STREET KINGS 2: MOTOR CITY
(unrated)
MOVIE: **1/2(out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Ray Liotta and Shawn Hatosy star in this sequel to the theatrical 2008 crime drama. In this version, we find ourselves in the streets of Detroit, where an undercover narcotics team is getting picked off one by one. Marty Kingston (Liotta), the former leader of this team, works with a cocky homicide detective (Hatosy) to try and solve the murders.
WHAT I LIKED
Back in the day, long before DVD and Blu-ray, when second-tier films got their premieres on Showtime and Cinemax before finding their way to VHS, “Street Kings 2: Motor City” would have been very much at home. That might sound like a backhanded compliment – and I suppose it is to a certain degree – but it’s also a tip of the hat to the VHS revolution which existed in concert with the heyday of premium cable movies.
“Street Kings 2: Motor City” is not a great film. It’s not even a great cop film. But there are certain badass elements to it that make it enjoyable in a very decadent way. Ever since he starred in “Goodfellas,” Ray Liotta could walk onto a cop picture and get a red-blooded American movie fan excited. Sure, he phones in his performance a bit here, but it’s fun to see him moving back to his roots instead of doing films like “Charlie St. Cloud.”
I can’t say I’ll remember much about “Street Kings 2: Motor City” once I eject it from my player and it starts to collect dusts, but I didn’t have a terrible time watching it. It’s a forgettable film, but enjoyable while it lasted.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
All the problems that weigh down “Street Kings 2: Motor City” are what weighed down the straight-to-cable crime films of the 90s. It’s a relatively weak story with unlikable characters. In fact, Liotta’s character is the most likeable in the film, and he’s clearly painted as the gray character. Shawn Hatosy is such an unappealing actor that I had to consciously realize that he was supposed to be the good guy… and that was a stretch.
Filled with bad dialogue and line delivery meant to pay a mortgage rather than win any awards, “Street Kings 2: Motor City” is really only something a fan of the genre could love.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The two-disc Blu-ray comes with a DVD of the film. Bonus material includes deleted scenes and an interactive personality guide that matches you with a particular firearm. Short, behind-the-scenes featurettes include “Murder Scene Deconstructions,” “Creating a Convincing Cop Story,” “An Explosive Opening” and “Motor City Setting.”
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Die-hard fans of cop movies… any cop movies.