Rating: 
Summary: DENZEL WASHINGTON AND ETHAN HAWKE WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD!
Review: This is a crisp, action thriller that focuses on one day, the training day of rookie narcotics undercover cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke). Jake is to be trained by veteren narcotics squad supervisor Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington). Almost immediately, the viewer discerns that Jake's training day will be unlike any other day he has ever had. Alonzo is an unbelievably corrupt cop, a once good cop who has lost his way. He now corrupts those cops who come under his command, all for one and one for all. Jake, the newcomer to the group, still innocent and wide eyed about his reasons for being a cop, will be a test of Alonzo's ability to corrupt the seemingly incorruptible. A series of trials and tribulations await Jake that day, situations that in his wildest imagination he could never have envisioned, all of them fiendishly and cleverly engineered by Alonzo. All of them insidious. All of them criminal. The only question is whether good will overcome evil. Denzel Washington gives a performance of a lifetime and is certainly worthy of his Academy Award for Best Actor. He is at once both repelling and ingratiating as the character Alonzo Harris. His performance is charismatic, commanding, compelling, and completely mesmerizing as the narcotics commanding officer who has gone over the deep end and crossed a line that, once crossed, is final. Alonzo rules his territory and those within it with an iron hand, misjudging fear for respect. Murder and mayhem are the key words of his reign. He also seems to report to a trumvirate of corrupt police officials whom he refers to as the wisemen. Unfortunately for Alonzo, he has come to believe his own hype and bites off more than he can chew, ultimately pissing off the wrong people. Ethan Hawke gives his best performance ever, imbuing Jake with a vulnerability and innocence that is believable and compelling, making Jake's struggle with his situation all the more angst ridden. It is a balance of the desire to succeed and get ahead with the instinctive knowledge of right and wrong. The viewer sees Jake going along with Alonzo at first, wanting to please his superior officer, even when some of the things Alonzo asks him to do are not only transgressions of police procedure, but violations of the very laws that they are employed as police to enforce. As Alonzo inveigles Jake to cross the line, the viewer can see the struggle within Jake take place, as shock gives way to a struggle for his very survival. The only question is whether Jake's better nature will ultimately allow him to do what he believes to be right. Ethan Hawke's a performance is certainly worthy of its Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. This is a gripping film, with a fair amount of violence. Wonderful performances are also given by Scott Glenn, a drug lord whose dream of retiring to the Phillipines is cut short, as well as by Macy Gray, who is sensational in the role of another drug lord's wife. While some of the film is over the top, it is a film that will not fail to entertain and engage the viewer. The DVD is loaded with extras, providing a feature length adio commentary by director Antoine Fuqua, additional scenes, an alternate ending, two music videos, as well as a behind the scenes documentary. The picture and audio are both crystal clear. It is a first rate DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Hawke earns his stripes in a solid cop drama
Review: "Training Day," directed by Antoine Fuqua, is a police/crime dram that takes place in a single day on the mean streets of urban America. But the "one day" motif is not a gimmick: this aspect of the film succeeds perfectly. Denzel Washington plays a veteran cop who has himself become a criminal offender, and Ethan Hawke is the impressionable young cop whom Washington's character seeks to corrupt. Thus, "Day" is something of a modern-day morality fable. Both Washington and Hawke have earned praise for their roles, and they do make a compelling screen duo. Washington creates a character who is truly vile and hateable, but I found his performance a bit stagy at times -- it had too much of a self-conscious "Look, Ma, I'm acting!" feel. I thought that Hawke actually gave the far stronger performance, but this may be because ultimately his character has a far more interesting developmental arc than that of Washington's. The two get solid backup from an eclectic supporting cast; I was particularly impressed by Snoop Dogg as a small-time criminal. "Day" is a suspenseful, gripping film helmed with real power by Fuqua. There is a genuinely ominous, threatening feel to many scenes. While the film succeeds totally as a crime thriller, however, I felt like it could have been more; it raises serious issues about crime, justice, power, and morality without, I felt, offering any new insights. Still, skillful direction and powerful performances make it well worth one's while to get some "Training."
Rating: 
Summary: It's hard to believe...
Review: ...that this film received anything other than a Turkey of the Year Award, much less the Oscar nominations. Between the offensive black stereotype portrayals, the blatant gaping plotholes, and the outrageously unrealistic action climax this was the worst film I saw in 2001. It's nice that Denzel got recognized for his rich acting career, but this wasn't the film to award and is ironic that it is his most one-dimensional stereotypical role.
Rating: 
Summary: A little B & D anyone?
Review: It probably says a lot in favor of this movie that I have to struggle to think of another one to compare it to. ("Internal Affairs" is too Hollywood in its formulaic approach to the subject; "The Bad Lieutenant" is pretentious, maudlin, and...well...just plain gross.) The dynamic performances of Washington and Hawke keep this potentially problematic script on track, fueled by a an intriguing and ever-escalating amount of sadomasochism. The stunning (and admirable) thing about Washington's portrayal of a corrupt cop is that every evil action he takes has a clear motive (not always immediately apparent, but there nonetheless). He's focused and intentional. On one level this seems to be a very sensible response to the chaos that permeates the "mean streets." He's in control and knows it. Conversely, Hawke's goodness is not mere youthful innocence. He's ambitious and eager to prove himself. As great as Washington's performance was, I think Hawke had the harder task. He must constantly react to every move Washington makes. His brain is always working as he waits for the other shoe to drop. As much as I enjoyed his Hamlet, his work in "Training Day" is genuinely mature work. Ethan has arrived. So, if I had to make a comparison, I think the movie "Training Day" most reminds me of is the dark comedy/thriller "The Last Seduction"...with Hawke playing the hapless Peter Berg role opposite Washington's masculine version of Linda Fiorentino. And like the Berg and Fiorentio relationship, the stars of "Training Day" seem connected by a cold and volatile eroticism. S & M and B & D are essentially sexual games after all. Antoine Fuqua's commentary is among the most thoughtful and informative I've heard from any director.
Rating:
Summary: Training Day Shows that Hollywood can still get it right
Review: This was a kick [buttox], gritty, dark, well acted movie. Denzel gave the performance of his career, (plus he finally won a best actor oscar) while Hawke finally got to show people how under-rated an actor he really is, in a perfect role for him. The only minor problems were a few scenes at the end, where the writing could have been a little bit tighter, instead of dissolving into more of a typical action flick... but other than that, TD was one of the best films of 2001. Hopefully, Denzel can win another oscar for John Q, and keep making good movies.
Rating: 
Summary: Wake me up when it's over
Review: I'm very pleased that I only RENTED this movie. Why this was worth an Oscar is a mystery to me. As the DVD doesn't contain any "extras" disregarding the usual trailers stuff, this really isn't a Collectors DVD. The movie never gets around to a motive for the actions. There is ths good guy and this bad guys. The good guy could have gone away from the bad guy many times before the action really starts. But why the good guy stays around the bad guy seems a real mystery. Why the bad guy is a bad guy is obviously not interesting as we never even get a hint why someone becomes corrupt and crazy as Denzel plays. The actors are fine (not great) - I have a problem with the story line. It's clear that lots and lots of background scenes have been cut out leaving you with an empty feeling and not really enganged in the movie as it runs. If you don't believe me - rent it first - it's not worth owning.
Rating:
Summary: dull
Review: Tediously written and dialogue heavy. It would have been better as a play than a movie, with so much dialogue. And Ethan Hawke is really miscast...he's frail and pale and totally unbelievable as an L.A.P.D. cop. Denzel Washington's performance is contrived. He's not believable as a hard manipulator. I know he won the Oscar. But I still think his performance falls short.
Rating:
Summary: training day
Review: what a stupid movie. Hawke can't act, Denzel does his best A-hole, and all with a plot that any rookie cop could shoot holes though.I meen COME ON if hawke didn't know know that he was being set up in the first five minutes he deserves to get busted.it sure show's the poor taste of the oscars that they gave Denzel an award for his worst preformance yet.
Rating:
Summary: Washington's best work
Review: Training Day is a stunning drama about the mean streets of L.A. Officer Hoyt (Hawke) is a young eager cop who joins the elite narc division in hopes of one day becoming detective. His "training" officer is Harris (Washington), a street savvy cop. The movie takes place in one entire day and as the day goes on, Hoyt begins to see that Harris is a different breed of cop. He gets the crooks allright, but he bends the rules and more than often crosses the line.
This role is a departure from Washington's clean cut good guy image. Washington's character is a twisted, shrewd, and manipulative cop. There are also cameo performances from Dr.Dre and Snoop Dog. In my opinion, this movie was about LAPD's infamous Rampart division.
Rating:
Summary: Stare into the abyss, and the abyss stares into you
Review: The best Bad Guys are the ones who we in love with. They have a magnetic attraction to them, a mysterious air that always keeps us intrigued. We want to be with them, want to be like them. Denzel Washington knows this. His character seduces Ethan Hawke so slowly, with such charm and street-smart grace that by the time the Bad Guys have crossed "the Line", you can no longer tell right from wrong. You wonder if maybe you crossed that line 30 minutes ago and didn't realize it. Hawke plays a rookie cop who is assigned to an elite narcotics squad of the LAPD, and Washington is the head of that squad, the cop who will train the new guy. Hawke has one day to make it or break it. The film is about that day. Hawke being the rookie that he is, is a straight-arrow that wants to arrest every offender he sees. Washington is the old timer with patience, who basically holds the new guy back - don't catch the little fish if they can lead you to the big ones. Their relationship develops in a beatiful combination of police action scenes and wonderfully written dialog. From the first moment, you are wondering if Denzel isn't a bad cop, but by the time you know for sure - Pow! - he's got you. What makes this film even more entertaining is that it is so obviously accurate and realistic, it makes "Boys in the Hood" look like fantasy. If you don't like foul language, this isn't your kind of movie. The locations are real LA ghettos, the people are real Crypts and Bloods. Director Antoine Fuqua has many friends who are undercover narcotics agents, and thus has brought that knowledge to the film with intense authority. Denzel and Hawke also add outstanding performances which remind me that human nature is basic and universal to many people in many situations. Even the extras in this film stare through the camera into the audience's soul, watching for any sign of weakness. The DVD is excellent, a good transfer in both visual and audio quality, and with some standard, average extras. The "making of" documentary is short but comprehesive, and doesn't try to sell the film like some bad HBO special. The audio commentary by the director was my favorite, as he describes just how much in this film is the real circumstance for undercover cops. Nothing "Hollywood" here.
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