Fantastic premise, but too much 'bad-Denzel' for the film's own good ...

Rating: 7/10 (24 July 2015)

Boy, was Denzel Washington good at being bad ! You almost have the feeling that he had fun portraying Detective Alonzo Harris, the corrupt cop and mentor, during the titular "Training Day" of Jake Hoyt, the rookie played no less convincingly by Ethan Hawke. Both actors would be nominated for the Oscar, but only Washington took it home. This is how persuasively villainous he was. The recognition also came from the American Film Institute that put him #50 of the Top American villains, the last spot but to his defense, he was the most recent entry. Anyway, « Training Day » has been remembered ever since as the « Bad Guy Denzel Movie ».
Washington had fun and it sure shows, he gives a figure that is not that unfamiliar for cop-movies buffs a larger-than-life vibe, he's on the screen for less than twenty seconds that you know you're onto a great creation, a narc cop dressed like a Black Panther or Black Muslim militant, a gangsta goatee and a black beanie, a smile that would make any small-time thug freeze from fear. How come an actor with such a friendly face can get so intimidating, sure part of the merit comes from Washington's performance, but it also owes to Ethan Hawke who, as Jake Hoyt, is the perfect counterpart to Washington's alpha male confidence. And their first exchanges in the restaurant shows with a few words that these men are separated by experience, equaling in such a dirty racket, to an eternity.
Hoyt lives in a modest apartment with his wife and a 9-month daughter, his dream is to climb the social ladder, which in the Police, means he must pass the 'danger' square. The training day is Hoyt's opportunity to make his bones, his career depends on it. That perfectly sets up his character, he's a man determined to succeed and be a good police officer. Part of his learning will consist on discovering that both goals can cancel out one another, yet the film would've been too cynical had it been the culmination of the 'coming-of-age' learning. It's not a movie about the disciple outranking the mentor, but the disciple learning a few ropes from the mentor and still be able to stick to his values. And that's what, in my humble opinion, emerges from the first exchanges, Harris is a static character, Hoyt evolves, and part of the interest relies on Jake's evolution. And that works most of the time.
The problem with « Training Day » is that it gets so wrapped up on that premise of Washington being the villain that it is almost used like a gimmick, and Hoyt's evolution is only limited by the scope of that training day, we never get to know what changed exactly in his view and how that will affect his future. The film takes a conventional turn to a personal face-off between the good and the bad guy, which in the final act, is a bit of a let down compared to the whole 'close to reality' card it played right at the beginning. "Training Day" tries to be many things at the same time, for its own good. Let's get it straight, it never ceases to be entertaining, and this is a good movie, but it could have been so much grander had it chosen not to focus much on Alonzo Harris. In my opinion, he should've been the supporting role, which, technically, he was, as he literally 'supported' the most interesting character's arc.
God, that whole first hour of « Training Day » is a terrific slice of post-September-11 era, these times I couldn't imagine I'd be nostalgic of. Even the casting of Snoop Dogg as one of the informers gives the film a little edge by encapsulating the post-Millennium day where urban violence, rap and money contributed heavily to Pop Culture imagery, where the sight of death wasn't a taboo anymore. In a way, Alonzo Harris is an efficient villain because he's emblematic of his time, being a Cop with a 'C' like in cynical, corrupt and charismatic. Yet, it's with Hoyt that I related, as a Millennium kid who wanted to believe there's a part of goodness to take from society, wishing he wouldn't fall in that trap Harris kept luring him into. I also identified with the relationship between the rookie and his new boss, something I've had enough experience to appreciate the realistic way it was conveyed in the film.
You know these first days at work, where you're being taken by your coach or top manager everywhere and you feel so useless between all these people who know each other. Indeed, that's why the first day is always the worst : each impression you give is the first, and in Hoyt's business, a bad impression is something he can't afford. You're also the most recent newcomer, the one who knows the least people, this is how marginal you are. The wisest thing is to shut up, to listen, to learn. Hoyt has no other choices than listening to Harris, and Harris is no stupid, he takes advantage from it and cunningly toys with Hoyt's eagerness to prove his value, and isn't that the biggest trap you can fall in. And as the day progresses, you can feel the distance widening between Hoyt and Harris, and I hoped the movie could focus on Hoyt because Harris didn't need more screen time to make an impact, it worked from the start.
"Training Day" tried so many things it got convoluted in complicated plot devices and other contrivances, some of them unfortunately, were too blatant to be even taken seriously. While it started as one hell of a character study mixed with police procedural à la "French Connection", it ended like "Scarface". I don't mind a good over-the-top performance but the film could've been remembered for more than being that movie with a bad guy Denzel.