Denzel Washington

[Max B. Sawicky]

The progressive aspect of the film is that it is a harsh condemnation of
police brutality-- it starts off with Denzel promoting the idea that liberal
types don't understand what is needed to fight crime and even promotes the
idea that black tough cops like Denzel's Olanza represent what the community
really wants to fight the scum in the community.  And yeah, it takes one to
know one, but as long as the job is getting done, why degrudge a bit of a
taste to the guardian of the community?  And Denzel uses all of his charisma
to sell that viewpoint initially, taking in his young liberal-minded white
colleague Ethan Hawke.

And then the whole story gets flipped, as the true brutality of Alonzo comes
out.  The end story goes a bit over the top in the degree of violence and
convoluted plot, but it's a harsh story that reveals that this kind of
police brutality is not supported by the community either. Denzel is not
playing an antihero as representatve of the black community, but to
highlight that he is a betrayer of that community.   Nathan Newman
******************

[anybody who hasn't seen the film and prefers to be surprized
should stop reading]

I don't think it's that clear.  The film is susceptible to your
reading, so to speak, but to me Alonzo is a little too cool to
support a simple brutality image.  Even his demise is spectacular.
It takes a squadron to take him out.  By contrast, the Harvey Keitel
character in 'Bad Lieutenant' was brutal in an uncharismatic way.
Or think of the Samuel Jackson character in Jackie Brown, who you
are very glad to see die.

The film likes Alonzo a little too much, even when he's being bad.
That's its flaw, I would say.  It's a kind of wallow in how
nasty-cool Alonzo is.  I don't see much of a higher purpose
in it.

You could say the film is progressive because the corruption it
portrays goes so deep (the scene in the bar), but it's also
depressing for that.

mbs