Didn't like it much

Rating: Null/10 (12 June 2002)

I thought the bad guy was "too bad". Maybe there are people in the world who are that bad, but I don't find movies about them very interesting. I did not see any complexity in his character at all, and no redeeming qualities - the witch in Wizard of Oz was more likeable.
As for the "good cop", he was just a greedy wimp. (SPOILERS) Sure, he turns down the buttload of money he's offered after the bad guy kills the drug dealer... but does that matter? Through most of the movie he puts up with or participates in illegal activities "against his will" - why? - because he wants to work his way up the ladder to a better job - why? - for the MONEY. "You should see the houses THEY live in" he says to his wife in the first scene. He acts so righteously offended by the bad cop right from the beginning, but goes along and goes along because he wants to attain his career goals. Some moral high-ground, huh?
The bad cop was bad right from the start - the rookie had no reason to respect him, take his advice, or want to follow in his footsteps. I much prefer corruption movies where the bad guy's evilness slowly leaks out into the story, and where the rookie at first has reason to trust and respect him. The moral dilemma and internal conflict of having to change your view of someone is just much more interesting than knowing from the start that he's a jerk.
So the two main characters just left me feeling nothing except annoyed.
Then, there's the plot. I found too many things hard to swallow - that Washington's character was so very very bad and had apparently never been caught at it (yeah, there are corrupt cops, but this was too much), that he would involve the rookie in THAT MUCH corruption on his first day as a "test" of his character, that Washington's character thought even for a second that the rookie would just buy into his bulls*** and cover for him... I thought it was contrived and basically made no sense.
The only thing that I *did* like plot-wise was the most contrived thing of all - the young woman the rookie saved turning out to be the cousin of the man who later would have killed him. Now THAT'S a contrivance I would have liked if the rest of the movie hadn't annoyed me so much. Sure, it's totally unrealistic, but at least it had some sort of point to make.
All in all, it kept me awake and provided minimal entertainment. It was interesting seeing Washington being a bad man. But I wouldn't see it again or recommend it.