Keeps you watching, but the last 10 minutes is laughably bad

Rating: 6/10 (12 December 2002)

Denzel Washington was fine playing against type as the corrupt,
streetsmart, brutal cop who's a sort of evil Mr. Myagi (Karate Kid) in
teaching the ways of street power and survival to a flustered Ethan
Hawke. But to paraphrase Denzel, "After all the great films I've
done, they give me a best actor award for this? Whatever,...I'll take
it."
About 10 minutes before the end of the film, nighttime on the tough
ghetto streets filled with felons and hoods becomes someone's
idea of a moralistic joke. All I could do was slap my head. It was
headed for an 8/10, but tanked to a 6.