Spring Break
Newest cop flick a winner for Reeves and fans
MANDY RODGERS
Issue date: 4/17/08 Section: Out & About
Dear Keanu Reeves,
Ever since you answered Dennis Hopper's pop quiz questions in "Speed," you have been a favorite action star of mine.
"The Matrix" trilogy (well, the first one) sealed the deal after some odd acting choices such as the offbeat romance "Feeling Minnesota" with Cameron Diaz and Vincent D'Onofrio.
Verdict: Keanu as a troubled LAPD cop is a lot better than Keanu as a supernatural ("Constantine") or futuristic ("A Scanner Darkly") cop.
Sure, these action movies don't offer great depth or groundbreaking performances, but they are exciting, popcorn flicks led by a charming hero such as yourself.
After seeing the weepy "Sweet November" and becoming utterly confused and freaked out with the rotoscoping animation in "A Scanner Darkly," I just wanted LAPD's Jack Traven to jump on another moving vehicle and yell, "There's a bomb on the bus!"
I hoped my dreams had come true after seeing the trailer for "Street Kings," an action drama starring you as Detective Tom Ludlow, an LAPD cop.
Getting down to Keanu basics, the movie revolves around Ludlow and his struggles with law enforcement and the bad guys. He never follows the protocol, but who cares? He brings the baddies to justice.
Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker) always covers for Ludlow's follies and continues to tout him as the ace of the department, but when Ludlow's ex-partner is talking to internal affairs (Hugh Laurie) and then ends up murdered, all signs point to guilt for the star.
"Street Kings" is a gritty look at the corruption and conspiracy behind police departments and the criminals they're supposed to protect against. The fascinating and unsettling plot twists and turns until the last frame, keeping the audience guessing.
I'm happy to say you haven't lost your ability to portray a tough cop, though this one is a bitter, jaded, unstable alcoholic - but beggars can't be choosers.
The supporting cast keeps things moving as best they can.
Whitaker provides the calm, dependable boss, Laurie loses his English accent, Chris Evans is a realistic, honorable rookie and Cedric the Entertainer supplies some comic relief with Scribble, a guy who knows too much about the killers.
Director David Ayer does a decent job with the action shoot-outs and the heavy-handed themes, though disbelief should be suspended and screening time expendable.
So thank you, Keanu. Though not exactly what I pictured, "Street Kings" brought you closer to your element and beguiled me for a couple of hours.
Ever since you answered Dennis Hopper's pop quiz questions in "Speed," you have been a favorite action star of mine.
"The Matrix" trilogy (well, the first one) sealed the deal after some odd acting choices such as the offbeat romance "Feeling Minnesota" with Cameron Diaz and Vincent D'Onofrio.
STREET KINGS
Grade: BVerdict: Keanu as a troubled LAPD cop is a lot better than Keanu as a supernatural ("Constantine") or futuristic ("A Scanner Darkly") cop.
Sure, these action movies don't offer great depth or groundbreaking performances, but they are exciting, popcorn flicks led by a charming hero such as yourself.
After seeing the weepy "Sweet November" and becoming utterly confused and freaked out with the rotoscoping animation in "A Scanner Darkly," I just wanted LAPD's Jack Traven to jump on another moving vehicle and yell, "There's a bomb on the bus!"
I hoped my dreams had come true after seeing the trailer for "Street Kings," an action drama starring you as Detective Tom Ludlow, an LAPD cop.
Getting down to Keanu basics, the movie revolves around Ludlow and his struggles with law enforcement and the bad guys. He never follows the protocol, but who cares? He brings the baddies to justice.
Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker) always covers for Ludlow's follies and continues to tout him as the ace of the department, but when Ludlow's ex-partner is talking to internal affairs (Hugh Laurie) and then ends up murdered, all signs point to guilt for the star.
"Street Kings" is a gritty look at the corruption and conspiracy behind police departments and the criminals they're supposed to protect against. The fascinating and unsettling plot twists and turns until the last frame, keeping the audience guessing.
I'm happy to say you haven't lost your ability to portray a tough cop, though this one is a bitter, jaded, unstable alcoholic - but beggars can't be choosers.
The supporting cast keeps things moving as best they can.
Whitaker provides the calm, dependable boss, Laurie loses his English accent, Chris Evans is a realistic, honorable rookie and Cedric the Entertainer supplies some comic relief with Scribble, a guy who knows too much about the killers.
Director David Ayer does a decent job with the action shoot-outs and the heavy-handed themes, though disbelief should be suspended and screening time expendable.
So thank you, Keanu. Though not exactly what I pictured, "Street Kings" brought you closer to your element and beguiled me for a couple of hours.
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