Shawn's Street Kings Review

2008 Movie #52- Street Kings

God damn it I suck at keeping up with these things. Everytime it looks like I'm going to get back on track and really get going on this thing once again, I fuck it up and end up going weeks without writing any of the reviews, or even watching any of the movies. I still have movies to watch in damn February. Anyway...

I watched Street Kings almost two weeks ago now. I had heard beforehand that it was a movie that was so ridiculous that it was pretty entertaining. So I went in thinking that was going to be the fucking goofiest movie ever. Unfortunatly that's not really what I got. Instead I got a movie that has been done literally hundreds of times before. It's been done better than this, it's been done worse than this. Street Kings is somewhere in the middle where it's watchable, but forgetable.

The plot is the exact same usual routine of dirty cops and what not. There's really nothing at all new here in the story department. It's done pretty well though, with some decent action moments and a lot of tough guy shouting matches. I'd read someone compare this movie to a two hour pissing contest and they certainly aren't wrong about that.

The acting is meh. It's cool to see House in a movie, though he doesnt' stray too far from his usual persona. Keanu Reeves has to be the most baffling actor on earth. Usually when he succeeds in a movie it's because the role perfectly fits him. Movies like The Matrix, Speed, Constantine, really don't ask that much from him and his "talents" fit the roles well. However if you watch the Devil's Advocate it's the strangest thing because the man is really fucking good in that movie. I don't know what happened during the production of that movie but they got a really good performance out of the man. Sadly Street Kings is not one of Keanu's finest hours. Most of his lines come off as unintentionally hilarious, especially the first one he says in the movie, which reminded me of something you might hear Steven Seagal say.

I've already covered the movie's biggest problem, the whole been there and done that feeling that carries with it throught the entire thing. I was never bored during it, but it was never surprising and you always knew exactly how things were going to play out. It did entertain me though and it was a pretty decent way to kill a couple of hours at least, just don't expect much. You may also get some decent laughs out of it, although I'm sure that's not what the makers of the movie were intending.

** 1/2 /5