Denzel is terrifying in this.
I’d never seem him play a bad guy before. I find it really interesting watching him use all his “Denzel Washington” charm moves to make this character seem at all appealing, much less charismatic, in between the moments when he makes his almost-compelling argument about the what it takes to be a narc. I would have liked to know more about why a character like Ethan Hawke’s wants to be climb these kinds of ranks, though – what is the overlap between a moralistic cop and a rank-climber?