Wasting time with Jet

Well, even the power of "The One" has it's limitations...

Nah, screw that Matrix crap, KEANU is behind it all now.

And 'Street Kings" was proof. From the very beginning of the film, watching him waking up in clothes from the previous night and boozing Tiny Airline Bottles of Vodka while DRIVING (Oooh, I don't approve of THAT!)

Anyway, dont wanna spoil the first 20 minutes, but it's worth the price of admission.

After THAT, the movie spins a bit out of control and recycles the "Corrupt Cops Conspiracy" storyline we've seen a bit more and more lately.

Forrest Whitaker earns points for another over-the-top performance left over from his "Last King of Scotland" pagebook.

Supportive roles by Terry Crews, Common, The Game, and Cedric the Entertainer give the movie a good range of all around TV-Actors, TV-Comedians, and Musicians-trying-to-be-Actors.

Even Hugh Laurie (With a surprising bald spot in the back of his head!) as the Nosy Internal Affairs guy was cool.

This was a Good Movie that COULD have been better if it came out 3 years earlier. But now, it's gonna fall in line with a LOT of other outstanding-yet-familiar films.

Think not?...well lets take a trip down memory lane and see if ya'll can see the similarities in these films...

"16 Blocks"

Synopsis:

Washed up cop (Bruce Willis) has to escort a Material Witness (Mos Def) to the Courthouse, The Corrupt Cops he's testifying against all try to stop them.

Twist:

Turns out Bruce is also one of those corrupt cops and was supposed to help take the witness out.

"And in the End":

Bruce does the right thing, gets Mos Def to the courthouse, takes the rap, the rest of the bad cops get the book thrown at them while he gets a lighter sentence.

"Dark Blue"

Synopsis:

Maverick-and-Above-the-Law Detective (Kurt Russell) avenges the slayings in a Liquor Store robbery gone bad while going head to head with the chief of detectives (Ving Rhames) about his conduct.

Twist:

Turns out it was Corrupt Cop and former Partner/Mentor (Brendan Gleeson) who set the whole thing up and wants Russell to look the other way.

"And in the End":

Russell instead tries to get Glesson taken out but things go bad when Russell's current partner (That wolf/vampire dude from Underworld...) bites the dust instead, with his past catching up with him, Russell cracks at his "Promotion" ceremony and comes clean about his misdeeds and Gleeson.

"Dirty"

Synopsis:

Crooked Cops (Cuba Gooding Jr, and Clifton Collins, Jr) are set up by their Lieutenant (Cole Hauser) after Collins is ready to go to IAB.

Twist:

The Hit goes wrong, Cuba and Collins turn the tables and take out all the bad guys the Lieutenant Sics on them but the Head Gangster that was working with Crooked Lieutenant captures the two and tortures them.

"And in the End":

Cuba gets his brains blown, Collins barely survives and the Lieutenant decides to take what's coming to him and lets Collins go to IAB, but Collins get taken out anyway in a drive-by.

"Cop Land"

Synopsis:

Corrupt New York Cops buy land across the Hudson River with seized drug money and make their own small community for their families. They give a token sheriff position to hapless, hopeful and Half Deaf Freddy Heflin (Sylvester Stallone). Things go haywire when a racially charged shooting at the GW Bridge involving one of the young officers.

Twist:

Thought to have Jumped the Bridge in shock and grief, Murray 'Superboy' Babitch (Michael Rappaport) actually snuck into "Cop Land" and was lying low. After weeks of searching at the Bridge the fellow officers (Harvey Keitel and Robert Patrick) realize a body HAS to be found, so they plan to kill "Superboy". The hit goes wrong, he escapes and hides in a Water Tower.

"And in the End":

Freddy finds "Superboy" and confronts the entire cop community who are bent on doing them BOTH now, but he survives and blows the lid off the corruption by escorting "Superboy" to IAB headquarters in New York City.

"Snake Eyes"

Synopsis:

Corrupt detective Rick Santoro (Nicholas Cage) is ringside of a Boxing Match in which the Secretary of Defense is shot and killed, several discrepancies of the events before leave Rick to believe a Conspiracy afoot.

Twist:

The head of the Security Detail and Rick's friend Kevin Dunn (Gary Sinese) set the assassination up due to hide the faulty weapons report that was ready to be revealed by whistleblower Julia Costello (Carla Gugino) who was ALSO an intended target.

"And in the End":

After playing Cat and Mouse inside the Casino and Hotel, Rick stashes Julia and is confronted by Kevin. After some rough persuasions as to her whereabouts, Rick leads the bad guys to where the girl is only to have the looming hurricane hit and reveal everyone's location to the awaiting police, Kevin finally caught red handed like a deer in the headlights, decides to kill himself rather than deal with the consequences.


"Narc"

Synopsis:

A grief-stricken detective (Jason Patric) returns back to active duty alongside a hard-boiled vet (Ray Liotta) currently being investigated by IAB, the two look into the death of their friend who was a Narcotics Cop.

Twist:

After stomping a LOT of suspects and looking for witnesses, turns out their best friend blew his OWN brains out.

"And in the End":

Ray Liotta admits he made it look like a homicide so the widow could collect the insurance, Jason Patric agrees to keep it quiet and IAB continues to keep their eye on both of them.


"Training Day"

Synopsis:

A Crooked Detective (Denzel Washington) takes his new partner (Ethan Hawke) on the beat for his first day and brandishes his OWN style of Justice

Twist:

Denzel had planned on Hawke taking the rap for killing his Drug-Lord Best Friend and then get killed himself by retaliation gang members. In an unbelievable coincidence the teenage girl he helped save from a rapist earlier in the day turns out to be the sister of one of the gang-bangers so they let him go.

"And in the End":

Denzel collects enough illegal drug money that he needed to pay a debt but Hawke catches up with him and in the struggle recovers the money and turns it all in to IAB. Denzel gets away, but not too far as his past catches up with him with a bloody result.


In a way, "Street Kings" is "Dark Blue", "Training Day", mixed in with a little "Dirty"...the stories blend in perfectly it's uncanny.

I kinda wish it made more money in the box office thou, 12 Million doesn't seem enough "Justice".

Hopefully next weekend..."The Forbidden Kingdom" will clean house!

One last thing, this movie attracts a bit of a Ghetto Audience...I saw the 1:05pm show at the AMC (Stupid, I know) and there were hood punks ready to start a fight mouthing off! If I saw it in a Magic Johnson Theater, I'm pretty sure a shootout would ensue.