High energy filled with sharp dialogue

Rating: Null/10 (12 September 2001)

In Training Day, we get a high energy movie with sharp dialogue, along with a superb performance by Denzel Washington as a rough and tough street cop. It is training day for a rookie cop played by Ethan Hawke, yet, instead of offices, coffee and paperwork, he is given a day with Washington and we the audience are along for the ride. From the moment both characters meet, we immediately understand who is running the show. Hawke portrays an innocent, honest, almost naive cop stern in the ways of ethics and laws. Washington, on the other hand, believes in the law of the streets. While both arguements for solving crime have been portrayed in a lot of other movies, along with the almost tired partnership of a Black and White cop and their differences, this movie actually works. Hawke is quite honest and at times naive, but not naive to the point of unbelieveability. Washington is fiery in his ways of cleaning up the city and his knowledge of 'real policing'. So we come to very much enjoy his presence on the screen because it's as if Washington himself relishes the part of being the bad and disliked character. A role that is refreshingly new for Washington, but you wouldn't know it watching him play it so well. There is a constant back-and-forth sharing of views on how crime should be dealt with by Washington and Hawke.
It is amusing to watch Hawke rationalize his views only to be quickly outwitted by Washington's sometimes outrageous antics. Naturally Hawke must give in slightly because after all, he is the one being trained but also because Hawke sees this opportunity to move higher up in rankings and eventually become detective.
Training day is a test for Hawke, but by the end of the movie, it truly is a test on everyone. A test of judgement, morals, ideals, values. In other words, an overall test of who we really are as individuals. And so by the end of training, we and Hawke both find out just that, who we really are.
Grade: B