Just Another Reason Not To Visit Los Angeles...

Rating: Null/10 (19 January 2003)

Training Day is Denzel Washington's Oscar winning performance.

Ethan Hawke co-stars as a naive rookie cop who on his first day on the job undercover, ie: his Training Day, is assigned to a street wise and hardened veteran played by Washington.
There is nothing remarkable here outside of Washington's performance. The range of this actor and his ability to change his character portrayals is no doubt why he is so much in demand. You would be hard pressed to find two more diverse performances than those he has recently given as the decent, hard working family man John Q and his portrayal of a rogue cop in Training Day.
There are a few good, solid cameo performances here, ostensibly by Scott Glenn. Harris Yulin plays yet another bad guy role but I must admit that I have always found him totally compelling on screen. Tom Berenger on the other hand is wasted in his bit part. He is an actor who truly has become type cast.
Training Day is a gritty, violent & foul-mouthed movie which makes anyone who does not live in an inner city forever thankful.