(CNN) -- In "Street Kings," Keanu Reeves' bad-boy cop Tom Ludlow may not play by the rules, but the film sure does. Keanu Reeves, second from left, and Forest Whitaker are shifty cops in "Street Kings." The movie is textbook Cop Noir. Directed by David Ayer, who wrote "Training Day" and directed "Harsh Times," from a script that originated with "L.A. Confidential" novelist James Ellroy, it's a story both men have told before and will doubtless return to again. Too bad that story -- the one about the constant struggle with an impure world, betrayal, disillusionment, retribution, all that jazz -- isn't told with much originality this time around.
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"Street Kings" has been done better before, says CNN.com's Tom Charity
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Movie stars Keanu Reeves as rogue cop who finds self in awkward position
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Film is adequate, but no surprises for those who've seen "Training Day"
In his field the bad guys are easy to spot, and if @placeholder has to get his hands dirty, well, then he'll be careful to wipe away the residue before he calls it in.