Street Kings 2: Motor City (Blu-ray Combo Pack)
Directed by Chris Fisher
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Year: 2011
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 92 minutes
Rating: NR
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English
Subtitles: SDH, French, Spanish
Region: A
MSRP: $ 29.99
Release Date: April 19, 2011
Review Date: April 18, 2011
The Film
2.5/5
It may have the look of a sequel by its title, but Chris Fisher’s Street Kings 2: Motor City is its own film. Made for home video, this movie is something of a schizophrenic crime drama: it bounces continually from interesting to predictable, pretty good to poor throughout its running time. There’s a hint of passable mystery that’s abandoned too soon, a couple of decently staged murders, and some action scenes that show some ingenuity went into their stagings. But the overall plot is fairly trite, and the makers were wise not to stretch the film’s running time any longer than ninety minutes.
After a drug sting operation goes bad and Detective Marty Kingston (Ray Liotta) gets shot in the legs but survives, three years pass. Then, detectives that were part of that undercover operation begin to be murdered, and the Detroit police put nine month rookie Detective Dan Sullivan (Shawn Hatosy) on the case, paired with Kingston who has insight into the personalities of some of the murdered men. As the inquiry continues, Sullivan pieces together that the cops who were killed were dirty (much to Kingston’s surprise) and were under investigation by Harrison Clark (Jack Moore) from IA. He begins to worry for his and his partner’s safety as well as the well being of their families, especially his own wife (Inbar Lavi) who is pregnant with their first child.
The opening action scene is quite a shocker so explosively quick is it staged and shot by director Chris Fisher. Co-writers Ed Gonzalez and Jeremy Haft have established a fairly deft little mystery for the film’s first half hour before revealing their killer too early and thereby turning the film into a rather standard stalk and slay movie. The motive which they manage to remain hidden almost to the end of the film is a good one suggesting that with a few more drafts, a really first-rate mystery could have been concocted from the various elements they had created. Instead, we get fairly standard action and gore (the murder of Detective Rogan (Kevin Chapman) is by far the most creatively managed of the three officer shootings) with only fleeting glimmers of freshness or vivid imagery otherwise. The original Street Kings took place in Los Angeles, but this one is Detroit all the way with a fairly nice feel for the city on the supposedly small budget.
All of this is rather standard fare for Ray Liotta who can mix a tough-as-nails demeanor with a brittle sensitivity when necessary and does so throughout the film. Shawn Hatosy’s work on TNT’s Southland stands him in good stead here playing a similar role as a young police detective. As the burden of the investigation falls on his shoulders, it’s good that a grounded actor like him has the role and performs it pretty well. Linda Boston doesn’t show many colors as the no nonsense police captain who wants answers, but Scott Norman as the first victim and Ele Bardha and Kevin Chapman as the other ones suggest decent acting ability wasted in tiny roles. Inbar Lavi and Charlotte Ross as the wives of Hatosy and Liotta do their jobs professionally.
Video Quality
4/5
Shot with the RED camera, the film has been framed at 1.78:1 and is presented in a 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. Sharpness is very good throughout with nice detail seen in faces, hair, and brickwork. Color is true to life and flesh tones are likewise accurate. Contrast seems to have been dialed in very precisely. Black levels are not optimal, but shadow detail can be striking in various scenes. The film has been divided into 24 chapters.
Audio Quality
4/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix doesn’t exploit the entire soundfield for maximum benefit, but there are enough instances of ambient sounds panning through the soundstage to satisfy less hard-to-please patrons. Bass is quite strong, and the consistently throbbing bass line is most effective. Music is the most consistent occupant of the rear channels. Dialogue is clearly presented in the center channel.
Special Features
3/5
Unless otherwise noted, the bonus material is presented in 1080i.
Two deleted scenes are presented in a 1080p vignette and run together 2 ½ minutes.
“Murder Scene Deconstructions” examines the killings of the three police officers which make up the first third of the movie with each getting its own featurette. The director, film editor, producer, stunt coordinator, writers, and actors playing the victims are all interviewed about their participation in these scenes. They may be viewed separately or in one 12 ¼-minute grouping.
“Creating a Convincing Cop Story” interviews director Chris Fisher and writers Ed Gonzalez and Jeremy Haft about their original story. Also various actors (including Shawn Hatosy) and the props master weigh in on the film’s narrative structure.
“An Explosive Opening” finds the film’s director, producer, film editor, and writers describing the opening sequence locations and staging of action in this 5-minute piece.
“Motor City Setting” has director Chris Fisher and cinematographer Marvin Rush discussing how the location of Detroit shaped the writing of the story and the filming of the movie around certain special locations in the Motor City. This runs 4 ½ minutes.
“Weapons Check” is an interactive game where the player answers a set of multiple choice questions concerning police procedure ending in your being told what kind of weapon you as a policeman would likely carry.
The disc contains promo trailers for the FX dramas and 127 Hours in 1080p.
The second disc in the package is the DVD version of the movie.
In Conclusion
2.5/5 (not an average)
Not the worst made-for-home video crime drama (see Steven Seagal’s last release for that movie’s name), Street Kings 2: Motor City isn’t nearly as gritty or involving as the best crime dramas on television (though the gore and language here is more explicit), but fans of the stars may want to chance a rental.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
