SPOILER FREE

You’ve got Ethan Hawke playing Jake Hoyt who’s been a cop for years and this is his first day in narcotics which is where he wants to be assigned. Unfortunately for Jake he has to impress his trainer Alonzo played by Mr. Washington. From the first scene in the diner where the two characters meet you know this is going to be explosive stuff. Alonzo is a dirty cop who has annoyed the wrong people and now has to pay a debt, and is willing to do anything to pay it. A large portion of the movie is spent with the two characters in a car and of course Jakes morales will be tested to the extreme. Washington is simply incredible as Alonzo who’s intelligent, cold and cunning. His charisma is  and he and Hawke are dynamite together. It’s fast paced and tackles a lot of different subjects such as the law, corruption and morality. For me Washington’s performance elevates the movie to greatness. It’s a raw graphic film that’s as much a character study as a drama