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IMDbPro

Street Kings

  • 20082008
  • RR
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
116K
YOUR RATING
Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Chris Evans, Hugh Laurie, Common, Martha Higareda, and Game in Street Kings (2008)
This is the U.S. theatrical trailer for Street Kings, directed by David Ayer.
Play trailer1:27
14 Videos
95 Photos
ActionCrimeThriller
An undercover cop, disillusioned by the death of his wife, is implicated in the murder of an officer and must struggle to clear himself.An undercover cop, disillusioned by the death of his wife, is implicated in the murder of an officer and must struggle to clear himself.An undercover cop, disillusioned by the death of his wife, is implicated in the murder of an officer and must struggle to clear himself.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
116K
YOUR RATING
    • David Ayer
    • James Ellroy(screenplay)
    • Kurt Wimmer(screenplay)
    • Jamie Moss(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Keanu Reeves
    • Forest Whitaker
    • Hugh Laurie
    • David Ayer
    • James Ellroy(screenplay)
    • Kurt Wimmer(screenplay)
    • Jamie Moss(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Keanu Reeves
    • Forest Whitaker
    • Hugh Laurie
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 236User reviews
    • 195Critic reviews
    • 55Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos14

    U.S. trailer: Street Kings
    Trailer 1:27
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    Street Kings
    Clip 1:01
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    Street Kings
    Clip 0:38
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    Street Kings
    Clip 1:05
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    Street Kings
    Clip 0:51
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    Street Kings
    Clip 0:49
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    Street Kings
    Clip 0:47
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    Street Kings
    Clip 0:32
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    Street Kings
    Clip 0:34
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    Street Kings
    Featurette 0:18
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    Street Kings
    Featurette 0:26
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    Street Kings
    Interview 0:35
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    Photos95

    Game in Street Kings (2008)
    Keanu Reeves in Street Kings (2008)
    Keanu Reeves, Hugh Laurie, and Clifton Powell in Street Kings (2008)
    Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, and Hugh Laurie in Street Kings (2008)
    Keanu Reeves and Martha Higareda in Street Kings (2008)
    Cedric the Entertainer in Street Kings (2008)
    Chris Evans in Street Kings (2008)
    Keanu Reeves, John Corbett, and Amaury Nolasco in Street Kings (2008)
    Keanu Reeves, Jay Mohr, Forest Whitaker, John Corbett, and Amaury Nolasco in Street Kings (2008)
    Keanu Reeves, Jay Mohr, and Forest Whitaker in Street Kings (2008)
    Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker in Street Kings (2008)
    Keanu Reeves in Street Kings (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Keanu Reeves
    Keanu Reeves
    • Detective Tom Ludlow
    Forest Whitaker
    Forest Whitaker
    • Captain Jack Wander
    Hugh Laurie
    Hugh Laurie
    • Captain James Biggs
    Chris Evans
    Chris Evans
    • Detective Paul Diskant
    Cedric the Entertainer
    Cedric the Entertainer
    • Scribble
    • (as Cedric 'The Entertainer' Kyles)
    Jay Mohr
    Jay Mohr
    • Sgt. Mike Clady
    Terry Crews
    Terry Crews
    • Detective Terrence Washington
    Naomie Harris
    Naomie Harris
    • Linda Washington
    Common
    Common
    • Coates
    Cle Sloan
    Cle Sloan
    • Fremont
    Martha Higareda
    Martha Higareda
    • Grace Garcia
    John Corbett
    John Corbett
    • Detective Dante Demille
    Amaury Nolasco
    Amaury Nolasco
    • Detective Cosmo Santos
    Game
    Game
    • Grill
    • (as The Game)
    Noel Gugliemi
    Noel Gugliemi
    • Quicks
    • (as Noel G.)
    Michael Monks
    Michael Monks
    • Pathologist
    Daryl Gates
    Daryl Gates
    • The Chief
    • (as Daryl F. Gates)
    Clifton Powell
    Clifton Powell
    • Sergeant Green
      • David Ayer
      • James Ellroy(screenplay) (story)
      • Kurt Wimmer(screenplay)
      • Jamie Moss(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Keanu Reeves did all of his own stunts in the film with no stunt doubles.
    • Goofs
      After getting into the fight with the two Korean men, Ludlow has blood on his forehead. During the scenes where he bust into their house, in some shots he is seen with the blood on his forehead but in other scenes there is nothing on his forehead.
    • Quotes

      Thug Kim: Konnichiwa is Japanese. It's insultin' to Koreans.

      Tom Ludlow: How am I supposed to tell if you can't?

      Thug Kim: Fuck's that supposed to mean, white boy?

      Tom Ludlow: It means you got eyes like apostrophes, you dress white, talk black, and drive Jew. So how am I supposed to know what kind of zipperhead dog-munching dink you are if you don't?

      Boss Kim: Yo. D'you know who the fuck we are?

      Tom Ludlow: Yeah. You're a couple panheads buyin' a machine gun out of a trunk.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Drillbit Taylor/The Hammer/Sleepwalking/The Grand/Under the Same Moon (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      Pop
      Written by Rhymer, Kim Tae Wan and Young 1

      Performed by Enjel feat. Annie K

      Courtesy of Einsdigital

    User reviews236

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Explosive entertainment
    "Street Kings" definitely has the street-cred. Keanu looks real bad-ass, Forrest Whittaker looks like he's digging back into the character he played on "The Shield", writer director David Ayer is no stranger to life on the cop circuit, having written "Dark Blue" and "Training Day among others, and the movie also brings on the token rappers for good measure in Common and The Game. But does it work? Reeves plays Tom Ludlow, a Vice detective on a Special Forces unit in LA, led by Ludlow's friend and former partner Captain Wander (Forrest Whittaker). Ludlow's a dirty cop, but he feels in a good way. He'll execute and then tweak the crime scene if it means taking the low-lifes off the streets for good.

    His former partner Terrance Washington (Terry Crews) doesn't see it that way though, as he is in the midst of ratting him out to the head of Internal Affairs, Captain Biggs (Hugh Laurie). When he finds out, Tom follows Washington around, walking right into a convenience store robbery where Washington is gunned down execution style. Wander tells Tom he'll take care of it, but Tom is a man who values justice more than anything. He partners with a homicide detective named Diskant (Chris Evans) to follow the evidence and solve the murder.

    The movie, by David Ayer, couldn't be more hard-core. It's filled with riveting gun-battles and fights and it's a movie not afraid to show some real brutal violence and blood. The verbal exchanges between characters are also exceptionally written, heated and intense with a good ear for dialogue. My favorite line by far this year is "Why don't you do the department a favor and clean your mouth out with a buck-shot." And the story pulls off a compelling morality play, sending Tom up a ladder of murder and corruption, and at the same time, climbing him further toward his own redemption. Sure, you can probably see the ending coming if your paying close enough attention, but think about it, the movie couldn't end in a better way.

    This is the kind of movie Reeves is excellent in, giving his character edge and toughness but also never losing track of the character's underlying moral dilemma. Whittaker is also incredible in this movie, sinking his teeth into a character who's basically portrayed as "The Godfather" of LA. Hugh Laurie shows up every once in a while, the character feels underwritten though. Chris Evans does a decent job, Cedric The Entertainer and Jay Mohr are nice additions who add some comedy, and it's a small role but Naomie Harris deserves a shout-out for playing the down-to-earth voice of reason character.

    "Street Kings" is hard-nosed, gritty film-making. The cast is right on the money, the writing and direction is terrific, and the action couldn't be more exciting. The year is still young but this is one of my favorite films so far.
    helpful•92
    32
    • C-Younkin
    • Apr 12, 2008

    FAQ3

    • Is this movie based on a book?
    • What does Konnichiwa mean?
    • What exactly does Biggs do?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 11, 2008 (United States)
      • United States
      • Fox Searchlight (United States)
      • English
      • Turkish
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Habachihana Grill - 1045 S. Hill Street, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Searchlight Pictures
      • New Regency Productions
      • 3 Arts Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 49 minutes
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS

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