Street Kings **

David Ayer, who wrote "Training Day," here directs another LAPD dirty cop story. "Street Kings" is about one-man vigilante force Detective Tom Ludow (Keanu Reeves) who comes to question the loyalties of those he has trusted and his own place in the department. There is a lot of visceral, graphic action, and a memorable performance by Forest Whitaker as Tom's Captain, but the movie is marred by the usual wooden performance by Reeves and his total lack of chemistry with either his love interest Martha Higareda or with Chris Evans as an internal affairs detective.

The movie opens with some promise, as we watch the Reeves character pull himself together for something he is obviously dreading. This sequence, before we know who he is or what he's doing, carries some real suspense and interest. The payoff is as explosive and violent as any cop movie fan could hope for. And the justification makes it easy to think that we do need an executioner like Ludow on the force. Ayer produces several well-done set pieces like this in "Street Kings."

But things are not all that they appear. The killing of Ludlow's ex-partner, rumored to be talking about Ludlow himself to Internal Affairs, sets off a chain of events that finally brings all to light. The movie has its moments as it hurtles to its end, through a few LA street life scenes, as Ludlow finally figures out what's going on in the department, but high energy and urgency is not enough to make it all work for me. If you enjoy ultraviolent cop vs bad cop, this movie is for you.

Rated R. 109 minutes. David Ayer - Director, James Ellroy - Writer (screenplay) (story), Kurt Wimmer - Writer (screenplay), Jamie Moss - Writer (screenplay), Lucas Foster - Producer, Alexandra Milchan - Producer, Erwin Stoff - Producer, Gabriel Beristain - Cinematographer, Graeme Revell - Composer, Alec Hammond - Production Designer, Jeffrey Ford - Editor. Distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Principal actors: Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Terry Crews, Chris Evans, Cedric the Entertainer, Common, and The Game