Director: Antoine Fuqua
Year Released: 2001
Rating: 2.0
Routine set-up - young, painfully naïve detective (novelist Ethan Hawke) schooled in the "art of war" by older, wiser mentor (Mr. Denzel Washington) - gets a unique treat for the first two acts, then self-destructs into loud, brazen shouting and standard chase/fight/torture sequences. Was with it for a while - some early parts fail, like when Denzel stops the car in the middle of an L.A. intersection and pulls a gun on both Hawke and a passer-by, but I sort-of let those awkward moments pass - but then once the "major crime" the first two acts have built to is over, the picture literally topples, ruining any potential it could have had. Contrivances and cop-movie clichés arise out of nowhere completely undermining what could best be described as a faux-philosophical but still intriguing action picture. Fuqua lets Washington do whatever he wants, which, in theory, isn't a bad move, but all it amounts to here is Denzel chewing scenery and spouting urban slang, and when the time comes to shift allegiances from one character to another, there's little to cling to.
