Considering the city’s uneasy police history, it’s not surprising that the creators of Street Kings decided to base their story of a violent, shoot-first cop in Los Angeles. The film reveals a story of police corruption, cover-ups and abuse as a vicious cop searches for his estranged ex-partner’s killers.

Considering the celebrity-studded cast (Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie and Chris Evans, to name a few) and the script by crime writer James Ellroy, it’s ...