Arguably the edgiest and most pessimistic release from a major Hollywood studio since Fight Club, this is a powerful anti-buddy movie set on the mean streets of LA. Looking to join an elite narcotics squad, rookie cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) is teamed with the unit's swaggering, streetwise commander Sergeant Alonzo Harris (the Oscar-winning Denzel Washington) for an educational 24 hours during which he will be expected to prove his mettle. But Harris is a seasoned veteran who doesn't play by anything even resembling the rules and, as it soon transpires, doesn't just enforce the law but considers himself above it. Directed with style and snap by Antoine Fuqua (whose empty-headed Replacement Killers did not suggest such storytelling assurance) and anchored by highly credible characterisations from its two stars, this striking thriller paints a dark-hued portrait of LA law enforcement. Although it's disappointing that the script finally succumbs to a clutch of cop clichés, this doesn't blunt the effect of persuasive work from all concerned.

On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.