Keanu Reeves & Chris Evans’ underrated crime drama was the perfect follow-up to Training Day

The success of the 2001 crime thriller, Training dayWould have been hard to top, yet another Keanu Reeves and Chris Evans thriller managed to be a surprisingly worthy follow-up. Training day is often considered one of Denzel Washington’s career-defining movies, with his role as corrupt cop Alonzo Harris winning him his first Best Actor Academy Award. Although the ending of the movie allowed for a sequel, none were made and writer David Ayer was not involved in the 2017 Training day TV series. While Training day Having no direct following, Ayer brought his directing skills to several crime thrillers, including the underrated Street Kings.

Street Kings It stars a pre-Avengers Chris Evans as an enthusiastic young cop, while Keanu Reeves plays a relatively rare villainous role. Reeves plays the corrupt cop detective Tom Ludlow, whose grief after his wife’s death changes his character from a respected LAPD officer to an evil vigilante who kills criminals, making their deaths seem justified. With its law enforcement corruption-focused plot and character manipulations, Street Kings Contains some similar topics to Training day. Although the two movies are not related, Street Kings may be considered a spiritual successor to Training day. However, it is not the only one.

Street Kings was one of David Ayer’s many spiritual successors to Training Day

Street Kings established David Ayer as a director

David Ayer made his directorial debut with the crime thriller hard times, Which he also wrote and produced. Harsh time used Ayer’s success with Training day To announce the movie, though Harsh time Received mixed reviews. Iyer directed Street Kings Next, what, how Training dayis a gritty story about gangsters and corrupt police. Ayer’s next movie, End of watchEstablished that Law enforcement was a common theme For him, and, while End of watch is praised for its accuracy and critically acclaimed, Street Kings is certainly the film in which Ayer established himself as a director.

Street Kings is the first film that Ayer worked on that he did not write himself, as crime writer James Ellroy wrote the screenplay. Like all of Ayer’s movies after Training day Focused on crime At this point, it is understandable that he would want to show Street Kings. Although Street Kingss lack of cohesion and exaggerated action may be a hallmark of a new director, it also contains elements that made Training day Especially, like character development. Training day demonstrated Ayer’s skill for writing complex law enforcement letters, while Street Kings established him as an action and crime director.

Street Kings wasn’t as good as Training Day but was still a good movie

Street Kings was the perfect follow-up to Training Day

Training day Won multiple awards and critical acclaim for Denzel Washington’s action-driven performance along with a look at his complex character. While Street Kings Does not live up to the success of training day, It’s still an underrated movie with a solid plot and features a cast that includes acting legends like Hugh Laurie and Woods Whitaker. Chris Evans’ role as detective “Disco“Discant is well-acted and although his death is relatively predictable, it is impressive, and Ludlow’s redemption arc presents Street Kings Something different To offer, even for fans of Training day.

Street Kings is similar enough to Training day That it feels like a follow in spirit. However, Ayer’s knack for writing morally complex characters prevents this Street Kings Of feeling like a direct copy, especially as the new set of characters wrestle with different problems. Some might argue that even if Alonzo was more compelling to watch, Ludlow’s background makes him all the more interesting of the two corrupt policemen. Street Kings‘s ending in which Ludlow resolves to do better feels like an optimistic alternative ending for a character like Alonzo, which makes Street Kings The perfect follow-up movie to Training day.