Where One That Supplies Various After-Thoughts

Rating: 9/10 (28 September 2009)

At the end of the Oscar-winning movie "Training Day", one must ask, "where's the fine-line between doing what's right and the tactics one must go through in accomplishing it?" The hero in the story faces this enigmatic question from the moment he wakes up till he goes to sleep at night.
Getting tired of the usual routine of parking tickets and arresting drunk drivers, Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) is young cop who has bigger aspirations into the police force. His ambition is crack down on bigger game like muggers, murderers, rapists and all other assorted weirdos plaguing the streets of Los Angeles. Thus he en-rolls in a training session with LAPD's finest narcotics detectives Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington). During the process, young Jake learns more than he could chew when he discovers that detectives are not always prone to play-by-the-rules. Now he's in a position where he must decide if he wants to continue or if he wants to end it.
The script is very well researched and very easy to grasp at. The dialogue is fast and furious and can be very witty at times. The pace is at its most convenient and though the action is wild it still offers room for plenty of mind-numbing twists. The only real flaw is that it gives a negative view of how unlawful the more advanced law enforcers can be. Those alleged people who protect us from crime are no more criminal than the people they arrest. In many true story films like "American Gangster" (another film Washington was in) proves my point.
Denzel Washington deserved his Oscar here as he takes direct command in this movie. Even in the scenes where he's only mentioned by name, he still makes his presence felt. Denzel who can play good guy roles to near perfection does something that few actors and actresses can do: take a u-turn to type-casting and play a more tyrannical character. Ethan Hawke is equally impressive as a cop who must have long restless nights wondering how did he get himself into this mess and how to get out of it or if there is a way out of it. Sadly the supporting cast are mostly underdeveloped fillers with really no depth.
For an action movie, the action is quite scarce. Most of the tense scenes are through the unsettling of Jake's inner conscious. The real story isn't about Jake's fight for what's right, but just the inner emotions that are screaming at Jake every moment he goes to work or training. You want thrill-seeking shooters rent "Lethal Weapon". The violent scenes are not for the squeamish and the gore is very believable.
Sure it has plenty of action for the action-junkie, but it's also a very intelligent film to back up on as well. The theme is who should you trust, your soul or your mind? With stunning action scenes and a believable premise, this has got to be the best heart-warming thriller that will leave you stunned for a long time.