Exceptional acting

Rating: Null/10 (7 June 2002)

Let me start by agreeing with those that hail Denzel Washington's performance as exceptional. Twisted and corrupt, at the end of the movie you can't help but hate this guy (a very foreign feeling to attribute to one of Denzel's characters).
When I walked out of the theatre after seeing A Beautiful Mind, I was convinced that Crowe should take the Best Actor Oscar, though I reserved judgement until seeing Training Day. And my opinion now...I stand by my original assessment. Washington's character shows a ferocity and intensity of a man who long ago put to death any moral/ethical dilemma of how he enacts justice. There is no internal conflict here, and as such, the character, though being complex, is somewhat one-dimensional. He is what he is, a corrupt cop who has convinced himself and others that the ends somehow justify the means.
I think Crowe's portrayal of Dr. Nash, from graduate to eventual Nobel Prize recipient, shows the audience the extent of his illness and the inner turmoil he experiences as he pursues healing. You see the character change and develop and it is a remarkable feat that Crowe was able to communicate that so convincingly.
Loved the acting in Training Day, from both Denzel & Ethan Hawke. The second half of the movie seemed a little too convenient for a movie that forces some very key social/political issues.