- Title: USA: "Street Kings" Reeves and Whitaker talk police duty at L.A. premiere
- Date: 9th April 2008
- Summary: PAN WIDE OF CARPET
- Embargoed: 24th April 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA7VCKF13OPL8L03STQ3WOBQ1I5
- Story Text: Oscar winner Forest Whitaker and Keanu Reeves pair up in a hard charging fictional dramatic look at the Los Angeles Police Department in
"Street Kings" which premiered in Los Angeles, California.
Director Keanu Reeves, and Forest Whitaker talk about their new drama "Street Kings" at the Los Angeles, California premiere on Thursday (April 3).
Los Angeles' mean streets get meaner than ever in "Street Kings," and little wonder considering its pedigree. The film is directed by David Ayer, who penned the dirty-cop movie "Training Day," and based on a script largely written by L.A.'s mad-dog crime novelist/moralist James Ellroy.
"Police forces all over the world," says Whitaker who plays LAPD vice Captain Jack Wander. "It sort of touched the good guys you know there as well that are trying to make things all right. You know like Chris' character tries to do that and Terry Crews' character is that. I think it shows part of it not all of it. "
"Kings" is filled with bad people, bad cops and one almost absurdly idealistic cop, Keanu Reeves' Detective Tom Ludlow, who nevertheless breaks rule and heads without a moment's hesitation. The role and working with the LAPD gave Reeves a new found respect for those that protect and serve.
"I mean I definitely was spending time with the people I did I have a different appreciation for the job. But also probably more like what it is to go home with the job. Like what is it like to have be on the street? to be a hard charger? What's it like to go home? I learned a lot more about that.
The challenges of that."
The rescue makes his boss look good, too, so Capt. Wander gets promoted, but not before Internal Affairs Capt. James Biggs played "House's" Hugh Laurie lets both men know he's got his eye on them.
More worrying is that Tom's former partner, Terrence Washington played by comedian Terry Crews, might have gone to IA about some of the more troubling incidents of their time together.
When Washington is assassinated, Tom is implicated. But Wander and all the men in his unit keep telling Tom they've got his back. As much as he despised his former partner, Tom is enraged by his death. He joins the detective investigating the murder, Paul Diskant played by Chris Evans, to track down his killers. That investigation leads Tom into his own personal heart of darkness. Evans said the mix of men, including rappers Common, and The Game, on set gave for a good time but when the cameras rolled everyone was back to business.
"I mean everyone really comes from different backgrounds I know that we got comedians, and rappers and actors but on this set they really showed up to work and everyone really came with their game face on. It felt as professional and as focused and as acting driven as any set I have ever been on."
"Street Kings" opens nationwide in the United States on April 11, 2008. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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