The Very Best of Zel

Rating: 8/10 (18 July 2007)

"Good Cop / Bad Cop"
"Training Day" throws the rules out of the window and hits you in the face with a brutal and highly entertaining story of good cop/bad cop as we are taken on an urban trip of one day on the job for rookie narcotics officer Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) and his training officer Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington). When Harris begins to cross the line, Jake finds himself willing to look the other way.
Amazingly set over the course of 24 hours, the movie is a look at the seductive nature of corruption, how deeply it can bloom and how its ruinous consequences permanently stain anyone who comes in contact with it.
Washington radiates a wicked, malicious magnetism he's never displayed, by way of contrast with the heroic roles he usually takes on. This is the first villainous turn of his career. Being bad brings out the best in Washington, and his performance elevates "Training Day" past its familiar street-cops scenario into something far richer. Denzel is surely the star of this film and was quite deserving of his "Best Actor in a Leading Role" academy award, even though I am sure many people claim Russell Crowe deserved it more for "A Beautiful Mind". In my opinion, the winner should have actually been Sean Penn for his work in "I Am Sam". However, I also think Ethan Hawke deserves some praise, this is a guy that has grown on me over the past few years, especially with this film and "Before Sunset".
Obviously Training Day is an example of a movie that showcases the talent of everyone involved, especially the talent of director Antoine Fuqua who, in my opinion, is not getting enough work but I am absolutely sure we will see more from him soon enough. 9/10