Seeing David Ayer’s name attached to a project in any capacity generally gives you a good idea of what to expect, and sure enough, Street Kings hit all of the beats we’d seen in pretty much everything else hailing from the writer and director.
As previously explored in Training Day, Dark Blue, S.W.A.T., and Harsh Times, the story is set in and around the seedier side of Los Angeles, with a cavalcade of corrupt cops flitting in and out of a story that blurs the lines between right and wrong, plays in the grayer areas of morality, and features bursts of unflinching violence.
That means there are precisely zero surprises to be found for fans of either the subgenre as a whole or Ayer in particular, which may have contributed to the tepid reviews and lukewarm box office that greeted the movie when it first hit theaters back in April 2008.
However, one thing Street Kings definitely has going for it is the stellar ensemble cast, which boasts an array of impressive talent from top to bottom. Supporting leading man Keanu Reeves are the likes of Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Forest Whitaker, Common, Naomie Harris, Terry Crews, and plenty more besides, with star power always proving to be a draw on streaming.
Street Kings‘ current performance on Hulu provides yet another case in point, with the overall middling effort currently ranking as one of the 10 most-watched titles on the platform, as per FlixPatrol. It isn’t Ayer’s best by any stretch, but that hasn’t deterred subscribers from giving it either a first watch or revisit.
