Training Day

A powerfull performance by Denzel Washington fuels this brutal police drama, in which a rookie narcotics police officer learns the rough way that good cops can go very, very bad. Denzel plays veteran detective Alonzo Harris, a self-proclaimed "wolf among wolves," eager to teach his rookie partner Jake (Ethan Hawke) that regular rules don't apply on the hard streets of Los Angeles. Caught in a maze of deception, Jake watches with increasing horror as Alonzo uses his badge (and the support of his superiors) to justify a self-righteous policy of corruption. Denzel unleashes his dark side with fearlessness and fury, which result in excellence without compromise. Director Antoine Fuqua (The Replacement Killers) won't score any points for subtlety, but gritty details (including actual L.A. gang members as extras)