Rating: Summary: "Look in either one of 'em, an' pay the bill..." Review: Everything that you've heard about 'Training Day' is right. Well, depending on what ya heard. Does that make any sense? If you heard that this is one of the strongest and most unflinchingly real movies to come out exploring the seedy underbelly of the police force as well as a film that brought Denzel Washington to new unexplored heights as an actor (an' ya probably diddn't think he could get any higher that he already was), then you heard right. This is the film that re-established him as my personal favorite actor, as well as caused those stiffs at the Academy to finally throw down an' give him a damn Best Actor Oscar, after the years of hard work he's put in. But at the same time, y'all folks needa recognize Ethan Hawke's contribution to the movie as well.In this kind of film, where the lead character is a rogue and ruthless crooked cop with seemingly no morals or respect for anything, you HAVE to have somebody to keep the film steeped in the reality of the everyday Joe. It's the only way that the film could be disturbing and effective, without alienating its audience. Well, Ethan Hawke is that everyday Joe. He's rookie cop Jake Hoyt, young, boyish, naive, new husband and father; he just wants what we all want, to take care of his family by working and doing whatever possible to make it into the high ranks of his profession. If only he had known what that was going to involve. It's become almost mandatory these days when making an urban film, that you HAVE to cast some hip-hop and R&B stars that want to try their hand at acting in small roles. This film is no exception, and that is at times for the better and at times for the worse. I tell ya I ain't even recognize Macy Gray until I heard that rough, sandpaper voice of her's, but she plays a nasty ol' hood rat, complete with a sassy attitude, some long fingernails and a mouth like a sailor. She done impressed me though, I must say. The parapalegic crack dealer is played by Snoop Dogg, who was almost perfect in his role, but there had to be a rotten apple I guess, an' here that comes in the form of Dr. Dre. He plays one of Alonzo's crooked narc troops, but he jus' don't got the acting skill at all. His thick braids and constant scowl are almost laughable, an' just made him look more fake and unconvincing in the role. Good thing he only has a few lines. The director of this movie, a young man named Antoine Fuqua, has got a big, bright future ahead of him if this movie is any indication. He seem to have a knack for creating a hypnotic and dreamlike quality in a film. The way he opens the movie with the sun rising dissolving into Jake's alarm going off. That whole first scene with Jake sitting up in bed and looking over at his wife who is feeding their baby in a rocking chair, the dark blue lighting, it's just surreal, almost as if Jake was still in a dream. And in a sense, he is. He's at home, cut off from the outside world, and in the dream that he's always had of a comfortable and easygoing life. But, very soon he will be thrust into a hellish world he could have never imagined. The best dialogue in the movie comes, not surprisingly, from Jake and Alonzo's conversations while they're riding around L.A. in the Monte Carlo. Especially when they get really heated. It's two almost TOTALLY different people that are struggling to relate to each other. One who wants to be a good cop and make an honest paycheck, and one who wants to get the job done and get paid, by any means necessary. This movie is not just your average crime drama or cop thriller, its a movie about morals, about decisions, about the treachory we accept as part of life and the corruption that we all seem to look the other way about. How long would you be able to go on telling yourself that the ends justify the means, the deeper and darker you go? I think that's the question Jake kept asking himself. You can see it in his eyes, the uncertainty about what he agrees to go along with. You would think he coulda got out of this predicament before he got too far in, but, damn, Alonzo can be one manipulative son of a gun. Now I bought this DVD with a sticker on it that said 'Loaded with Special Features!' Well, I was a little disappointed in that matter, because it's not really loaded. The featurette is nothing really special, and is only about 15 minutes long. The deleted scenes are definitely require watching material, because some of 'em are great and delve even deeper into both Alonzo and Jake. The alternate ending is more like an extended ending, because it doesn't change anything about the outcome. It's a quick, but I thought crucial, conversation and I personally think it shoulda been kept in the final cut. It brought the story full-circle. This movie is not for the squeamish or for the conservatives, because it sometimes does seem to be sending mixed messages, which is one of the reasons I think it was a mistake to not include that final conversation in the ending, because it really evened out the rough edges quite a bit. Nevertheless, this is one of the best films of last year, featuring two of the best performances of last year, so don't hesitate to pick it up.
Rating: Summary: Good cop... and Bad Cop Review: Training Day,one of the best movies of 2001,lives up to its expectations. Denzel Washington gives his best performace yet(with the help of the talanted Ethan Hawke) in this creepy crime drama that will keep you guessing. It also stands out that some good cops can go bad...enjoy
Rating: Summary: Washington & Hawke deliver strong performances Review: This is a movie that wants to be a hard-hitting, powerful, blow-your-mind about cops kind of films, and it comes very close to that mark. Denzel Washington goes fairly deep into his dark side as he portrays Alonzo Harris, a dirty cop who meets out his own brand of street justice. Ethan Hawke, playing a naive rookie looking to be promoted, becomes more and more appalled as Harris' corruptions are revealed, and he is drawn into a web of deception and crime. I suspect people will come down on different sides, in terms of how much they sympathize with or despise Washington's character - he dances on (and then stomps all over) a very thin line between making sure criminals are punished and making a mockery of the law. Where will you stand?
Rating: Summary: Fine acting, decent first half lead to pretentious climax Review: Director Fuqua tries to capture a gritty, realistic look to his film featuring corrupt narcotics cop Denzel Washington putting new recruit Hawke through a hellish training day. The first 90 minutes or so are watchable, with a not-so-original plot but fine performances all around and stylized, competent direction from "Replacement Killers" Fuqua, but the final half-hour slides into hopeless pretension and unbelievability, even for a major Hollywood movie, souring what could been a decent time-killer about nasty police corruption and the drug war.
Rating: Summary: Mushrats!!!! Review: This is an excellent portrayal of a real world "possibbility." Washington's acting is excellent, and he portrays the imagery very well. The use of symbolism is, however, disconcerting.
Rating: Summary: Training Day Review: I feel that this is not up to the quality work I've seen from Denzel in the past.
Rating: Summary: My My My Review: My My My! I have been a huge Denzel fan for years. I was shocked to see him play such a gritty character. I always knew he was an amazing actor but this role confirms that the man is just awesome. Although it was difficult for me not to see him in his usually clean cut role I was intrigued throughout the entire movie. I didn't leave saying 'Why did he take that role.' I left the movie in awe of such an amzing talent.
Rating: Summary: This is the best action/thriller I've seen in a while Review: The story is great, the acting is great, the action is great, and it is all around a very entertaining movie. Denzel is a proven actor, and this movie is worth every penny, it is one of the few movies in my collection that i can pop in at any time and be entertained.
Rating: Summary: It Opens Your Eyes About The System Review: Training Day is a movie that makes you think about the life of an under cover Narc. There seems to be such a fine line between the criminal and the police officer here and this is shown very well in the movie. As usual Denzel Washington gives a magnificent performance as one who plays by his own set of rules. Ethan Hawke is fine in a supporting role as well. The twists and turns in the story keep you pretty much hooked as the end result is a bit surprising. The violence is a little much in spots and there are a few moments when realistically the story goes astray. Nonetheless, this is very good movie for those fans of action movies and Denzel Washington.
Rating: Summary: GLAMOURISED TRASH Review: I was lucky enough to see this with the equally awful FROM HELL, what a day that was for all the wrong reasons -- I'm not quick to critisise a film, and always have a strong reason to back it up. But what was wrong with Training Day could be a list the size of my arm. Denzel and Ethan was nothing more than average in their roles. The director showed very little tallent with the material. The biggest fault was the script writer (whom i cant remember his name) who comes out with the most cliched story ever. So the film goes on and never gets that bit interesting and then arrives at possibly the worst film ending in history... There are plenty more bad points I can say about this film, but what really annoys me is the way the British media, mainly film magazines totally overrated the film, even more so when the Academy gave Denzel THAT OSCAR..... It's a prime example of manafactured hipe that a good portion of the public swallowed. To end Training Day is glamourised rubbish, B-movie in a celebrity Jacket --
|