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Training Day

Training Day

List Price: $14.96
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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Too far over the top!
Review: Sure, it's gritty. Sure, Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke are excellent (each actor usually is!), but this movie hits reality as seldom as a barney episode. As far as action cop movies go this one is absorbing for awhile until the screenplay takes us down some sort of exaggerated fantasy-violent wonderland. the campaign to get Denzel,who is very good in this, the academy award must have been incredible. Crowe's performance in "A Beautiful mind" shows an actor with the range to become the actor of his generation. Once again Hollywood missed it. This best actor Oscar will rank up there with John Wayne's for being ancient, Peter Finche's for being deceased, and Paul Newman's because they should had given him five by the time they gave him one! I'm a Denzel fan! His performances are always top notch. In this one you'll find his on the brand of evil policework quite compelling, but it doesn't really compare to Russell Crowe's. Academy members, shame on you! It shouldn't be this easy to manipulate your voting. 5 years from now how memorable will Denzel's performance in this one be compared to Russell Crowe's? Remember when you all voted for Oliver over 2001? Here we go again.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: first good movie this year.
Review: ...his one surpised me...this one took me way off guard. i saw ethan hawke in gattaca, which is probably the best movie ever, and he does a heck of a good job on this one too.
going in to this i had no idea that it was this crazy. i thought it was another good cop bad cop movie, but jeeeez. this movie is INSANE.

GREAT script. almost every line is important, and the twists in the story will FREAK YOU OUT.

awesome movie...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The end justifies the means?
Review: Ethan Hawke plays a young policeman who wants to enter the narcotics division of the L.A.P.D. He is teamed up with a cop played by Denzel Washington who is supposed to train him and test whether he would make it on the tough streets of L.A. Hawke discovers in an ever more horrifying day that Washington will do whatever he considers necessary to get the job done. The senior cop alternately shocks, bullies, and terrifies the rookie with every kind of mayhem imaginable. Both men put in terrific performances in this gritty, raw tale of life on the narc squad. Be forewarned that there are lots of tough scenes in an ever-escalating tale of terror and corruption.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One Hell Of A Crime Film
Review: I loved this movie its filled with good performances,directing and style. The performances are simple amazing the film has a sold easy to follow story which makes it a easy watch(the violence and language is a differnt story)but people can easly be offended by the film because of its language and brutality but its true to life and is one of the best films of 2001.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GO DENZEL
Review: Having just purchased this film, i think it is one of the finest films denzel has ever made, i was gripped from the first scene.
Utterly fantastic please make more like this.
You deserved the oscar

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Dark, negative, violent, amazing...!
Review: I don't know for sure, but I think there are not many Oscars given to male actor in a leading role for a guy playing the bad guy!! Denzel was amazing. The movie bears an almost unbearable tension most of the times, in action that occurs during only one single day. Ethan is great also, but Denzel is the master here. What a performance!!!
The movie does not give a glimpse of hope for mankind!! It's totally dark and depressive.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Wolf in Wolf's Clothing...
Review: Believe everything you've heard about this film. The acting is superb. Denzel Washington plays Alonzo Harris, a scheming corrupt cop who pushes a rookie, Jake (Ethan Hawke) over the edge on his "training day." Yes, Denzel deserved the Oscar he is devious, sly, and psychotic. He is truly a wolf in wolf's clothing in this role. The viewer isn't quite sure what to make of Alonzo until far into the film. We know he's not good, but you'll never suspect some of the plot twists that turn up in this one. Ethan Hawke outshines Washington in the performance of his career, playing a naive rookie cop who is all but the anti-thesis of Alonzo Harris. Jake still believes that cops can make a difference and does his job to the letter of the law, in the end it's what winds up saving him. Training Day is a long film but the time is needed to unfold the multi-layered plot and adequately endear the audience to it's central characters. Overall, a well made thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat propelled by two of the most memorable performances of the last decade. Highly Recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Training Day": Amazing Movie, Fantastic DVD
Review: Once Denzel Washington picked up the Oscar for Best Actor, me and my buddy Ry decided it was time to see what all the fuss was about - that and the fact that the trailer showed that both Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre were in the movie. That aside, I'd recently been watching a lot of the PBS presentation of Joseph Campbell and "The Power of Myth" which enhanced and coloured my enjoyment of "Training Day". For, it seems apparent that the story of the film draws on the basic myth/religious story of the temptation of the hero, the descent into hell, and the choice between damnation and salvation. Denzel and Ethan Hawke play their roles of tempter and tempted with great vivacity and depth, drawing us once again into a time-tested myth, this time set in the Los Angeles drug scene.

"Training Day" begins with a look at Jake's (Hawke) cozy home, beautiful wife, and settled life, all of which will be unsettled in the day that follows. Assigned as an apprentice of sorts to a narcotics detective, Alonzo (Washington), Jake is given one day to see whether he is cut out for high stakes narc work. Alonzo quickly puts Jake through his paces, trying to inculcate the philosophy that in the narc game, one has to be willing to live and operate according to the same rules as the enemy, and to all appearance, become the enemy. Jake's innocence and idealism cause him some hesitation and reticence about following Alonzo's example.

This is the mythological trope, though, and the point that the film turns on - Alonzo tells Jake that if he plays the game right, and is willing to split his personality and his objectives - to be a "wolf" and abandon his essential self while he's on duty, Jake can make detective in 18 months. Alonzo sanctions murder, theft, and deceit, and offers Jake a kingdom in return for his principles. The way the conflict manifests itself internally within Jake and externally between Jake and Alonzo is compelling and deeply moving, especially as Jake finds himself being drawn in by Alonzo both by and against his own will.

"Training Day" gives us a multifaceted perspective on narcotics investigation. We see it from the point of view of the drug dealer, Roger, who is simply looking forward to retirement; from the users themselves, including an appearance by Snoop Dogg; from Alonzo's 'team' of narc agents, including Dr. Dre; and the multicultural views of the black and hispanic communities through which the drug trade passes through and infects. Recalling the opening scene with Jake and his wife, we are presented with Alonzo's 'second family,' a mistress and a small boy - this alternate life Jake must weigh, negotiate, and come to terms with in order to save himself. Jake also finds that he must learn the language and the mannerisms of the streets - governed by loyalty, reciprocity, and exchange - and find a way to keep himself above it, if possible.

The DVD of "Training Day" is full of really high-quality extras. In most DVD's I've seen that have bonus/deleted scenes, the extra moments you get aren't worth watching. Not so here. There are at least three scenes, not to mention the alternate ending, which give even further complexity to the main characters and their fraught relationship. They are so good, I believe they should have been left in the movie, but since they weren't, it's good to have them in the DVD. Absolutely a DVD worth owning, and a movie well worth seeing several times. Washington's performance is sparkling, riveting, and wholly believable, as he plays a tempter caught up in his own intrigues. Hawke is also very good in his role, but it is really no different (save in degree) from the doe-eyed innocent thrown into a cruel world that he's been doing since "Dead Poets Society". Not to undercut his performance; of course, with all that practice, he does a terrific job. One of the best movies I've seen in a long time.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Intense film - dark and disturbing
Review: Training Day is a very captivating flick. Denzel does a great job of playing the hardened cop with a very dark and evil side. Ethan Hawke plays off him well as the innocent rookie - the young and hopeful.

Some of these scenes were just gripping in their intensity. The drama mixed with extreme violence will leve you breathless at times.

One thing I question: I'm not so sure the line between lead and supporting actor is clear in the film. Denxel is the "lead," but I honestly think Ethan Hawke could have been considered the lead actor. Just my opinion though.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wow...
Review: I'll admit; I was a bit skeptical when I bought this movie. I had heard it was good, but couldn't see Denzel Washington acting evil. He seemed like such a nice guy. All of that has changed. After seeing this movie, I am afraid to go near the man. His performance was amazing and he deserved the Oscar he received. Ethan Hawke also gave a fantastic performance as the "good cop."

The aptly named "Training Day" tells the story of a stick-to-the-book police officer (Hawke) hoping to advance his career by becoming a detective. Unfortunately for him, his "trainer" is the do-that-again-and-I'll-knock-your-teeth-out detective with a hidden agenda (Washington). The film starts off in the morning with a brief meeting between the two in a diner. After a bit of chitter-chatter, it's off to the office, a Black Caddie equipped with hydraulics. As the day progresses, you're taken on a ride through the streets of Los Angeles, where these detectives make their own rules and follow them if they feel like it.

In Short: This is an amazing movie with an amazing plot and amazing acting. ...


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