It does remind me about The Air I Breathe but Powder Blue should not be dismissed as a wannabe.  The movie is well written and directed by Timoty Linh Bui.  As always, Forest Whitaker did a good job in this one. Jessica Biel and Eddie Reymayne also gave a good performance.

I was surprised to see Patrick Swayze play the role of Velvet Larry, the strip bar owner.  This might be the last movie he has done before his death.  You wouldn’t recognize him with all the make-up but he did provide some comic relief.

Velvet Larry (Patrick Swayze): But on Christmas Eve, I’m gonna have a lot of very lonely people out of my club.  Some even thinking about killing themselves.  And they come here looking for companionship.  They’re looking for a little bit of love.  They are looking for a little bit of hope.

Statistics say that Christmas is the time where most suicides happen.  In an attempt to commit suicide, Charlie paid a transsexual hooker to kill him. But instead of shooting Charlie, the hooker killed himself. Rose learns that Jack is her father and didn’t want him back in her life.  When Rose’s son was dying, Jack looked for her and it led to the death of both her father and her son.  On the bright side, Qwerty and Rose got each other.

Did Powder Blue touch me?  Definitely yes.  Everyone who has gone through pain and suffering can relate with the theme of the movie.  Yet it tells us that there’s still hope amidst all the darkness in the world.  If you’re mature enough to watch Jessica Biel take it all off in a movie, then you’re mature enough to get the movie’s message.

Also in this fast paced cop movie are Forest Whitaker, Chris Evans, Cedric the Entertainer, Hugh Laurie, and Jay Mohr. Rappers The Game and Common played two hoodlums in Street Kings. Like Reeves, everyone made this movie believable.

Street Kings is about cops helping out cops. When Reeves was implicated in the killing of his former partner, he uncovered the truth. Then the shit hits the fan and it reached the top of the ladder. I have guessed who was behind the killing during the middle of the film but I was still glued to my seat, waiting for the final scene. And I was not disappointed at all.

I laughed so hard when Hugh Laurie first came on screen. It was an E.R. scene where Reeves was brought in after he was shot during a bust. I thought I was watching an episode of House. That scene was priceless.

Captain James Biggs (Hugh Laurie): You were the plan. No one else could touch him. Once your eyes were opened, there was no other outcome. Decisions were made, Tom, by powerful men with powerful secrets. They were afraid of Jack. They asked me to help. One day, you will pass the chief in the hall and he will give you a nod. And you will know why. Because you were right, Tom. We do need you.

Actually Keanu Reeves needs to do more movies like Street Kings. It shows his depth as an actor and he should not be stereotyped as Neo or Ted.