Great acting, pretty good story

Rating: 7/10 (13 October 2001)

"Training Day" is a film which features great acting by the two leads, and a story that's very good, until it slips a bit at the end. Denzel Washington plays a corrupt, veteran narcotics cop who's training Ethan Hawke, a young cop hoping for a spot on the unit. Both of the leads, especially Washington, are great. Washington's portrayal of Alonzo Harris will, I think, end up being one of the best, if not THE best, performance of the year. Definitely Oscar-quality material. And Ethan Hawke more than holds his own. Washington has been getting more praise, probably deservedly so, but Hawke does a great job playing Jake Hoyt, totally the opposite of Alonzo, thus making Denzel's performance stand out even more. Aside from those two, there really aren't any big parts, just lots of little ones. Most of those are good as well. Surprisingly, Macy Gray and Snoop Dogg do nice jobs in their brief appearances.
Antoine Fuqua does a good job directing, which is a bit of a surprise, considering that his previous work isn't really worth mentioning. I didn't know he had it in him. His directing isn't quite as good as the acting, but he does keep things moving nicely and does a good job of building up tension as the film goes on.
The script, written by David Ayer, is the only complaint I have. "Training Day" starts off with a great deal of promise, but then loses it a bit at the end. At the beginning, Alonzo doesn't come across as a horrible person. He makes some interesting statements that could make you think, and he has decent reasons for what he does. He doesn't always follow the laws, but he can make you understand why he breaks them. But by the end, he's a completely corrupt, totally evil villain. And then the film is no longer about these choices that he makes, but about Hawke trying to stop a madman. Don't get me wrong, the ending is still exciting and fun to watch, but I was a bit disappointed to see the film abandon the moral complexities that it hinted at earlier. But, with the acting, it's still a very thrilling film, even at the end. Washington and Hawke could have been fishing, and I still would have been on the edge of my seat. So despite my minor issues with the story, the quality of the performances is more than enough for me to recommend "Training Day."
Rating: 8/10