How to Enter the Hampa

Rating: 8/10 (23 November 2007)

Antoine Fuqua does an excellent job. With the big screen as an excuse, he imposes his dark, sinister view on the hampa of the Los Angeles police.
Corruption is the main, but that is the work of Alonzo Harris, a great neo-villain, that doesn't value life and has understood it as a grim, violent place and has moderated himself to it. Denzel Washington is superb, mean looks, nasty bad reactions seeming so natural, I cannot believe he isn't a real filthy cop! Ethan Hawke's character is somehow naive, doesn't know what really is going all and cannot adjust to the rhythm Alonzo is accustomed to. Alonzo sets the rhythm, as a matter of fact, so we just ground for Jake (E.Hawke) to survive his rough trip.
"Training Day" is rough, a good movie that counted on the budget to tell a raw story, with a great cast and some neat narrative skills. Its a bitching' movie, you should watch it.