Training Day

Rating:
Summary: When cops steal your stuff, it's called a "perk"
Review: Finally a big movie shows cops doing what cops do most gleefully: taking citizens' stuff. I do not mean to suggest that Training Day is some sort of mockumentary -- far from it -- but it shows why forfeiture is one of the meanest, most corrupting weapons in cops' arsenal, subject exclusively to their rarely questioned discretion. Next time there's a big bust you'll ponder for a microsecond what else the cops took besides drugs and, if we still believe in "innocent until proven guilty," why they should have it. As insidious as this practice is, Training Day is not simply a good cop/bad cop story. Where both characters' external motivations end and their individual ethics begin is a tasty question for the viewer to chew on.

Denzel, as always, delivers a thrilling performance, and imbues with credulity a role that might have been as laughable as Bulworth in the hands of a less capable actor. Ethan Hawke plays his role better than expected, standing up admirably to his co-star's presence.

For a "day in the life" story, the film is very cohesive, though it cannot escape that style's inevitable paucity of layered meaning. Nevertheless, this movie gives more incisive insight into the failed war on drugs than, say, Traffic, and it packs far more entertainment punch. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Training Day
Review: This was one of the worst Denzel films I have ever seen. I expected something amazing (after all he did win an oscar for the role) . This film does not compared to the other great work he has done (Malcom X, Devil in a Blue Dress, The Bone Collector). I feel sorry that of all the roles Mr. Washington has played this is the one which Hollywood most appreciates.It is the typical Hollywood portrayal of Black men. Negative.

Rating:
Summary: Oscar winning performances in an oscar winning movie
Review: When you are watching a movie, the most important thing is good acting.Training Day has great acting.Denzel Washington gives a oscar winning performance, and Ethan Hawke gives a oscar nominated performance.

Though it has Violence, Language, Drug use, and Nudity, "Training Day" is an amazing movie that should have been nominated for best picture.

If you want to have a good time, and see Denzel Washington in a completely way (but still amazing) go see Training Day

Rating:
Summary: "KING KONG AINT GOT ... ON ME!"
Review: You [darn] right he doesn't!

This is without a doubt the best movie I have ever seen.I can't watch it enough.Denzel winning an oscar for best actor came as no suprise whatsoever and i feel that Ethan Hawke should be expecting a flury of scripts headed his way after a very impressive contribution.

Im not going to sit here and babble on about how entertaining and even terryfying some of the scenes are in this film because that's just going to spoil all the unexpected turns and suprises that the movie provides. JUST BUY IT! And when your eventually done with it and can think and talk properly again,just stick it on the shelf with The Godfather, Dirty Harry and Donnie Brasco.

Antoine, Denzel and Ethan TAKE A BOW!

Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST COP MOVIES OUT THERE
Review: I am not a big fan of cop movies but this one held my attention from start to finish.Everything that everyone has been saying about Denzels' performance is true---he was truly amazing.He was SCARY,one bad ...!!!!Ethan Hawke was very good,also,and the director did a stellar job of evoking the eerie ambience of LA's mean streets.Denzel has put to rest,now and forever,any lingering questions about his so-called limited range as an actor.Clearly,Denzel Washington not only transcended any imagined limits but,through the animal fury of Alonzo Harris,he OBLITERATED them.

Rating:
Summary: the coincidence
Review: The "coincidence" scene late in the film, which turned off a number of viewers (something which the director comments on in his commentary) happens to be my favorite scene in the whole film. The point of the film seems to be that the "thugs" an earlier poster decried have more of a sense of honor than the corrupt police, and it rewards the "good" cop played by Hawke, who, dimwit that he is, put himself into harms way to help someone even tho he didnt have to. Fuqua is trying to show that
the people who live close to the street are not amoral savages
but people with good in them who do recognize good in others. It doesnt make anarchic syndicalism any less hellish of a social system to my "law and order" sensibilities but I accept his point, and IMHO the actors pull it off. The scene I cant stand is the one where Denzel is shooting his gun sideways, like hes Chow Yun Fat. Its supposed to show how bad*** his character is but to me its the most unforgivably unrealistic moment in the show (I also have my doubts about Ethan walking off with all that money but hey he did have a gun). As far as Denzels performance... fantastic! From line delivery to facial expressions and ticks he is flawless.

Rating:
Summary: men who run with the "wolves"
Review: In the film TRAINING DAY Denzel Washington's character, Alonzo, tells his rookie trainee, Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) that on the streets, you're either a wolf or a sheep. For Alonzo the streets are a game, and you've got to play it as a wolf if you're going to survive. Alonzo is a rogue cop turned-almost-thug who shows Hoyt his own "training" methods for becoming a narc or undercover cop.

This rookie's "training day" is full of many unexpected turns and twists. Alonzo is testing Hoyt's loyalty and nerves as he puts him in one very perilous situation after another. Alonzo doesn't play cop by the book at all as events unfold.

This is a very gritty and realistic drama set against some of LA's most dangerous neighborhoods. The director Antoine Fuqua grew up in the gangland culture, and this film is his way of showing young people there that you can make a life for yourself beyond gangs and violence. He had the cooperation of real-life gang members, as the film's locations were set in their streets. Fuqua doesn't glamorize the gang life, nor does he condemn or judge it. He simply shows it as it is, which is the film's greatest asset.

Denzel Washington's and Ethan Hawke's performances are equally strong and compelling. Ethan Hawke should have been nominated for a Best Actor nomination, along with Denzel. A couple of the Best Actor nods were ridiculous this year, but I'm not going to say whose. Too bad the director didn't get a nomination as well, as this film offered a more realistic picture of modern American life than say IN THE BEDROOM, which was a good movie, but nowhere near as convincing and powerful as TRAINING DAY.

Very very highly recommended for its acting, screenplay and direction.

A POWERFUL STORY!

Rating:
Summary: Action, Drama, Versatility, Streety, Powerful...MUST SEE!
Review: Training Day stars Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Macy Gray. This powerful action packed drama will keep you at ATTENTION! Rookie Cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) is teamed up with Undercover Narc Alonzo Harris (Denzel) who is logically charismatic, yet criminally insane. In 24 hours Alonzo will train the rookie opposite from everything the police academy taught him. At times the rookie has to wonder what side of the law they are really on. This movie may give you a new opinion on street justice.

I am a huge fan of Denzel Washington, but I waited until he won THE "Award" before I watched this movie. I didn't want to see his clean image and past portrayals over shadowed by this seemingly negative character he played in Training Day. How wrong was I? I was dead wrong. Denzel showed an acting ability that needed to be exposed. He probably has opened the flood gates to all sorts of future movie script offers. Kudos to the entire cast!

Rating:
Summary: Oh, come on!!
Review: First, let me say that Denzel Washington puts in a good performance. It's not an academy award performace, but it's good. And it's not his fault. The character is written to be a one dimensional thug, and that's Denzel plays. He's the typical bent cop that turns up in movie after movie. Ethan Hawke's character is a far more challenging role, and he also plays him well.

The real problem with the movie is the ludicrous plot. The movie consists of one ridiculous and incredible scene after another. You'll find yourself muttering "oh, come on!" time and again, especially toward the end of the movie when the story dispenses with what little credibility it ever had to begin with.

...

Rating:
Summary: Denzel Washington's Best On-screen Performance Yet!
Review: As great an actor as Denzel Washington is, I had honestly grown a bit tired of all of his "goodie-two-shoes" roles, the most recent being "Remember the Titans" and "The Hurricane." His performance in "Training Day," however, has given me newfound respect for him as an actor unafraid to stretch himself beyong his usual (i.e. type-cast) artistic boundaries. Not only does he play "the bad guy" in this powerful L.A. crime drama, but he milks its for all its worth - and makes it look easy! His Alonzo Harris would make Dirty Harry look like Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show." His winning the Best Actor Oscar at the 74th Annual Academy Awards on March 24 for this role was well-deserved. This performance makes "The Hurricane" look like a cool summer breeze by comparison. He is without a doubt the BEST actor of his generation.

Ethan Hawke was equally exceptional. Any young actor who can hold his own with the likes of Washington in a film like this deserves recognition. His performance shows that he has a long and stellar career (and more Oscar nominations) ahead of him.

"Training Day" is a blisteringly brilliant depiction of a rookie cop's one-day "education" on the L.A. narcotics beat from a veteran and self-proclaimed "wolf among wolves." It will slap you across the chops with its intensity, made all the more potent by two powerhouse performances that will stay in your mind long after the closing credits.