50 Cent and Val Kilmer Co-Stars as Cops in Post-Katrina Crime Caper
This grisly thriller is set in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, during a time when devastation and lawlessness defined The Big Easy. Wading right into the messy aftermath and trying to wrest control back from the criminals are veteran detective Andy Devereaux (Val Kilmer) and his new partner, rookie cop Stan Green (50 Cent).
Right off the bat we learn that Andy abides by the first law of nature, as he explains to his shrink (Sharon Stone) why he has no qualms about taking another man's life, if necessary. He simplistically summarizes his credo of self-preservation with the rationalization that "It's better to be judged by 12 than to be carried by 6." Stan, by contrast, was raised in the 'hood where he ran with a rough crowd until he decided to go straight for the sake of his wife (Pilar Sanders) and their 3 young kids.
However, when Andy and Stan try to bring down a drug ring, they encounter interference from colleagues on the take intent on keeping the cartel in business. For instance, they cross paths with a crooked undercover cop who arrogantly announces, "You don't exist in this city unless I say so." Thus, it is no surprise that our heroes soon end up paranoid and fearing their own force more than any mobsters.
And as they dig deeper, their suspicions are confirmed, as they unearth evidence of corruption which not only implicates DEA Agents but which points to the highest levels of their own department, possibly including their boss, Captain John Friendly (Barry Shabaka Henley). So unfolds Streets of Blood, an appropriately titled splatter flick featuring both incessant action and a very complicated, multi-layered mystery which I dare not spoil by revealing any further details.
Suffice to say that Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and Val Kilmer deserve kudos galore for cultivating a convincing chemistry as cops unfairly considered rogue merely for being honest. A well-concealed whodunit which takes you on a relentlessly-raw, rollercoaster ride certain to satiate the bloodlust of fans of the high body-count genre.
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for violence, nudity, sexuality, drug content and pervasive profanity.
Running time: 95 minutes
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
To purchase a copy of Streets of Blood, visit: B0026VKXSA
To see a trailer for Streets of Blood,
Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the African-American Film Critics Association, and the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee. Contact him through NewsBlaze.
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