Rating: 
Summary: I Love Denzel Washington, too, BUT....
Review: Before anyone jumps all over me, I want it notated, and understood, that I have been a Denzel Washington fan, since his stellar work on St. Elsewhere! Period! And there have been so many, many times this actor has been "passed over", (i.e. performance in "Malcomb X", only ONE "instance"), that they become too numerous to mention. And he once again, gave a "knockout performance" ( another instance, "Hurricane") HERE, and actually "brought-up the level of this entirefilm, with THIS PERFORMANCE!However, THAT being the case, he did NOT deserve The Academy Award THIS YEAR, for THIS PERFORMMANCE! That belongs to Russell Crowe, and should have gone there THIS YEAR!You cannot "right the wrongs done priorly, since film began, by doing THIS!" Halle Berrie, DID have her's coming, and I am joyous for HER, as much as I was nearly, for Sidney Poitier, who HAS DEFINITELY had THIS AWARD coming for seeming "centuries"!THAT "being the case here", Denzel Washington DID a tremendous job, on an"over-extended, vastly already gone over terrain, of "good cop, gone veryBad-"Lieutant", etc. etc. etc......"This was no "ground-breaking movie", not even in it's subtext, and noir'.Russell Crowe DID DO THAT, THIS YEAR, in "A Beautiful Mind". HE deserved it THIS YEAR, and due to an Academy that was so obviously, trying to make "restitution for ALL their "prior sins" (and *ord knows, THEY HAVE!) by doing THIS, they "cheapened the award, and it's meaning,( BEST performance by an actor, THIS YEAR, NOT "career-spanning", which is what they did HERE!) and thusly, and unfairly,"cheated another man, who just happened to be white"; of HIS WELL-EARNED ACHIEVEMENT, THIS YEAR!!THAT was a mistake, and sadly, in a movie "over-all"; lacking in merit, of it's own, actually "hurt the very real genious, of THIS ACTOR, THIS YEAR!!THIS was Russell Crowe's year, and HE "was robbed, in like manner!".Sorry, Denzel, NOT THIS YEAR!!N.L.N.
Rating: 
Summary: Great!!!
Review: First off, I just want to say that this is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. It is wonderfully put together, and even though it has a lot of profanity, it is great. The profanity is needed to accurately portray life on the streets, colored people, and gangs. Denzel Washington is a really great actor. I think that this a must-see movie and needs to be owned by everyone.
Rating:
Summary: S'OK, But...
Review: ....not the best Denzel performance I've seen (I take the view that the Academy gave him a 'body of work' Oscar for work he should have gotten the statue for in other, more powerful roles for the one he received on this one.), nor the worst. Nor is the corrupt cop thing anything new. Ain't people seen any one of those made for tv cop dramas or moovys like "Internal Affairs", "Q and A", "Serpico"? This is cool in that it's nice to see Denzel have a less than good-guy role and do it well. But, a blistering, powerful story? I recall parts of "Q and A" made me really cringe. This made me laugh at a few of those lines Denzel shot at the rookie, but I have seen many moovys that were about corrupt cops and their actions that actually got under my skin.
Rating: 
Summary: Goes Around, Comes Around
Review: In kindergarden, the man in the blue uniform entered the room with a big slaphappy grin and a shiny badge, and we were told: "The policeman is our friend." Takes a hell of a lot to be a good friend, I now realize that I have stepped out of kindergarden. And sometimes the best of those friends fall. Some of them never rise in the first place. Thin is the line between bully and pal. Who can you trust? Denzel Washington convinces in a remarkable performance as cop gone rotten to the core. Perhaps he, the character, really still manages to rationalize in some shadowy corner of his hard heart that what he does is for the good of most, mostly himself. But one doubts - this, as one doubts much of what is supposed to be out there walking the beat to protect us from ourselves. Denzel horrifies wonderfully. He is slick evil. Ethan Hawke is nearly as good in his portrayal of stunned revelation as it grinds its terrifying way home to him how ever thinner and thinner this line between good guy and bad guy is fading. Until it is crossed. The tension of watching such increasing violence on the screen gives discomfort - as it should. This violence has a point to it, not there for the sensation, but there to shock into understanding how corruption happens, invades, causes disease of an entire system. Well done. And then the release of tension' in a final explosion, as one understands the saving grace of what goes around, comes around. There is justice, after all. Excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst Movie Ever
Review: It's sad that as talented as Denzel is that he won the oscar for this [junk]. He is a terrific actor, but I guess it was a black year, no way was he better than Russell Crowe. He has done many great movies, for which he deserved an oscar, but this was not one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Denzel simply doesn't measure up to the hype
Review: Taken on its own merits, Training Day is a competent film in the police-action drama. Unfortunately, the hounds of Political Correctness in Hollywood decided that 2002 was the year that African-Americans would sweep the Oscars, and since "Caveman's Valentine" (Samuel L. Jackson) was an independent film, they had to give the Oscar to Denzel Washington. That's too bad, because by asserting that Denzel's performance in "Training Day" was even remotely in the same league as Russel Crowe's work in "Beautiful Mind," the Academy made itself a farce. Nobody with any brain cells - even Denzel himself, who opening acknowledged the warped affirmative action of his Oscar - thinks that TD stands up to BM. Denzel Washington has a certain natural gravitas that lends itself well to these kinds of movies, but he simply isn't a great actor. He simply plays himself - the hip, somewhat-angry-yet-not-too-threatening black man - in whatever role he's in. Could Denzel do comedy? Could he play a schizophrenic or an emotionally-deranged man like Samuel L. Jackson in "Caveman's Valentine" or "Unbreakable?" No. In fact, he's played more than his share of COPS throughout his career, because that's what he's best suited for. Washington has no range as an actor, is unwilling to take risks, and repeats himself in every performance. He's never even gained or lost weight for a role! The only time he even cut his hair in a different style was for Malcolm X. It's nothing short of a travesty that THIS black actor got a token Oscar. The Academy should have given Russel Crowe what he rightfully deserved and waited until a black actor genuinely deserved the prize.
Rating:
Summary: The devil finds an heir
Review: This movie has many flaws. Mainly one being a very outrageous coincidence that could have been it's own movie. Stylistically it is a send up of cop buddy movies and a shameless rip off of better films (example Taxi Driver). The same ground was better explored in the English film "Sexy Beast". However Denzel Washington saves this film from crumpling into outrageousness. Denzel's Alonzo was good cop who is now using very corrupt methods to control the streets. His career is very close to going to the next level of greatness. However his inherent violence has cornered him into a no win situation. He needs an heir to his kingdom and also a patsy to cover his mistake. He finds both in Hawke's naive but ambitious Jake. The Jake character comes close to parody but Hawke keeps it grounded. Jake is a little too suburban for the undercover job. I found it a little hard to believe that Alonzo would get into the car with him. But Hawke and Washington keep it believable. It was nice to watch the interplay between Jake and Alonzo. Alonzo is at turns beguiled, angered, contemptuous and touched by Jake. He both enjoys and regrets his torture of his young protege. The stakes are upped when he witnesses Jake roll two drug addicts in an alley. You can see Alonzo excited by Jake's violence and immediately wants to own him. The rest of the movie is a seduction. Alonzo offering to be mentor and father figure to an impressionable Jake. Denzel Washington gives a very good performance and deserving of notice. However he has been in such wonderful roles prior to this project. I find it rather disturbing that the Academy would award him the oscar for a gangster cop rather than his other roles. Another disturbing element about this film is it's real life locations. I found it very reckless that the director would subject his cast and crew to potentially dangerous situations. I admire the goal of authenticity but this was unacceptable. It hurts the film by making it rather voyeuristic. It also exploits the peril that these people experience every day by turning it into popcorn entertainment. It harks back to the slum patrol parties rich people used to take part in back in the 1800's. See this film for Denzel's and Ethan's performance. But the film in general could have been better.
Rating:
Summary: Ruthless, underhanded, for real, !...
Review: Denzel is amazing in this movie, watch this movie twice, the first time to catch the storyline and the 2nd time to actually rate the acting, and Denzel Washington is oscar material in this movie. This movie shows you that the good cops have reasons to turn bad and unfortunately some of them do. They get bigger than life on the streets, because they have the badge, but they also get too caught up in the money and power that they eventually will fall. They bring protege's along and show them corrupt ways and if the rookie isn't careful and remember why they joined the force or the team, they will end up corrupt or dead. This movie was real and the acting was totally outstanding. A must see, and if you are a Denzel Washington fan, you will not even realize that this Denzel the good guy or the lover. How many of our finest in blue or under cover are corrupt?... makes you wonder, watch the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie
Review: I liked this movie. My dad bought it for me when I first got home from school.
Rating:
Summary: Scary!!!
Review: This movie scared me to death! Mostly because there are people who actually live this way. I found it so realistic, I practically held my breath through the whole film. I loved it.
|
