Nothing Special, Just "Typical" Denzel.

Rating: 4/10 (10 December 2005)

To tell you the truth,
now that i am commenting on this movie i do have a "guilty feeling", giving this movie a score of : 1 out of 10.
So i changed it to : 4 Out Of 10!
But really after watching it : i couldn't really do anything else!
The hole show was Denzel Washington and to this day now i really can't understand why the plot was so predictably Poor!
It's easy to predict a "Denzel Washington-Movie" when you see it. Because the role is always the same : "A man ho has to run from his family to protect his wife and child and also has to deal with the mafia. or like in this movie he deals with Drug-mafia's and for once he's the Bad Guy!."
This one wasn't special although i must admit i have a "Soft-Spot" for the "Beautiful, Foxy and Sexy Femme Fatale" Eva Mendes.
This movie just didn't do it for me.
Denzel Washington is an actor but is he a great actor?
He has won an Oscar, but let me ask you this : Is everyone ho wins an Oscar "Worthy" of winning the Prize?
Is John Ruiz truly a Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the world?
Is Lennox Lewis one of the all-time great Heavyweight Boxing champions?
The answer on the Denzel Washington question will always be a split decision, in my eyes.
The best movie i saw of him was : "The Hurricane".
That was truly a brilliant performance, but "Training Day" is not.
And i think that movie will always make the grade in my book.
The "annoying" thing about this movie is that the "predictability" is pretty "obvious and boring".
When i mean "Predictability" i mean : Guns, Drugs, Mafia, shootout and This and that.
And even if Denzel played the "Bad Guy".
There wasn't anything "Special" about that role.
Russell Crowe's "Beautiful Mind" but especially Will Smith's Ali are much better "Performance's".
Some people on "this Board" seem to think this movie is "real day to day life." or think that this Denzel's best performance.
Well i don't think so!
Hurricane was his best, Malcolm X i wasn't impressed with and Out Of Time was Good to watch but Sanaa Lathan and again Eva Mendes made it even more Tasty!
And all that talk about this movie being real "day to day" life?
How "Out of touch" can you be?
At the end of the day everyone is in titled to his opinion.
So my conclusion : This movie isn't one of "Denzel's" better performance's. Eva Mendes will always be "Beautiful" on the screen, she is a "Very Underrated" Talent.
Ethan Hawke seemingly is very popular for his "role", witch was pretty good.
And there are a lot of "unnecessary" "Rappers" invited like Dr. Dre and Snoop "Doggy" Dogg.
And that doesn't much help the credibility of the "real life case" of this movie, that is put forward by some people on this board.
And although the movie is rated "High" by many in my eyes the movie was nothing special than a "Mediocre, Nothing Special Predictable" Performance.
For the people ho enjoy these kind of "Action, Drug Mafia and Denzel type movies" I'd recommend it.
But for people ho are looking for "more" depth and a better or a more "Real Life" performance, i say : This is not the movie for You!
My Score : 4.2
"Groeten" from Gerrit