An all time great

Rating: 9/10 (8 September 2019)

I'd been aware of Training Day since I was around 15 but finally 3 years later I've got round to watching it and it's fair to say my expectations were matched. I've seen others of Fuqua's filmography and the likes of Southpaw were extremely entertaining and it seems he's had a long career of hits. Back to Training Day this is a masterpiece, straight from the get go you can relate to/empathise with Hawke's Jake Hoyt and he feels like a well defined and crystal clear character from the very first second, not a doubt in anyone's minds he's the hero of the film. A story of corruption is naturally interesting and I must say the performance by Washington deserves all the praise it gets as he falls into the group of villains which you truly despise, testament to his performance and the quality of the writing/directing. Baring some parallels finally to Se7en the grim depiction of the criminal underworld is full of life and looks realistic and dingy. As the titular 'Training Day' ensues and develops with Hoyt dragged into the shady dealings of Alonzo the tension ramps up and the stand off occurs, feeling organic and natural the division of our protagonists is understandable and feels genuine leading to the neighbourhood shootout and chase between the two leads, at times a little far fetched it's still gritty and heart pounding, concluding with Washington's iconic monologue and his exile from the neighbourhood. Boasting a cast of notable faces such as Cliff Curtis and Eva Mendez as well as a couple of celebrity cameos from Dr.Dre and Snoop Dogg who aren't actually bad actors this is a masterclass in conflict, tension and character, a true great of cinema