4/5 A surrealistic over the top bad cop thriller
  by Dennis W. Wong
I'm sure that many fans were shocked when Denzil Washington did an about face from his good guy roles by playing Alonzo Harris, the bad cop to end all bad cops. He richly deserved the Oscar and I believe that the intensity of his performance also uplifted Ethan Hawke's performance since he received his first Oscar nomination. Before this film I was indifferent to Hawke, believeing him to be a competent but stiff actor but this film and the remake of "Assaust On Precinct 13" has changed my opinion of him as an actor. The "bad cop movie" is nothing new having its roots in the fifties with films like "Rogue Cop", "Pushover" and "Shield for Murder" as prime examples of this genre but this film pushes it to a higher level. And also the timing of this film helped at the box-office since the Ramparts scandal of the LAPD was in progress when this film was released. If you're a fan of this genre or a fan of great acting, this flick is recommended. It's also still available at a premium price in HD DVD (fantastic transfer!!) versus the $18 or $20 you'll have to pay for in Blu-Ray.

3/5 a dirty movie
  by R. Bagula (Lakeside, Ca United States)
About half way through this movie I starting getting sick
of it. The Denzel Washington character of the undercover vice cop is painted as black on black.
He kills his long time friend who he calls his "Dog".
He tries to hire the killing of the rookie Hoyt.
Some people may like this sort of movie as being realistic
but the LA Police have a long history of documented
abuse of their powers.
The acting is very good in this movie, so that you believe
these roles are factual.
I think this movie makes me like [...] Tracy....

4/5 Denzel's Definitely Different In Here
  by Craig Connell (Lockport, NY USA)
A departure from being the normal good guy made this Denzel Washington movie a bit different.....and unpopular with a lot of his fans when it was released. I found it a very intense story of two Los Angeles cops: one being a veteran corrupt one "Alonzo" (Washington) and the other a rookie, honest one "Jake" (Ethan Hawke).

This is a bit sordid at times, with over 100 f-words, but was almost mesmerizing at times and hard to put down once the film started.

I don't know if this is a realistic look at the crime areas of Los Angeles, but if it is, wow: pretty frightening. Washington's viewpoints, however twisted with this particular character, made some sense in parts, sad to say. Overall, not a pleasant film but certainly an interesting one.

5/5 A single day in South Central . . .
  by Eric S. Kim (Southern California)
The premiere for this movie had to be postponed due to 9/11. That might have helped, as it did very well in the box office. But still, the horrors of 9/11 gave the film a near-total eclipse. But thanks to strong DVD sales later in the years, it finally gets the recognition it deserves. This is one of Denzel Washington's most memorable performances yet. I'd say his performance in "Malcolm X" is the finest, but here he gets 2nd place as a Los Angeles detective whose mind is more twisted than most. Ethan Hawke is the LAPD police officer who is being evaluated by Denzel; he gives a spectacular performance as well. It's a shame he didn't win an Oscar for it. The supporting cast (Eva Mendes, Tom Berenger, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, etc.) also do very well in the film. The portrayal of the infamous "South Central" may look a bit exaggerated, but it sure looks real to me.

Grade: A

5/5 denzel is crazy!
  by J. Alford
What is wrong with him? From the time he hung up on Hoyt to the time Hoyt shot him in the right and or left butt cheek, something was wrong with denzel in this movie. 5 stars because it had everything! Great Plot, Snoop dog and Dre! I think I seen Suge Knight somewhere in the background. Yes in the cut scenes he is hollaring at Olivia O Lovely, if you don't believe me, check youtube. Pornstars and Deathrow, how could you go wrong? The only thing I have to complain about is that the movie can't be watched more than one time, not that this is a bad thing but the movie is so in your face that it loses the effect the 2nd time.