Original and engrossing.

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2008)

Police corruption is a topic that is used numerous times in films to the point of annoyance, but this one makes it much more gritty and realistic than any example I can think of. I'm always a fan of the 'Good v. Evil' scenario and this one employs it perfectly. The polar opposites that the film creates in Alonzo and Hoyt (the former being completely corrupt, the latter being completely pure) are very interesting and the balance between them kept me engaged the entire film. As we watch Hoyt try to understand this new world that he's been thrown into, while still trying to keep his morality and good nature intact, we realize (just like he does) that there is no right or wrong. You have to create a balance, because the line 'It's not what you know, it's what you can prove.' couldn't be more true, so sometimes that's why you have to bend the rules in order to bring the bad guys down. The ending is one of my all time favorites, as Hoyt leaves Alonzo to be murdered by the numerous men out to get him because he can't arrest him and he can't kill him himself. Brilliant. Both of the lead performances are excellent, and Denzel's win was fully deserved. His charisma and the fact that his character was so against his normal 'good guy' type made for such an interesting and ethereal portrayal of one of my favorite characters. The only thing that I wasn't a fan of was the huge coincidence that the girl Hoyt randomly saved from being raped just happened to be the cousin of the man who was about to kill him. I found that insanely dumb, but it didn't affect my opinion on the film at all.