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RATING:   
How many bad-cop movies does it take to spoil the genre? Just one poorly-made one, it seems.
Directed by David Ayer, who was also behind similar productions like Training Day and Harsh Times, Street Kings brings out the genre stereotypes and cliches as if they were freshly-baked from the oven.
A hardnosed LAPD cop, Tom (Keanu Reeves), is an alcoholic gunslinger who shoots first and asks questions later. Has hang-ups since his wife died while having an affair: Check.
Generic Hispanic girlfriend (Martha Higareda) who has no other function in the story than to play token love interest: Check. Tom's ambitious boss, Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker), who goads his men into any means to solve a crime: Check. Office politics, in the shape of internal affairs investigator Captain James Biggs (Hugh Laurie): Check. Story about an ex-partner (Terry Crews) who is about to rat on Tom and dies a bullet-ridden death: Check.
This is a film where the performances teeter on parody. Whitaker swaggers like he has the hangover blues from his Oscar, screaming and shouting like his larger-than-life act as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. And Reeves — well, he dodges bullets so effortlessly that he's almost like … Wait, don't say it. Just email your answer to cliche@hollywood.com. - TODAY/ra
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