Taiwan:R-12 | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Austria:16 | Japan:PG-12 | Spain:18 | Brazil:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

James Ellroy wrote the screenplay in the mid-1990's inspired by the O.J. Simpson trial. Over the years, Spike Lee, David Fincher, and Oliver Stone were attached to direct the film at various stages of pre-production. Sean Penn was once attached to star. John Ridley contributed to an early version of the screenplay. Belgian director Erik Van Looy was set to direct this film according to various interviews, but these plans were scrapped in preproduction, upon which Van Looy went on to direct Loft (2008/I) in his home country.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Captain Biggs sits across from Ludlow at Ludlow's desk and begins conversing with him, Biggs' necktie alternates from being outside of his lapel to under it, even though he does not move.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Boss Kim: Yo dawg.
Tom Ludlow: Konnichiwa.
Boss Kim: What?
Tom Ludlow: Konnichiwa. Konnichiwa. It means what's up. So what the fuck's up?

Movie Connections:

References Serpico (1973)

Well Written Throwback Cop Thriller!!

Just saw it at a sneak preview and really enjoyed it. Keanu Reeves was fantastic in this film and it really showed me what a great actor he is. I have had a hard time imagining him in anything since The Matrix, but he really pulled this character off and showed me what he is made of.

The rest of the cast is solid as a rock too, but the thing that really stood out to me was the writing. This film is a throwback to the cop thrillers of the 1970's, but with MUCH better writing and bigger budgets. There are even a few genuine laughs to go with all of of the action and it is great to see Jay Mohr doing something other than "The Ghost Whisperer!" The audience reaction in this movie was refreshing as well. It is quite easy to get absorbed in this one.

Prediction: Street Kings is the number one film on it's opening weekend.