Well acted movie with excessive violence and a preposterous plot.

Rating: Null/10 (22 October 2001)

I looked forward to Training Day because of Denzel Washington (Alonzo)and I was well rewarded by his excellent, in-your-face acting. In fact, all the acting was excellent. However, the movie grew more and more violent as it moved along, I thought overtaking the suspenseful first half build-up. By the end, I was sorry we took our teenage daughter. More importantly, the movie's plot doesn't stand up to the plausibility test. Alonzo's driving motivation seems to stem from a hazy, out of the movie run-in he had with Russian gangsters in Las Vegas. Coincidentally or not, the day he must resolve this issue is also an orientation day for rookie Hoyt (Ethan Hawke). Over the course of the day, unlikely yet critical events tumble over one another toward a predictable violent climax. One thing I couldn't figure out: Why would Alonzo choose to live right in the middle of the worst drug neighborhood in LA?