Trama

The film follows a single day in the life of an LAPD cop, Jake Hoyt (Hawke), who is scheduled to be evaluated by Detective Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington), a highly decorated LAPD narcotics officer who could advance Jake's career. In Alonzo's car, the pair of officers observe teenage Mara Salvatrucha members dealing drugs in a park. Instead of arresting the buyers, Alonzo confiscates the drugs and tells Jake to take a hit from the marijuana.

Jake initially refuses, but Alonzo puts a gun to his head and says Jake's failure to use drugs could get him killed by a street dealer. Jake relents and smokes the marijuana, but shortly thereafter, Alonzo tells him the marijuana was laced with PCP. While driving, Jake notices a female high school student being sexually assaulted by two men in an alley. Jake jumps out to help her and subdues the attackers, but Alonzo refuses to report the incident. He tells the girl to leave, telling Jake that the girl's gang member (Sureno) cousin will seek the attackers out for revenge. Jake discovers the girl's wallet on the ground and takes it. Jake objects to Alonzo's use of vigilante "street justice," but Alonzo characterizes Jake as naive.

Alonzo and Jake then go to the home of a drug dealer named the Sandman and serve a phony search warrant, which is actually a cover for Alonzo to steal drug money. Jake again objects to Alonzo's actions, especially since it could have gotten them killed. The duo then arrive at Baldwin Village to visit Alonzo's Salvadoran girlfriend Sara (Eva Mendes) and their young son. Afterward, Alonzo meets with a group of high-ranking police officials dubbed the "Three Wise Men" (Tom Berenger, Harris Yulin and Raymond J. Barry). They tell Alonzo that they know he owes money to the Russian Mafia and suggest that he leave town. But Alonzo insists he can control the situation and gets permission from the Wise Men to "cash in on an account" with the caveat that he avoids a scandal. Alonzo later tells Jake that he had to give Sandman's money to the Three Wise Men to obtain an arrest warrant.

Alonzo takes Jake and several other narcotic officers to the home of Roger (Scott Glenn), a drug dealer and former police officer the two visited earlier. Using the warrant, they seize several million dollars from underneath the floor of Roger's kitchen, but Jake refuses to take his share of the cash -- much to the suspicion of the other cops. Alonzo then shoots Roger and arranges the scene to appear like a justified shooting. Jake refuses to lie, and after being threatened seizes Alonzo's gun. A Mexican standoff ensues, with Jake threatening to shoot Alonzo while the other officers threaten to shoot Jake. Alonzo then reveals that the LAPD will run a blood test on Jake following the shooting, thus detecting the PCP he had smoked earlier. Alonzo offers to have the test results falsified in exchange for Jake's cooperation. Jake reluctantly agrees, and Alonzo again urges Jake to drop his naive view of police work.

Alonzo then drives Jake to the home of a Mexican gangster named "Smiley" (Cliff Curtis), allegedly to run an errand. Alonzo gives Smiley a package containing a large stack of money, which Smiley asks his sister to count while he plays poker with two other gang members. Jake is persuaded to join the game and engages in tense conversation with the three men. After Smiley's sister confirms to him that the count is correct, Smiley receives a message on his phone. Smiley then reveals to Jake that Alonzo has abandoned him, and explains Alonzo's situation: by midnight, Alonzo must pay $1 million to the Russian mob for killing one of their couriers in Las Vegas or be killed himself.

Alonzo has paid Smiley to kill Jake. Jake tries to escape but is overpowered and dragged into the bathroom to be executed. The men search his pockets, finding the wallet he had picked up earlier from the girl he rescued, who is Smiley's cousin. Smiley calls the girl, who confirms that Jake defended her against the attackers. In gratitude for protecting his cousin, Smiley lets Jake go, and asks for no hard feelings because the planned execution was "just business".

Jake returns to Sara's apartment looking for Alonzo. He attempts to arrest Alonzo, but Alonzo resists and they fight. Jake eventually subdues him, after which the local gang members and residents begin congregating to watch. Alonzo tries to get the crowd on his side by offering a reward to whoever kills Jake, but they have grown tired of Alonzo's arrogance and allow Jake to walk away with the money.

In his escape to LAX, Alonzo is surrounded by Russian hit-men who kill him. The final scene has Jake pulling into his driveway and going home to his wife, Lisa (Charlotte Ayanna), and daughter, while a radio broadcast describes Alonzo's death as occurring honorably while "serving a high-risk warrant near LAX."