The question here is who is the bad guy...who is the badder guy. And who is going to win. It's that simple.
Denzel Washington is the chief of police in a small town along the Florida Keys. He has $450,000 in drug money in a safe...the booty from a drug bust that is both local and federally related. He is getting divorced from his wife, a homicide detective (Eva Mendes), and is currently dating a young woman played by Sanaa Lathan, whose husband (Dean Cain) is a security guard. Lathan has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and Denzel decides to give her the drug money to buy experimental cancer drugs, instead of turning it over to the feds. After doing so, her body and her husband's body -- and the money (?) -- are apparently found in their burned out house. Circumstantially, Denzel will appear guilty, and in part he is, but not of murder. And then the discoveries begin -- a fake doctor and a very alive supposedly burned to death couple.
In terms of plot, what I like about this film is that the twists and turns begin early on, not just near the end...and they seem logical instead of convenient. BUT -- as Denzel gets almost caught over and over and over and over and over, you finally begin to say, "Too much." So, the plot is just a bit too much, but the performances make up for that. Denzel is as solid as ever here, and it's interesting how the director let the 5 o'clock shadow grow during the darkest period when we begin to wonder just how bad a guy he really is. Although the two female leads will never be favorites of mine, they both did very well here -- Eva Mendes and Sanaa Lathan. Dean Cain, who I feel is an under-appreciated actor -- does well as one of the villains, though he doesn't get a lot of screen time. John Billingsley is interesting as the best friend of the chief.
Every movie has its flaws, and this film is no exception. Nevertheless, it's a decidedly good suspense film and I recommend it.
Denzel Washington is the chief of police in a small town along the Florida Keys. He has $450,000 in drug money in a safe...the booty from a drug bust that is both local and federally related. He is getting divorced from his wife, a homicide detective (Eva Mendes), and is currently dating a young woman played by Sanaa Lathan, whose husband (Dean Cain) is a security guard. Lathan has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and Denzel decides to give her the drug money to buy experimental cancer drugs, instead of turning it over to the feds. After doing so, her body and her husband's body -- and the money (?) -- are apparently found in their burned out house. Circumstantially, Denzel will appear guilty, and in part he is, but not of murder. And then the discoveries begin -- a fake doctor and a very alive supposedly burned to death couple.
In terms of plot, what I like about this film is that the twists and turns begin early on, not just near the end...and they seem logical instead of convenient. BUT -- as Denzel gets almost caught over and over and over and over and over, you finally begin to say, "Too much." So, the plot is just a bit too much, but the performances make up for that. Denzel is as solid as ever here, and it's interesting how the director let the 5 o'clock shadow grow during the darkest period when we begin to wonder just how bad a guy he really is. Although the two female leads will never be favorites of mine, they both did very well here -- Eva Mendes and Sanaa Lathan. Dean Cain, who I feel is an under-appreciated actor -- does well as one of the villains, though he doesn't get a lot of screen time. John Billingsley is interesting as the best friend of the chief.
Every movie has its flaws, and this film is no exception. Nevertheless, it's a decidedly good suspense film and I recommend it.