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(About Our Ads) "STREET KINGS" (2008) (Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Extreme Extreme Extreme Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Minor Extreme Heavy Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Minor Heavy Heavy Extreme QUICK TAKE: Dramatic Thriller: A loose-cannon detective tries to find those who killed his ex-partner, particularly after it seems as if he's going to be framed for the murder. PLOT: Capt. Jack Wander (FOREST WHITAKER) and his squad of L.A. cops -- Det. Tom Ludlow (KEANU REEVES), Sgt. Mike Clady (JAY MOHR), Det. Cosmo Santos (AMAURY NOLASCO) and Det. Dante Demille (JOHN CORBETT) -- are a close-knit team that might not always get along, but they always cover each other's backs. That's especially needed for Tom who's still bitter and hurting over his cheating wife's death and thus takes out his anger and frustration on most every low-life he encounters. His latest illegal activity has left four perps dead, but also freed two kidnapped girls, thus earning Jack a promotion, and Tom the concerned attention of emergency room nurse Grace Garcia (MARTHA HIGAREDA), not to mention his boss' ever-growing gratitude. That comes in handy when Capt. James Biggs (HUGH LAURIE) from Internal Affairs comes snooping around, and especially when Tom learns that his own ex-partner, Det. Terrence Washington (TERRY CREWS), is reportedly working with Biggs to get the rogue cop off the streets. Befitting his usual operating procedure, Tom goes to have it out with Washington, but just as he does, two masked thugs shoot his former partner dead. Jack has Tom take the convenience store's security tape to cover his man, but its disappearance only raises Biggs' suspicions. Sensing he's going to be framed for the murder -- and feeling responsible for bringing justice to the dead man's wife, Linda (NAOMIE HARRIS) -- Tom teams with forensics detective Paul Diskant (CHRIS EVANS) and uses the likes of flashy criminal Scribble (CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER) to try to find out who's responsible and then deliver his own brand of justice. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into gritty cop flicks and/or are fans of anyone in the cast, they might be interested. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For strong violence and pervasive language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: KEANU REEVES plays a rogue L.A. detective who gets away with his own brand of justice not only because his boss and squad-mates cover for him, but also because he realizes the department needs men like him who will stop at nothing to clean up the streets. Still bitter about his cheating wife's death, he takes out his anger on any number of criminals and breaks the law in various ways, including murder. He also admits to being a racist, uses strong profanity, and drinks and drives. FOREST WHITAKER plays his boss who knows how to play the game, not only to cover the backs of those who do his dirty work, but also how to climb the corporate ladder. While he's chummy with his subordinates, he's only looking out for himself. He uses strong profanity and drinks some. HUGH LAURIE plays an Internal Affairs captain who's investigating Tom and the rest of Jack's team. He uses strong profanity. CHRIS EVANS plays a forensics detective who Tom recruits to assist him on his quest. CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER plays a flashy criminal who reluctantly helps out Tom and Paul. He uses strong profanity and smokes a few times. JAY MOHR plays one of Tom's squad-mates who's just as corrupt as the rest. He uses strong profanity. AMAURY NOLASCO and JOHN CORBETT play their other squad-mates with the same behavior, although the former clashes the most with Tom. TERRY CREWS plays Tom's ex-partner who's working with IA against him, but is murdered before he can do much. NAOMIE HARRIS plays his grieving widow who isn't happy to see Tom come knocking. MARTHA HIGAREDA plays an emergency room nurse who's romantically involved with Tom and thus worries about his well-being. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this dramatic thriller. Profanity consists of at least 136 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue (some of it explicit) is present as are varying amounts of cleavage, while some hookers are briefly seen. Violence consists of many murders via various types of guns, while fighting and other such contact is also present. Much of that has extremely bloody results, and those scenes and various moments of potential peril might be unsettling or suspenseful to viewers. All sorts of bad attitudes (from both the criminals and the cops) are present, which also holds true for behavior that has the potential of being imitated. Tense family material revolves around a woman dealing with her husband's murder, and a cop still dealing with the aftermath of his cheating wife's death. Various characters drink (and one does so while driving), some drugs are seen but not used, and there's some brief smoking. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that later in the film. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of handheld camerawork in the film (including some very bouncy footage during a chase on foot). ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We see empty beer and/or liquor bottles in Tom's kitchen (in the background of the shot). Tom buys mini-bottles of vodka and then downs some of them while driving. Tom does an undercover drug deal to try to nab some criminals, and he shows them the goods (but no use occurs). Tom drinks some vodka after killing four thugs. Tom and the rest of his team drink various forms of alcohol. Tom drinks a mini-bottle of vodka in his parked car, and then drives (with more drinking). We see Tom carrying something in a brown paper bag and then see him drinking beer. There's talk that the cop killers are heroin dealers. Tom and Jack have beer, the adjective "drunk ass" is used, and Jack asks Tom if he wants to get his second DUI (or DWI -- implying he already received one). There's a comment that Washington was dirty and sold heroin from police evidence. However, later evidence suggests that might not be the case. A man pours malt liquor onto his cereal. After that man is arrested, Tom drinks some malt liquor. Tom finds some sort of drugs (in pill form) hidden in a suspect's fridge. Tom says that a suspect looks like he's been using (drugs). Tom, his team, and the women with them have drinks. A thug aims a machine gun at Tom and Diskant when the two cops arrive to do a fake drug deal with another thug (followed by an offer of something to drink for them). Tom shows the recovered pills from the above scene, but the main thug shows a fairly sizable package of what's presumably cocaine, saying it's "better than p*ssy." BLOOD/GORE Tom vomits into the toilet in the morning. Tom is a little bloody after some thugs beat him. Tom bursts into a home and shoots and kills various criminals (who are bloody to varying degrees), including one sitting on the toilet. No nudity or bodily functions are observed, but another cop later jokes with Tom about shooting a man in the middle of that activity. Tom has bruises on his side from where a shotgun blast hit his bulletproof vest. Masked gunmen shoot and kill a clerk and Washington with lots of machine gun fire, with very bloody results (including a pool of blood beneath and away from Washington's body). Biggs uses a metaphor about anytime you "sh*t" the bed, you change the sheets. We see several wrapped bodies in a morgue, and Tom stares at a long blade a worker is sharpening (but is not seen used). A man has some bloody cuts on his leg after coming into contact with rolls of barbwire. Tom and Diskant enter a place with their guns drawn, cautiously looking around. They find blood splattered everywhere, and then find and unearth fairly decomposed bodies buried outside in plastic in a shallow grave (we first see one head, and then the full bodies). Several people who are shot in a gunfight are bloody to varying degrees (some very bloody), including Tom who has blood on his shirt and the skin on his arm. A man has a blood-soaked bandage covering his cheek from an earlier wound there. It looks like there's some blood on the floor behind a man's head after he's been punched hard. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE All of the film's various criminals obviously have bad attitudes. Tom and his fellow cops deliver their own brand of justice, breaking the law (including entering without a search warrant, murder, planting and manipulating evidence, etc.), with Jack always covering for them (as he knows how to play the system, not only to get them off from any charges, but also to enable him to climb the department ladder). Tom makes various racist comments toward some Korean thugs (profane stuff, while also referring to them as Japanese, and the terms "nigger" and "faggoty ass" are also used by all of the involved parties). Later, one of his fellow cops makes a similarly racist comment about the "small-eyed bastards"). Tom discovers and rescues two kidnapped girls who some thugs had locked in a closet. He later angrily comments on the poking and prodding (meant sexually) that probably occurred with them. Tom and Santos clash (despite being on the same team), with Tom shoving Santos backwards. Washington and Tom don't get along despite being former partners (they don't agree with the other's behavior). Tom admits to Washington (who's black) that if he encounters any criminal of color, he'll come down hard on them, but will give a pass to a white guy (we don't know how much of that is true and how much is him pushing his ex-partner's buttons). Tom lies to a police panel investigating his earlier shootings of four suspects. After Washington's murder, Jack wants to cover for Tom (who was found at the scene of the murder), and essentially tells him to take the store's surveillance tape footage of what happened (and Tom does). There is no love lost between Jack and Biggs, with the former complaining about the latter following Tom. He then sarcastically says that Biggs wants Tom to "give you a blowjob" just like the hooker Jack caught Biggs with earlier in their careers (while Biggs was married). Tom meets a coroner who was the same man who worked his wife's case. Tom complains that the man didn't do a vaginal swab as Tom requested (since his wife died of an aneurysm while with another man), but the coroner says it's not his job to investigate adultery. Tom repeatedly calls Diskant "Disco." There's a comment that Washington was dirty and sold heroin from police evidence. However, later evidence suggests that might not be the case. The term "nigger" is bandied about by some black men. About Grace, another cop sarcastically tells Tom, "That bitch of yours is fine" and then asks if he's "f*cking" both her and another woman. One then says he's going to "work that little brown ass" (meaning rape) before breaking her neck. We see that a cop is bad, tries to put out a hit on Tom, and has lots of stolen money and other such material stashed away inside a wall in his home. Spoiler Alert: An Internal Affairs officer lets Tom go and reveals that he orchestrated everything that occurred. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to viewers, especially younger ones and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. A thug aims a machine gun at Tom and Diskant when the two cops arrive to do a fake drug deal with another thug. Santos and Demille arrest Tom at gunpoint. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/ Shotguns/Machine guns: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details. The film's opening sequence shows Tom always with his handgun (carrying it around, cleaning it, etc.). Tom does an undercover drug deal to try to nab some criminals, and also shows them a very old and large machine gun in the trunk of his car. There's a 21-gun salute at a funeral. Tom pulls his gun while approaching some rough looking characters, all to get one to flee. Biggs' partner or subordinate briefly aims a shotgun at Tom. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "So what the f*ck's up?" "You'll be f*cking like beasts," "F*ck is this?" "F*ck it," "F*ck that's supposed to mean?" "Do you know who the f*ck we are?" "Shut the f*ck up," "F*ck 'em" "F*ck you," "F*ck him," "F*ck's wrong with you?" "I'm a f*cking cop," "You really f*cked us on this one," "You're the tip of the f*cking spear," "M*therf*cker," "M*therf*cking," "What the f*ck /are you doing in my office/you doing?" "Are you f*cking kidding me?" "You're f*cking out-there," "Answer the f*cking question," "Get the f*ck back," "Banana boat m*therf*cker," "You're a f*cking chump, bro," "F*cking own it," "F*ck them all," "Jack-sh*t," "Cut the sh*t," "(It's) bullsh*t," "(You) Piece of sh*t," "Heavy sh*t," "You believe that sh*t?" "Holy sh*t," "Sh*t-canned," "Are you sh*tting me?" "Sh*t-bags," "I'm sick of this sh*t," "Serpico sh*t," "That's better than p*ssy," "Yo, dawg," "(Sorry ass) Nigger," "Faggoty ass," "Get your ass up," "Bitch," "What the hell /is going on/is this?" "Screw 'em," "Vindictive bastard," "You idiot," "We can do what the hell we want," "Pissed off," "Damn ironic," "Drunk ass," "Dirty ass," "Punk ass," "Old ass," "All hell breaks lose," "Shut your fat ass up" and "That bitch of yours is fine." All of the action and stunts might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Tom does several bits of drinking and driving. Diskant has a tattoo on his arm. Some miscellaneous guys have tattoos. JUMP SCENES A door suddenly bursts open and cops rush in to arrest Tom at gunpoint. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful, ominous, action-oriented and heavily dramatic music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) A song has several uses of the "f" word in it, while other songs had lyrics that we couldn't fully hear and/or understand, thus offering the possibility of them potentially containing objectionable material. PROFANITY At least 136 "f" words (9 used with "mother," 4 used sexually), 55 "s" words, 4 slang terms using male genitals ("pr*ck" and "tool"), 2 using female ones ("p*ssy"), 26 asses (9 used with "hole"), 8 hells, 4 damns, 6 uses of "G-damn," 3 of "Jesus" and 1 use of "Jesus Christ." SEX/NUDITY Tom does an undercover drug deal to try to nab some criminals, and he shows them the goods (but no use occurs), telling them "You'll be f*cking like beasts" but then asks, "You boys like p*ssy, right?" Tom discovers and rescues two kidnapped girls who some thugs had locked in a closet. He later angrily comments on the poking and prodding (meant sexually) that probably occurred with them. Grace suddenly and passionately kisses Tom. Tom is reassigned to the public complaints department, and we see two hookers (showing cleavage) talking to him, with one saying her "ass" works longer than the cops do. An angry comment is made that Washington's killers are still out on the streets, "living, laughing, f*cking." There is no love lost between Jack and Biggs, with the former complaining about the latter following Tom. He then sarcastically says that Biggs wants Tom to "give you a blowjob" just like the hooker Jack caught Biggs with earlier in their careers. Biggs sarcastically replies it was "the best head" he ever got. Tom meets a coroner who was the same man who worked his wife's case. Tom complains that the man didn't do a vaginal swab as Tom requested (since his wife died of an aneurysm while with another man), but the coroner says it's not his job to investigate adultery. We see Grace swimming and then exiting a pool in a cleavage-revealing bikini. We later see her in a cleavage-revealing dress. A comment is made that if some people can't "f*ck it," rob it or kill it, they don't want it. A thug shows a fairly sizable package of what's presumably cocaine, saying it's "better than p*ssy." About Grace, another cop sarcastically tells Tom, "That bitch of yours is fine" and then asks if he's "f*cking" both her and another woman. One then says he's going to "work that little brown ass" (meaning rape) before breaking her neck. A bad cop roughs up Linda, implying he's going to rape her. She spits in his face and he taunts her by saying she's getting ahead of herself. SMOKING Scribble smokes several times. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We see Washington's funeral, including his grieving widow who wants nothing to do with Tom when he approaches her. Tom meets a coroner who was the same man who worked his wife's case. Tom complains that the man didn't do a vaginal swab as Tom requested (since his wife died of an aneurysm while with another man), but the coroner says it's not his job to investigate adultery. Linda says she and her husband were days away from moving when he was murdered. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Police corruption and how pervasive (or not) it is. Jack telling Tom he's the "tip of the f*cking spear" (meaning in dealing with the bad guys in a forceful way). The comment by the police that the truth is what they want it to be. Drinking and driving. Internal Affairs divisions within police departments. Tom's comment to Biggs that company men like the latter might hate him, but need him (for the results he delivers). Tom learns that some thugs he shot and killed (after they fired at him first) were really cops deep under cover. A bad cop stating that their behavior is all about cops helping cops. VIOLENCE Tom does an undercover drug deal to try to nab some criminals, and goads them to beat him up. They do, with many brutal punches and kicks, leaving him a little bloodied, and then steal his car. As part of his master plan, he then follows those thugs back to their place, kicks in the door and proceeds to shoot the four men inside there dead (with bloody results, all while avoiding most of the gunfire returned at him save for one shotgun blast that gets him in his bulletproof vest). Tom and Santos clash (despite being on the same team), with Tom shoving Santos backwards. Tom follows Washington to a convenience store to confront him (wrapping his belt around his own fist), but then sees masked men pull up. Tom pulls his gun and races inside to try to find Washington and warn him, but Washington hits him with his shopping basket and then knocks him to the ground, holding his gun on him. Just then, the masked men riddle the clerk with machine guns (with very bloody results) and then do the same thing to Washington (also with very bloody results, all as Tom hides, unable to fire back). After they leave, Tom tries to tend to the mortally wounded Washington, all as other cops rush in and aim a shotgun and handgun at him. We see several views of the convenience store surveillance camera footage of the above shootings. Tom shoves Diskant backwards. Thinking he's bugged, Tom pushes Diskant back against some lockers to take and dismantle his cell phone. Diskant chases after a suspect on foot, while Tom drives in hopes of getting that man as well. The chase goes on for a while, with Tom eventually throwing something that hits the guy while he's up on a roof, causing him to fall into rolls of barbwire along the edge (somewhat bloodying him). When the man won't give up the info Tom's after, Tom pulls him harder into the barbwire. Tom breaks a window to gain entry and arrest a man. Tom repeatedly hits a suspect on the head/face with a phonebook (quite hard) to get him to cooperate. He then has that man in a headlock. Tom throws a large rock to break glass in a door so that he and Diskant can enter a place. They find blood splattered everywhere, and then find and unearth fairly decomposed bodies buried outside in plastic in a shallow grave (we first see one head, and then the full bodies). All of that is the result of previous but unseen violence sometime in the past. A thug shoots and mortally wounds a cop, wounds another man, and fires his machine gun at Tom (who returns fire with his handgun while taking cover). The thug keeps shooting and hits the second wounded man, killing him. Tom then shoots one thug, takes cover behind a fridge (that's blasted by gunfire) and then pushes that into the second thug, jumping up above it and shooting down at the suspect, killing him. During that, Tom was hit in the arm. Tom unlocks his hands that are cuffed behind him and jams one open cuff into the driver's mouth, yanking his cheek quite severely. The car they're in goes out of control and eventually crashes, with the passenger then punching Tom unconscious. When he comes to, he discovers that those two cops have his hands bound by plastic tie-wraps, and playfully shoot around him as he tries to crawl away and ends up in a freshly dug, shallow grave. One then goes to get him, but when that man turns away for a moment, Tom grabs and smashes a shovel down into that man's head. He then scrambles to get that man's gun as the second rushes toward him, but Tom does and shoots that man dead. A bad cop roughs up Linda, implying he's going to rape her. She spits in his face and he taunts her by saying she's getting ahead of herself. Tom then grabs that cop, punches him, and breaks his arm. He then puts him in a car trunk where he punches him again. Tom and a bad cop fight, delivering punches, knees and more in a brutal battle, with Tom finally cuffing that cop to a railing. He then breaks open a wall to reveal lots of stolen money and other such material, and then shoots that bad cop twice, killing him. Reviewed April 4, 2008 / Posted April 11, 2008