Police officer goes bad -

Rating: 7/10 (11 December 2005)

If you are a cynic and desperately need to find a movie that will confirm your cynicism, then this is the movie for you. This movie offers a frank and graphic portrayal of a corrupt police officer. The police officer in question, played magnificently by Denzel Washington, is both a terrifying and pathetic character because he is a man who projects a facade of strength which is a caricature of the social misfits who abound in his universe. For the Denzel Washington character, rules of ethical conduct are utterly meaningless and are to be ridiculed and ignored. The problem with this movie is that it glorifies the corrupt cop who is portrayed as being tough and all-knowing when in fact his thinking and perceptions are completely distorted. Accordingly, his behavior becomes maladaptive and can lead only to disaster. As a result, he is ruined, both as a police officer and a man. Sad.