Growing Pains

Rating: Null/10 (28 October 2001)

What Denzel Washington does in this movie is similar with what
Sean Connery did in the Hunt for Red October, or Al Pacino did in
the Scent of a Woman; he simply outnumbered other casts.
From the beginning, like Ethan Hawke, we look at him with a full
awe, such charisma and control and logical reasons towards all
the violence and crimes he does. And sitting on the third seat with
these two characters later proven to be a joyride between realism
and idealism flick, similar like what Gene Hackman and Willem
Dafoe fighting in Mississippi Burning.
The mean streets of Los Angeles are well presented, we simply
look at the violence and somehow, with Denzel Washington
charm, suddenly we're wondering what kind of life Ethan Hawke
live in, which puts him in such idealism... he's a pure hero
schoolboy plunged into a pond of hell which he supposed to know
all the time.
Apart from that, the sympathy and charms which supposed to be
drawn into our growing pains towards Denzel character remains
there. That's the beauty of it, we are so deep with this character
and we can see his madness and his end with some understanding and acceptance.
Indeed this is one of Denzel Washington's excellent-steady
performance. His stare, his goove, his move, indeed casting him
in this movie is the best thing the producer have done. And for Ethan Hawke, okay, he's there the way he's suppose to be,
the usual boyish purity and idealism. I just hope he can deliver
more developing characters as he have done in Alive.
As for the storyline, the basic frame is nice, and blend nicely in
everyday's violence, but the pure luck of the rookie somehow blew
it up... followed with somehow-a forceful ending.
Training Day starts with a realistic starts, but later ends with
idealistic standard scripts... but still it's an incredible movie to
watch.
Highly recommended for evening movie.