Police crime drama classic

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2016)

Training Day, Denzel Washington pulls out all the stops and delivers a performance. Written by David Ayer and directed by Anthony Fuqua, Training Day grabs you. While the ending suffers from an overload of coincidences and contrivances, the movie still packs a wallop as it asks the question: Can honorable men deal with the worst of humanity on a daily basis without being corrupted?
Co-starring Ethan Hawke plays Jake Hoyt, a Los Angeles cop out to become detective. To that end, he tries to join an elite squad led by Alonzo Harris (Washington), an undercover officer legendary for his effectiveness. The hitch is that Jake has only one day to prove his worthiness to Alonzo. Even within his drug haze, the boy soon realizes that Alonzo is not merely an officer that plays fast and loose with the rules - he's a full-fledged rogue cop willing to do anything to get what he wants.
Some of the most harrowing moments take place in a neighborhood completely under the control of thugs. Alonzo lives there, convinced he is respected by his brutal neighbors due to his ability to work the system. In fact, they loathe the man and put up with him solely because of his badge and gun.
Taking place over the course of a single day, Training Day builds momentum and never backs off. The film creates and maintains a sense of genuine danger. As the proceedings grow ever more dark, you begin to wonder if the key players can possibly survive the day. Until the last 15 minutes, that is, when the story wraps up too quickly and in far too pat a fashion.