Rating: 
Summary: A BORING waste of time film
Review: Ethan Hawke was good, and Denzel was OK, but he certainly didn't deserve the oscar, let alone a nomination. During the course of this disturbingly boring and dull film we rented, I found myself volunteering to get up and do chores rather than waste two hours of my life away watching it. Don't make the same mistake I did, just skip this one. You aren't missing much.
Rating: 
Summary: Training Day
Review: You HAVE to see this movie! It's one of the best movies of the year. This is actually one of the only movies that I can tolerate Denzel Washington in (the other being The Hurricane). I was surprised at how great this film is considering all of the so-so to bad reviews that I read about it. This film is a refreshing break from all the dramas out there and that were in the Oscar race this year like A Beautiful Mind and In The Bedroom (both of them were excellent but Training Day was a sigh of relief). Denzel's acting as a evil narcotics cop was surpassed me expectations. He delivered his evilness without a glance, as if he were naturally like that, which is every actor's goal. He was entirely believable in every aspect throughout the whole movie. Ethan Hawke was his co-star in the movie (another acting job that surprised people at how good he is and definitely deserved the Oscar nod). Hawke and Washington sort of acted off each other and did it well since their chemistry is great. When Washington accepted his Oscar at the awards show last month, I think everybody realized how many times he really should have been up there. That Oscar went to him for Training Day especially, but also for the awards he didn't win for (just to name a few) The Hurricane, Malcolm X, and others. If you're still not sure if you should see this movie, see it because you will like it and you will be surprised at how much you love and hate Denzel's character at the same time. Plus, you can see some cameos from Macy Gray and Snoop Dogg
Rating: 
Summary: Don't miss out this movie!
Review: I didn't though that Training Day was going to be this good. This movie has lots of action to keep you on your seat pretty entertained during the whole movie.
Rating:
Summary: "I'm The Zig Zag Man"
Review: I love this movie because it takes the overdone, Stereo-typical, Police Buddy Movie and turns it inside out. I think that Denzel's work here is absolutely spellbinding and Mr. Hawkes' performance outstanding. Incredibly tight editing makes this movie zip along at a breakneck pace and you feel that it all happens in a day. The script is "in you face" but strangely subtle and it will take at least two viewings to see that everything is revealed about Denzel's character through what he says but the non-street wise Ethan can't see it . Ethan's talent shines because he makes you believe what his character, however reluctantly, wants to believe ... that these methods may just be "how you fight crime in the real world". The choice of Denzel Washington was brillant. His entire body of work lets you accept the things he does because he's Denzel and he a nice Guy. Denzel deserved the Oscar for this one!! As much as I loved the movie I didn't give it 5 stars because I feel the end of the movie suffers from certain allowances made for Ethan Hawkes' character; perhaps it was done for the sake of his "celebrity" or the fact that Hollywood deems it necessary to have a hero in all it's movies and, of course, that hero must win in some way, shape or fashion. If there is anything that will keep this movie from being considered a great Classic like "Pulp Fiction" or "Memento" it's the refusal to let the "Bad Guy" win. I'm not saying I want the bad guy to win but it became forced and contrived which lowered (IMHO) it to a "B" movie. Especially when his real comuppence is already foreshadowed throughout the movie. For those who don't like this I understand because Denzel has never played such a thoroughly dispicable character before and some people can't accept "John Wayne" as anything else. Then there are those who feel that since it shows police as being out of control and that's just to unbelieveable for some. I can only say that this story was surely inspired from recent LAPD events that revealed there were Cops involved in some pretty astounding crimes... From Bank robbery to the assination of "Biggy Smalls".
Rating:
Summary: Gritty!
Review: Training Day was a gritty, urban movie that was unpredictable. I an avid lover of Denzel and his movies have to admit that I was always looking for the best in him and didn't want to believe that he was a corrupt cop. I totally agree with all the deleted scenes (as found on the dvd). The alternate ending was weird. I recommend this movie for those of you would like to see Denzel in a totally different kind of role.
Rating:
Summary: leaves you with a sense of awe
Review: this movie had my mind reeling for days after watching it. It leaves you with a complete sense of awe at the power and manipulation that goes on when someone wants to fit in so badly. the corruption comes though brillantly. great acting and direction.
Rating:
Summary: overrated junk
Review: After Denzel won his Oscar, I rented this expecting a great performance in a great film. I got neither. The film was utterly mediocre and, frankly, boring. Not because there wasn't any action, but because none of the actors gave me any reason to care about the characters. And all Denzel should have gotten was an Oscar for Best Shameless Scenery Chewing by a Lead Actor. This movie, and Denzel Washington's performance in it, are absolute proof that the Oscars are blatantly political and have nothing to do with the actual quality of any given performance.
Rating:
Summary: Great Performances! Disturbing! Very Disturbing!
Review: Training Day was not one of Denzel's best films but he more than earned his Oscar just spanning his career he should've got it for Hurricane and Malcolm X ... Anyway lot of folks out there think it wrongfully depicts cops as basically corrupt, anti-social, authoritarian parasites and really I've met many of those types in my very bad habit of driving while black but there are good cops out there and they are the norm. This movie was very disturbing in the sense that people in a position of power and authority will more than likely abuse it and shamefully at that I mean police officers are human beings and given power and authority on certain levels can turn anybody into a sociopathic monster. It's just terrifying to watch a character on screen that was so twisted morally and basically evil. I was reminded of the pimp in Taxi Driver and for some strange reason that crazy guy who hardly said a word in Fargo.
Rating:
Summary: outstanding performance by Denzel Washington!!!
Review: With a great performance by Denzel Washington this movie will catch your attention since the first minute to the last one. Is an action thriller about a young L.A.P.D. officer -Jake Hoyt- (Ethan Hawke) who wants to move to the narc division. In his first day, his training day, he is going to be tested by the twisted leader of a narc squad Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington). Hoyt will learn "techinques" and "procedures" not included in the procedure manual and will be challenged by Harris to play his dangerous game.
The cast includes music stars Dr. Dre, Macy Gray and Snoop Dogg.
You'll see why Washington won the Oscar for this movie. You'll love him. He was fantastic, explosive, funny and hard. There's no doubt Denzel can perform any character he's asked to.
Rating:
Summary: Where is Internal Affairs When You Need Them
Review: The only reason this movie even merits 1 star is because I have consistently enjoyed movies featuring Ethan Hawke and Denzel Washington. Without reservations, I believe Washington should have won major awards for "The Hurricane" and he should have, garnered nominations, if not awards, for "The Bone Collector". The major problems with "Training Day":
(1) Hawke wants to clean the streets of drugs, so of course he is going to smoke or ingest every drug his new boss hands him. The notion of taking drugs at all, let alone the first day on the job, would have been antithetical to the character. However, he smoked and injested as reccomended. Why didn't Hawke just get out of the car and go the hell home?
(2) Upon meeting the demons he was to work with, who threatened him, berated him, pointed weapons at him during the introduction, why would Hawke's character have hung around? He could have gone to work for Tony Soprano; he would have had better pay, a friendlier working environment and a higher odds of survival had he moved to New Jersey.
(3) I'd sooner swallow "Jeepers Creepers" than "Training Day". Even worse, I would compare "The Ghosts of Mars" as the wide-screen equivelent to "60 Minutes" before I'd believe "Training...'. I like movies that make some sort of sense (even a twisted sense.)
(4) In the fine "Requiem for a Dream" even white characters characters became lost in a world centered on drugs. This movie out black-ploitation-ed any projects that Richard Roundtree or a young Pam Grier were ever offerred. In addition, redneck Skin-Heads or KKK-ers have further 'Proof' that whites should kill or escort ethnic groups out of the US borders. If there is one thing the world needs, it is the invitation to hate encouraged in "Training...".
(5) Speaking of over-the-top, the only Oscar winning performance that can even compare to Washington's win-crime is the dreadful Al Pacino's boring, shrill, tiresome "Scent of a Woman". I guess the Academy thought it owed these guys best actor nods for bringing in the bucks. Washington's character was a departure for him. But the win is also a pat on the back approval by Academy Awarders for violence and for continuation of a stereotype. I love movie violence as much as the next person, however the characters in this movie would stroked out or had heart attacks long before the movie started were they as evil as characterized. "Training Day" would work better as a video game.
(6) Why did that card-playing scene last so long? As if the viewer needed any further clarification that minorities are violent and hateful and drug ridden and basically, dumb, but street smart.
(7) Departure from characterization will probably be great for Washington's career. However, as the departure was so extreme, I will be a little more guarded about going to see further Washington films. Michael Douglas can play pot-smoking college professors, concerned citizens, or ruthless, unethical power brokers. From this movie, Washington's departure should have been discouraged until better written, stronger co-stars and a more interesting -less stereotypical character was written.
(8) At least during another film I disliked, "In the Bedroom", I was able to get at least an hour of refreshing sleep. Every time I drifted off in "Training Year" (oh, sorry; that was only supposed to be a "..Day" wasnt it?)...the film got really noisy or a snippet of the dreadful dialogued wrenched me from slumber.<...the films of 2001 which were pretty...dare I say it?...LOUSY.
|
