Street Kings (2008)

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:

As Ludlow walks out of his impromptu meeting with Diskant he says "Harry, I thought you were dead" to an unseen Detective seated at a desk. This is in reference to Keanu Reeves' film _Speed (1994)_, which was also based in LA, in which his character Jack Traven was partnered with Detective Harry Temple (played by Jeff Daniels) who was killed in a bombing.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Ludlow and Diskant are at Grills’ house, just after beating him with the telephone book, someone disappears through a door in the background and in the next shot the door moves and closes. If there was supposed to be someone else in the house someone would have noticed and/or mentioned it...

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)

Great Flick.

This movie keeps you entertained throughout. I love looking for holes in plots but was unable to locate one in this movie. Lots of action and mental gymnastics. I think Keanu Reeves did well in this movie, as did Whitaker. In fact, I think the entire movie was well cast. My only criticism of Reeves is that he doesn't show much emotion. In fact, he seems kind of cut off. But, I know what to expect from him in all his movies. He is pretty much the same. But I enjoy his acting anyway. He does real well in the fighting scenes. This movie reminded me somewhat of Training Day. I guess because it was about the L.A.P.D. and dealt with dirty cops, etc. Great police thriller. Recommend watching in the theater on HD, if possible. In fact, I'll probably get the DVD when it comes out.