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Rating: 4 out of 5
Training Day is a brutal, intense, fierce police thriller that seems to turn viewers to another side of the law. When one thinks of police corruption and brutality, we seem to think of a white officer against a black person. Director Antoine Fuqua, along with screenwriter David Ayer presents a film in modern-day L.A. in which a decorated detective is more corrupt and ruthless than anyone could ever think of. Think of any corrupt cop, times it by twenty, and you might get Alonzo Harris, who is played by the great Denzel Washington. Denzel let loose and showed the world how corrupt and evil a cop can be.
Jake Hoyt (Hawke) is a fresh-faced Los Angeles Police Department rookie. As Stephen A. Smith would say, Hoyt, is wet behind the ears with his breath smelling like Similac. Hoyt is anxious to join the elite narcotics squad headed up by 13-year veteran Detective Sergeant Alonzo Harris (Washington). Harris has agreed to give Hoyt a shot at joining his team with a one-day ride-along during which Hoyt must prove his worth to the high profile detective. The day starts off on a rocky foot with the detective wanting a story for his entertainment. Hoyt quickly learns that this world is not something he is used to. As the day wears on, it becomes clear that his experienced mentor has distorted the lines between what is actual justice to street justice. Alonzo has worked the streets enforcing his own moral code of ethics and street justice to get the job done. With each increasing and violent incident, Hoyt’s beliefs and conscience come into play on whether this is the right job for him, and if his new mentor must be brought to justice.
Before we even talk about anything else, let’s talk about the performance of Denzel Washington. DENZELLLLLL!! Denzel gave that “OH MY LAWD” performance. Usually, Denzel plays the nice guy in films, but in this one, Denzel said, “Forget that” and went with playing the bad guy. Denzel, as Alonzo, was one of the best performances from Denzel I have seen, and I love all of Denzel’s movies. Denzel looked like he was having the most fun playing the crooked cop, and he didn’t hold back. Just the intensity and ruthlessness that he brought to the character was enough to make you say, “DAMN! This fool is on another level!” I honestly forgot how ruthless he was. Denzel has that charisma, charm, and smile to pull it off. Denzel commanded this film with everything he had, and he made it look easy. Just as Alonzo, he has the appearance of a crooked cop. Just the way he wears his badge and how he talks to people from always saying, “My N***a.” The finale is where it is at. I don’t care what anyone says. Denzel goes on one of the best rants I have ever seen him or any other actor do. That one scene won him the academy award and must be watched. First, who says, “Who the f**k do you think you’re f*****g with? I’m the police, I run s**t around here. You just live here.” Then to say one of the most iconic lines in film history, “King Kong ain’t got shit on me.” CLASSIC!
As far as the story goes, it is one of the most intense and eye-opening stories for a cop movie. Yea, there have been corrupt cop movies like L.A. Confidential, Serpico and Leon: The Professional (i.e., Gary Oldman in that one is outstanding. You want to see a performance, look at that one). In this film, it seems that Alonzo has taken things way too far. As we watch, we see that Alonzo has become fully embedded with being a criminal but has his own sense of street justice. He even states that he was once like Hoyt, a bright-eyed cop wanting to change the world but through the years, learned that sometimes it’s impossible to change the streets. Now Alonzo is just like the people he wants to stop. He steals from drug dealers, gambles, and reveals himself to be a man lacking any sort of moral compass.
Through this, the movie brings some of the most intense cop scenes a person can go through on their “training day” with the police department. The opening scene in the diner made Alonzo look like a veteran cop, ready to start his day with the rookie now under his wing. It seems like a peaceful time as Alonzo tries to read his paper, but Hoyt won’t let him. Alonzo responds with, “This is a newspaper, right? Its 90% bullshit, but it entertaining. That’s why I read it because it entertains me. YOU won’t let me read it, so you entertain me with your bullshit. Tell me a story right now, go…” Hard scene to deal with, but okay. We all mess up.
The story continues a downward spiral into showing just how messed up Alonzo’s work has become and how ruthless he is. First, who stops their car in the middle of the street and points their gun at their partner because they wouldn’t do the drugs they confiscated. Alonzo states that a good narcotics detective should know what the drugs feel and taste like.
Then there is the scene where they go to the Sandman’s resident to serve a “warrant.” The reason is to jack money off someone to pay for a warrant later on. Now that was bad enough, but to start a full-on shoot out with everyone around you is pretty insane. That was the one scene where you go, “That’s not the Denzel I know and love, but damn is he good right now!”
Ethan Hawke gives his best as the rookie cop. Not only is he a fish out of water in the streets and community, but he has an innocence and code that he desperately tries to uphold. What makes Hawke’s performance go is that he is the complete opposite of Denzel’s role. Yet, Hawke tries to bring energy and passion to his character, like Denzel did. The only problem is that Denzel is a BEAST in this film
Training Day is a film that people talk about as Denzel’s best performance. He is at his best in this film. Go watch this fantastic performance from one of the best actors of his time. This intense, violent is worth the watch.
