Gets worse as it goes on

Rating: 6/10 (18 May 2002)

What starts as a thought-provoking study of moral brinkmanship among drug squad cops - asking how much detectives should compromise their ideals in order to put criminals behind bars - quickly devolves into a by-the-numbers Hollywood corruption thriller, replete with high-level coverups by sleazy blow-dried political bosses who convene at a supper club, a rooftop chase, a needlessly extended fistfight in which the two leads prove virtually indestructible, an ironic denouement, and many of the other tired elements we have seen so many times before. The strong performances, sharp cinematography, good use of L.A. locations, and brisk pacing still elevate Training Day above the most pedestrian genre fare - but barely.