Police corruption thriller featuring an Oscar-winning performance from Denzel Washington. Rookie cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) has been newly assigned to an elite narcotics unit & is due to spend his first day on the job with veteran detective Alonzo Harris (Washington). As the day passes, & after dealing with street thugs & drug tycoons, Hoyt begins to suspect that Harris might have become corrupted by the job. When Harris then murders criminal kingpin Roger (Scott Glenn) & tries to get the act pinned on Hoyt, the young cop realises that he has no choice but to confront Harris himself.