Tremendous Acting!!!!!!!

Rating: 10/10 (24 March 2004)

Is this really the way things are? Does it have to be like this? These were some of the questions that I asked myself as Alonzo (played by Denzel Washington) explained his brutally harsh behavior to his young drug-unit recruit, Hoyt (played by Ethan Hawke). What a wonderful performance by Mr. Washington. He has been truly intense in many other movies but I personally feel that he stepped it up a notch while playing this character. I thoroughly believed that Denzel was Alonzo. This feat, not to be confused with great storyline, developement of characters, and other movie characteristics, is not acheived by all actors. Robert Dinero, Al Pacino, and a few of the other great actors have at least displayed this skill once or twice in their careers. If you can understand the difference between overly-hyped Tom Cruise and the actors that I have listed, then we see eye to eye. The intensity with which Denzel delivered his lines in this movie makes it a must see for any inspiring actor that wants to one day be a leading man. As Ethan Hawke stated on David Letterman, Denzel Washington is one of the best leading men in Hollywood, and I personally concur. Highly recommended for serious crime-drama fans. Watch language for young children though.