STREET KINGS
Tom Ludlow is a jaded L.A. cop who has taken to skulling vodka on the job after the death of his wife. When Ludlow is implicated in the death of a colleague, he is forced to turn against the cop culture he has been part of his whole life. The presentation of the police force as a self-preserving, violent gang, like any of the Korean or Latino mobs they pursue, is an effective theme; and there are some beautiful moody shots of outer L.A. Keanu Reeves plays Ludlow, but the less obvious casting choice of Hugh Laurie as the slippery Captain of Internal Affairs, is more compelling. Street Kings is based on the novel by James Ellroy (L.A. Confidential), and is directed by Training Day’s David Ayer.
(Sunday Francis-Reiss)
