Look out for the piano and try to cut out the middle man.

Rating: 8/10 (6 November 2007)

This is an excellent movie that once again showcases the talent of one of the greatest American actors today, Denzel Washington. This is a DW tour-de-force, another chapter in the illustrious screen career of this outstanding star. There are no accolades that can adequately describe his presence in this movie. Mr. Washington is part Pacino, part Brando, and ... yes ... even part James Cagney. The only drawback to this movie is casting Russell Crowe as a Jewish police officer. Mr. Crowe does his usual fine job, but his portrayal as a "Jewish" officer was a stretch. This movie also teaches certain facts about how to conduct a business, namely if you cut out the middle man you can reduce overhead, regulate the quality of the product and thereby greatly increase profit. That's a pretty good lesson to learn. The problem is of course that the equation leaves out one factor, the law. If you want to know what that means, watch the movie. By the way, this movie also teaches how to use a piano to discipline employees and why certain employees should not wear clothing. Of course, do you really want your employees going about without clothing?
Regarding Russell Crowe being cast as a Jewish police officer, this is another egregious example of the kind of blatant miscasting that can destroy the credibility of a movie. Why would any producer want to cast an actor in a role that the actor can in no way believably project? Mr. Crowe is no more believable as a Jewish police officer then would have been, lets say, James Cagney in a similar role. It just doesn't work, so why do it? By the way, when was the last time a Jewish actor played an Irish cop? Get the point?