'Street Kings' (15) Starring Keanu Reeves & Forest Whitaker

Next year is the tenth anniversary of The Matrix (bet you feel old now, eh?), yet sci-fi messiah Keanu Reeves has failed to rekindle that magic in any movie since. In a career that’s had far fewer hits than most stars of his status, he’s struggled to consolidate his output for fear of the dreaded typecasting. After a two-year gap, we finally get his latest, the multi-starring Street Kings.

Reeves plays Tom Ludlow, a cop who gets the job done by any means necessary, which usually involves shooting first and asking questions later. The results are good for his captain (Forest Whitaker), who is on the fast-track to promotion provided he can cover up Ludlow’s dubious methods. When Reeves is wrongly accused of killing his partner in a robbery, another cover-up commences, however Ludlow wants justice and goes out to find the real murderers. In his determination, however, he uncovers a world of corruption that goes higher up than he could have ever imagined.

The plot itself is sound - it’s an interesting story, with a few twists along the way. Nothing that will make you spill your popcorn, but entertaining nonetheless. The biggest complaint is the script, which seems to have been lifted from the ‘big book of cop movie clichés’. Reeves stares at two cowering kidnapped girls and whispers “it’s ok… I’m a cop”, and from that early moment you know you’ll be cringing for the duration.

It also doesn’t help that Reeves has always had a kind of ‘genetic Botox’ that prevents him from displaying any emotion, but 20 years into his career, you’ve come to expect that from him. In fact, it’s the cast that keep this from being a bad movie. Whitaker is great, switching from sinner to saint with one facial expression; Hugh Laurie does a non-limping version of his House persona, but still lights up all the scenes he’s in. Big support from Chris Evans, Naomie Harris and professional ‘supporting actor’ Jay Mohr mean the acting standard is high, even if the writing is poor.

Add in a torrent of violence and swearing, and the result is a movie that doesn’t live up to its influences (mainly Training Day), but at a little over 100 minutes it doesn’t stick around long enough for you to dislike it. Unlikely to win any new fans of Reeves, but consolidates Whitaker’s status as an A-Lister, and is a good showcase for Laurie’s talents. Marinated in testosterone, but worth the trip to the cinema.

Released: 18 April 2008