Every once in a awhile there comes a movie that delves into the world of police corruption. Since Serpico the idea that police who dip their hands into the cookie jar seems almost unrealistic until Keanu Reeves came to being as a cop whose wife died mercilessly at the hands of criminals. Disillusioned he becomes an enforcer for his superior to rid the streets of rival gangs or provides hits on other political bodies who might turn, and divulge sensitive material to higher powers if they feel threatened. Knowing how much his world has turned upside down Jack (Reeves) tries to reconcile with a guilt he cannot ignore any longer.Yet the hierarchy within his department finds that the risk of his turning on his own is too great, and decides to eliminate jack before he finds who was responsible for killing his ex-partner Washington. On the hunt with another head strong detective Diskant (Chris Evans) they start to unravel the mystery as to who runs the big show behind the curtains. Jack in his disbelief finds out that his superior (Forrest Whitaker) is the main target, and must put an end to the escalating nightmare.Since Serpico I found this to be a tight, and daunting tale of police corruption. Emotions run rampant in this high octane thriller as Reeves bounces from one moment of despair to another. There is never any rest as far as Jack goes seeing that he could be implicated for crimes not on the books. A great twist, and often moving around the compass of LA it was amazing he was able to keep his sanity through out. With all of the evidence pointing his way to put him behind bars for life he finally had enough of the tainted badge he was working with. The struggles to keep from breaking down must have been enormous.Wonderful story along with some great characters to add in the mix such as Hugh Laurie who more or less helped Jack alleviate some of the pressure when jack put an end to the terrorizing plot by putting a slug into his captain's chest. It is amazing that today's police can dip their hands into the jar when it comes down to survival. Pay is not what it used to be, and with druggies, and their sellers making or raking in millions a month who would miss it? The temptation is too great to just say no. With a pile of money four feet high with a few bricks of cash missing would be counted as nothing more than a mistake.I say when a bust goes down that can collect such a haul I say let the investigative police officers involved keep the money, to distribute among the other policemen in their detachment. They risk their lives all of the time. It would prove a hell of a lot better than listening to the news reports about how some police stole or acquiesced from the holding vaults. Highly recommended for viewers of this genre.

This film tells the story of a Los Angeles policeman who witnesses the murder of his partner in a convenience store robbery. He tries to bring justice to the killers, despite that this very action might implicate him in killing his partner. The deeper he digs, the more sinister things he uncovers.I expected "Street Kings" to be a mindlessly violent film, with random explosions and gun shots to get the adrenaline kicking. Therefore, I was positively surprised when I find out there is a deeper dimension to the film. The violence does make me cringe; but there is also much suspense and mystery in the film, that makes me think about what is behind the apparent events in the plot. There is a lot happening in the film, which gives me no time to deduce what the ending could be. I like "Street Kings" because it is intense in both adrenaline and suspense.

If you disagree with my title summary I defy you to list better movies in this genre from the past decade. If you're looking for watchable action movies these days you have to look pretty hard. I could count on one hand how many decent cop thrillers I've seen lately. Street Kings, even with its flaws, is a solid piece of crime drama with some iconic action scenes.Screenplay by James Elroy. I didn't know this before watching the movie but the quality is evident at every step along the way in the drama. The action scenes are intense and there is a lot of tension created to make those scenes resound even more deeply. I think this may be the only movie where I actually liked Keanu Reeves. I've tolerated him before but he's good in this role. Forest Whitaker is another matter. Ever since his over-the-top (read: bad) performance in The Shield series it's obvious that he's either a really bad actor or a one trick pony.The opening few scenes are enough to validate your admission ticket. There are a few other good scenes and a few bad ones but I stand behind my initial statement. I suppose that my praise for this film says a lot more about the sad state of movies these days than it does for the quality of Street Kings.

Here's an underrated actioner that thrills, one of those fiery cop thrillers, that's electric, witha not so bad performance from Keanu to boot. And when it's left in the hands of the writer of Training Day, in what must be his directional debut, that's just adds more plus's. I loved the use of L.A locations here, many we've seen before like in the barrios, or from aerial views, mountains and city in the backdrop, whatever, Street Kings, didn't disappoint one iota. Again this gritty film that just involves you all the way with it's many layers story, that works well for thriller sakes. Again police corruption runs high. Who is good and who is bad. Well there are not many who are good. Keanu, implicated in a robbery, goes to all lengths to find out who's setting him up. He isn't helped by a heckling Hugh Laurie (the film's best performance) riding his tail, who steals the film the way Anthony La Paglia did in Whispers In The Dark, as a smart cocky I.A. officer. Keanu gets matey with an I.A guy (super cool Chris Evans, who's very good here) who could be his last hope. There are car chases, foot chases, some well staged and tense shootouts, you name it. The only let down is it's title, yet fitting just not really original, like a lot of titled films that start with The .... Here is one of the searing cop thrillers, you must grant a view, despite bad hype, and Keanu, back in the action seat, really sells it, with some serious dramatic acting.