My Review

Rating: 6/10 (30 December 2004)

I really wanted to like film more than I eventually did.
The film starts off in great fashion with Alfonso's (Washington) character being outlined immediately as an ultra cool narcotics cop with a street reputation and the mean streak required to survive in that type of work, you could not help but warm to his character's style and grace.
Hawke plays an understated role as a rookie narc cop undergoing a trial day on the job to see if he can hack it on the mean streets.
The plot lets the film down for me. About half way into the film the point seems to get lost somewhere and I was left feeling as if a massive opportunity to make a good film into a great one had passed.
Washington is excellent none the less bringing humility, profanity and plenty of guts to his performance.