Street Justice

Rating: 7/10 (18 February 2016)

With his hopes for one day making detective firmly in mind, a young Los Angeles cop by the name of "Jake Hoyt" (Ethan Hawke) is excited about his new transfer to the narcotics division. To assist in his training he is accompanied by the man in charge of the division, "Detective Alonzo Harris" (Denzel Washington) who shows him the ropes for the first 24 hours. During this time he quickly learns that the rules he has been taught at the police academy do not apply and that his life is in jeopardy if he fails to adapt. He also learns that there is another sort of justice other than that rendered by the courtsâ€”street justice. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was movie offers a no-holds-barred glimpse at the "war on drugs" and gang activity from the perspective of those living in the eye of the storm--and it isn't very pretty. The movie, on the other hand, was certainly entertaining enough with Denzel Washington performing in an excellent manner as did Ethan Hawke to a lesser extent. That said, I have rated the movie accordingly. Above average.