Training Day Movie Reviews

I would Like to share my second movie review on "Training Day" Movie since the Dark Knight. Just For Your Information:[For the first time movie watchers]. This Movie is Rated Rfor brutal violence, pervasive language, drug content and brief nudity.

Denzel Washington is perhaps one of the greatest actors the cinema will ever have the pleasure of. He has displayed a level of charisma and realism in his performances than most actors are even capable of. For the longest time, he has made a name for himself in playing good-hearted protagonists (Courage Under Fire, Crimson Tide, The Siege) as well as true-life figures (Malcolm X, The Hurricane, Remember the Titans).

Given this track record, Denzel has made a bold career move to portray a character that is totally 180 from the aforementioned portrayals. For an actor who is known to be consistently intense in his performance, no matter what the characterization, Training Day gives Washington the opportunity to sink his intense charisma into the role of a memorable movie villain.

In addition to being a fascinating character piece for Washington, Training Day is by far the most superior and gripping cop movie to come from Hollywood in a long, long time. The driving force behind the brilliance of the movie is Washington's performance. He plays Alonzo Harris, a veteran undercover narcotics officer whose tactics in dispensing justice is not exactly what is taught at the academy. He cruises up and down the rotten neighborhoods in Los Angeles, in his shiny Monte Carlo, which he dubs "the office", as something of a god-like figure. Alonzo has trained many rookies before, and his latest apprentice is young, idealistic Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke), who is willing to do anything he can in order to make detective, but being in the clutches of Alonzo, it won't be necessarily easy.

Following a brief drug bust, Alonzo forces Jake to smoke the pot they just confiscated, feeding to his brain that not only should a good narc know a lot about drugs, but should also in fact have drugs in his system. At first Jake resists, but after Alonzo whips his gun out right at Jake's face, he goes along, feeling he'll have no other choice. Another rule to follow in Alonzo's world of undercover work is to resist drugs from a dealer is to end up dead. Later, the two stop a pair of homeless thugs from raping a school girl, but instead of arresting them, Alonzo gives the two a beat with a inch of their lives, and then leaves them lying on the ground in immense pain. At this point, it is clear that Alonzo is in favor of "street justice", as opposed to locking them up in a cell, something that Jake is in serious disagreement with.

During the remainder of their first day, Alonzo and Jake engage in a number of questionable scenarios. They chase down a drug peddler, which is followed by a phony drug raid. The two then meet up at a rendezvous at a restaurant with a group of top cops, dressed in suits, who handle payoffs and grafts. Alonzo then takes Jake, along with a crew he has assembled, to knock down and steal money from one of his informants. When Jake witnesses his training officer kill a man in cold blood and plotting a phony self-defense scenario, he sees, as well as us, what Alonzo truly is, which is that of a man who has spent to much time on the streets, and as a result has delved into a psyche that has made him no different than the criminals men like him are supposed to be putting away.

A good number of the reviews I read were positive towards the movie, but they all seem to think it could've ended better. While I was kind of surprised by how the movie twisted in the end, I seriously think that it didn't take away from all of the believability that came before it. Once Alonzo's true motivations for his actions are revealed, too many coincidences seem to arise, but at an entertainment value, it works superbly well. I also admire the final confrontation between Alonzo and Jake, which occurs in front of many neighborhood patrons, which is one of Denzel's big scenes in the film.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua (The Replacement Killers, Bait), Training Day is his strongest piece yet. An entertaining piece of hardcore storytelling, fueled by the hot wire brilliance of Denzel Washington. Ethan Hawke delivers in one of his strongest performances to date. A smart action thriller with a big dose of frightening reality lying underneath, Training Day is truly one of last year's best films.

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I watched this movie when my brother recommended me the movie. he said it was amazing, well I say it was gripping, the shady character of Denzel in the movie makes u think, ''i guess I know a guy like him'' he is one of those smart a#$% who will do things only to save their a#$.

u will hate Denzel and I love him for that, he makes u think throughout the movie whether he is a good guy or a bad one.

the plot was well thought of with characters etched carefully,and of course Denzel stole the show.eventhough the concept of, the whole story shown in one single day, has been done before; the director has done justice to the movie.

the movie unfolds slowly but very smoothly and the curtains are slowly raised on the true intentions of mr. trainer.

its the honest sheep vs. the hungry wolf. and what unfolds is for u to see. even if u know the story. check out the movie for the manner in which it is being executed.

a must see. for amazing acting,for the thrill,and overall an amazing story.

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Training day kept me on the edge of my seat the whole movie. Washington was able to break away from his normal heroic role and give the viewer a powerful performance of a cop gone crooked, which definitely deserves an Oscar. The moral of the story, which everyone can agree on, is right vs. wrong; how far is too far? But what makes this film so great is Washingtons ability to make the answer not so obvious. This film makes an attempt to show what the streets are really like, and does a pretty good job at it. There is no question that countless other films have done this, but Training Day stands apart. Hawke's pure and honest personality is great counterpart to Washington's evil. As far as the filthy dialogues,I think they are needed to show the actual depth of Washington's character and the brutal nature of the LA streets. As for me, I loved this movie and would recommend it to anyone who is in need for a thrilling, action packed movie.

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I was in two minds whether to write a review on Traning Day. This movie was a waste of my time and Denzel Washington’s performance was unworthy of the Oscar. Recently I also did watch “The Beautiful Mind” – an excellent movie with a superb performance by Russell Crowe (maybe I will write a review later) and then I remembered that the 2001 Oscar for Best Actor was given to Denzel for Training Day denying Russell what was his due. Hence I decided to write this review to warn the readers that, DO NOT watch this movie under any circumstances – even if somebody says that it won the best actor Oscar award.

This movie was released in Oct’2001 and directed by Antoine Fuqua and is two hours of torture.

The plot

Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris is a corrupt narcotics cop of the LAPD and he manages about 4-5 officers under him including Dr.Dre. Ethan Hawke as Jake Hoyt is a sincere cop and wants to contribute towards the eradication of crime and is assigned to Alonzo’s unit. The entire movie takes place on one day starting at 5.00 a.m. till past midnight, hence the name Training Day – this was supposed to be Jake’s on-the-job training.

During the course of the day several incidents happen which leave Jake perplexed as to the real motivation of Alonzo. To begin with there is a drug bust followed by Alonzo terrorizing Jake to inhale some weed, an obscure visit to a friend called as Roger (Scott Glenn), rescuing a 14 year old school girl from rape, busting a disabled man on a wheel chair and gagging him to vomit out small bags containing drugs ….

you get the drift

…… all the scenes are nauseating and the language is foul. One is totally at a loss as to what is really happening in this movie. The director seems to have lost all control and then there are some more bizarre incidents involving the Russian Mafia, a murder committed by Alonzo with a cover up story for Jake to take responsibility, stealing of huge amounts of money, crossing, double-crossing, blackmailing and thankfully, the movie ends.

The Performances

Denzel Washington did not deserve an Oscar for this role – neither the role nor the performance was up to the mark. Denzel had better performances in Hurricane, Virtuosity, Philadelphia, Pelican Brief etc. I was surprised to see Tom Berenger – he had a very brief and insignificant role. Ethan Hawke was nominated for best supporting actor – no way – neither the role not the performance deserved the nomination. There were other brief roles by Eva Mendes as Sara – the girlfriend of Alonzo (they have a child- Alonzita – I found him cute and he acted well), Scott Glenn as Roger and Snoop Dogg.

The screen play was jerky, the photography was so-so and the dialogues were filthy.

Do not under any circumstances watch this movie.

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Training Day is a Police Drama about a veteran officer

who escorts a ''rookie'' on his first day with the LAPD's

tough inner city Narcotic Units.

It shows a war between residents, drug dealers and people

sworn to protect one from the other.

Denzil Washington and Ethan Hawk star in this movie which

blurs the line between legality and corruption. This is

shown vividly where fighting crime by the book can get you

killed and getting the job done often requires breaking the

law the police are required to enforce.

It is directed by Antoine Fuqua and Directed by Jeffery Silver

and Bobby Newmyer.

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Hi Readers,

Arriving in theaters is Antoine Fuqua's Training Day, the story of an idealistic young cop who gets a hard lesson about life in the streets from a veteran. Shining with the star power of Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, Training Day crackles with energy. It's two hours long, but seems a lot shorter. However, as good as most of the movie is, it could have been better had the ending evidenced more careful scripting and less of a reliance upon contrivances.

This isn't in any way a ''typical'' undercover cop motion picture. Fuqua has publicly admitted as much, stating that, although this was not his debut feature, it was the first directorial effort that meant something to him and was, at least in part, drawn from his memories of growing up in Los Angeles. Training Day is about something - it's not a series of generic gunfire and chase sequences. It asks the compelling question of whether it's possible to effectively fight crime without descending to the level of the criminal. Can an idealist be a warrior and protector? On the streets, what's the difference between good and evil? .

Ethan Hawke is Jake Hoyt, an ambitious L.A. cop who wants to make detective. The fastest route to that position is to join the elite team headed by legendary undercover figure Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington). To that end, Jake has been given one day to prove to Alonzo that he's ready for the job. At first, things don't go well - Alonzo scoffs at Jake's by-the-book attitude. ''You've got to hear the street, smell it, taste it,'' he says. Then, later, ''This is street justice. It takes a wolf to catch a wolf... It's ugly, but it's like that.'' So Jake starts to learn - smoking some LSD-laced weed after Alonzo tells him, ''A good narcotics officer must have narcotics in his blood.'' But things soon get out of hand, with Alonzo breaking the law more often than upholding it, and Jake begins to wonder what kind of hell he has lost himself in.

Ethan Hawke does a solid job in a thankless role. He's the film's ''everyman'' - the bland, honorable guy we're supposed to identify with. Not surprisingly, Washington has the plum role, stealing scene after scene as he utters gritty dialogues and glares into the camera. After playing righteous men in The Hurricane and Remember the Titans, Washington finds himself completely at ease.Other than the two leads, there are no significant parts, although Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg have supporting roles.

The movie asks hard questions and rarely gives an easy answer. It's riveting and intense, with just enough action to satisfy those who enjoy that genre. Unfortunately, Training Day doesn't deliver the complete package. The last 15 minutes are full of cliches, contrivances, and smart characters acting dumb - all in the name of providing a ''pat'' conclusion. The disappointing climax is not enough to take Training Day off the recommendation list - the rest of the film is too strong.

So Go Watch It.

Regards,

Showman.

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I saw this movie without any plan. Me and my japanese friend just took off after work and the next we landed before the small theatre complex in our small city. We decided on the spot and went to see this movie. Main charm was Denzel Washington. We were delivered what we expected. He was awesome. I went back, told to my other friends. They went to see the movie on my recommendation and one of them was so angry with me.

Guys, the response was mixed. Some of them liked and some of them hated it to the guts. This movie is of different kind, not a thriller, not an action flick, not a comedy or heart warming romance. Quite a much hardcore life ahead of you. Its not a plight from the real life but even a deeper plunge which most of don't get a chance of.

What exactly is it? Its a one man show, Denzel Washington's show. I liked this guy always. he is on the top of my list. The character he plays is a dark character. This character is a cop, he is corrupt and crossed all lines in holding up. He does every damn thing to keep himself in the business. He has screwed up, and he is desperate. He has a day with a new recruit(Ethan Hawke). This guy is honest and has all the dreams, a new recruit can have. He want to work honestly and don't have a clue about the world he is going into. He gets the real training. In just one day his life is turned upside down.

Movie is a little crude and you have to pay attention to understand whats happening.Somebody has responded back to one of the reviews on this movie as it being a filth. I am strongly against it. This movie is not a usual one. I should congratulate the director for making a good sensible movie of this script. It should have been really difficult to hold up together for a script like this. There are some places where you feel confused, but soon you get back into the movie.

What I liked....

Awsome Denzel Washington... he already got an oscar for it. I liked Russel Crow, but when I think it over, Denzel did excellent job in this movie. This character has so many shades, it changes every minute, he manipulates everybody and the way he did it, is excellent. You can just see the movie only for him.

Ethan hawk also did a good job, he was nominated for best supporting actor. He is the character who once seems to go in flow with the bad cop but soon finds the meaning of all. He admires this bad cop initially, treats him with respect, he is confused, but slowly he is enlightened but its too late.

All other characters are for small roles and not of much significance. They just are needed there for that small role.

If you wanna see the whole gamut of a really talented actor, do not miss this movie. But if you are into entertaining action flicks, or romantic stuff or looking for some heartwarming touch in the movie, dont see this movie. But believe me this movie is worth. We were watching Oscar's, and when the oscar was announced for Denzel, I picked up on my friends, they agreed that this movie is good but a little too complex. So chances are you will either like it too much like me or will not like it at all. Make your choice.

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Training Day couldn't be more appropriately titled. The movie tracks all the events that go into the first day of a rookie cop (Ethan Hawke) in the Los Angeles Police Department's undercover narcotics unit. Denzel Washington plays Alonzo, a corrupt veteran cop and partner of the rookie.

Sometimes a great actor is all you need to turn a formula cop flick into knockout action entertainment... fast and slick. genuinely thrilling, explosively cynical about life on the streets. a relaxed, quietly stylish approach worth the discomfort for the adrenaline rush of the plot and Washington's compelling performance. propulsive, elegantly written police thriller.

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Training day is not like other movies. Its script is well written and thought of. Not much of a story in the first half after which things move real fast and the end is most thrilling one could ever imagine!!!

The movie is about a guy who is fresh from Academy and is undergoing training for LAPD under a nig officer (Denzil Washington). His mere presence makes a movie worth seeing. Anyway, then follows the first day of training when this new guy goes with Denzil on patrol and is amazed with the way things do happen then they are supposed to happen!!

He is made to smoke grass, indulge in a planned murder (which later turns out to be the turning point of the movie) and do all sorta stuff which he never imagined a cop could do.

He is made victim of a conspiracy and it is worth watching whether he comes out of it clean or not and how?

I am not going to disclose anything more about the plot, for you will appreciate when you see and hear and watch and later think about it....

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