Dismal mess, but Denzel is good

Rating: 2/10 (8 October 2002)

Denzel Washington's performance is the only good thing in this celluloid disaster.
Training Day is the story of an idealistic young cop (Ethan Hawke) on his first day working narcotics. Everyone behaves badly, to a greater or lesser extent, and the tone is depressively nihilistic. I hope we're not supposed to infer that this is in any way reflective of reality.

Denzel is a fine actor (and a fine looking young man) and I would not begrudge him the Oscar he won for this, but I prefer to see him in better vehicles than this clunker.