Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely the Best performance!
Review: Denzel's and Ethan's performances are absolutely perfect in this movie! Absolutely thrilling! Everything fits together perfectly; no gaps...a must see
Rating:
Summary: Denzel Does it Again!
Review: Denzel has done it again! I was totally floored with the story line, but as usual, his acting is impeccable! If you like action and suspense...and what to see a little realism on the screen...this is most definately a must see!
Rating:
Summary: excellent acting!!!
Review: now i know why denzel is one of my favorite actors. hes like a camillian. hes the tupac of acting. even pac was a good actor. a movie with denzel and pac would have been one of the best movies ever created. this movie was a solid piece of urban drama. u get into the lives of two police officers. one very experienced and knowledgeable,and one very nieve and inexperienced. denzel is the defenition af bad a** in this movie. i mean he's buckin at people,cursin,smokin bud,drinkin. hes off tha chain in this. go see this if its still in your thaters. im coppin this as soon as it gets to dvd.
Rating: 
Summary: Washington's "training day" as the bad guy is stunning.
Review: Underneath the warped, vicious ideals held by the main character of "Training Day," there lies a film that is cooly calculated, sinister and intense, and works its audience in ways no other movie has. It's main attraction, no doubt, is the casting of Denzel Washington against type (a tactic that is strikingly impressive), but the movie has the brains, the audacity, and the guts to be more than just a star vehicle with a shocking twist in the casting department. It begins in a mediocre manner, introducing us to rookie cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke), who is anxious to become a narcotics officer to create a better life for his family. This would partially explain his willingness to stick with detective Alonzo Harris (Washington), whose unethical use of his status as a law officer, and his brutal embracement of street justice, make him more than just a force to be reckoned with. As the story progresses, it begins to resonate into a much more interesting piece of work. Jake's exposure to Alonzo's ethics takes a toll on his subconscious: Alonzo believes everything from indulging in illegal substances to hiring informants who also happen to be dealers... anything to excel as a narcotics officer. His brutality with several offenders of the law (or is it his own law?) serves to unnerve us as we watch the daily events of his life unfold in such a forceful manner. The appeal of the film largely depends on your ability to stomach its various messages, some realistic, others unbelievable. Alonzo believes that in order to attain the trust of your team, you must have a tainted history; much of his beliefs stem from his ideal that if you don't possess a high degree of intimidation, then the streets will kill you. These beliefs pose the audience a very blunt, beckoning question: is it mere movie fantasy, or a wake-up call to reality? That is what makes "Training Day" a remarkable film. It poses this question to us in a straightforward manner, without reserve. Los Angeles is shown in a gritty, hardcore style that is unrelenting in its violent undertones, and shaking in its realistic appearance. The conclusion, a cat-and-mouse chase with some delectable psychological warfare between Jake and Alonzo, abandons the film's ideas rather than offering any easy solution to them, yet manages to create a monumental amount of suspense while not influencing our own decisions about the morals of its characters. The film's cast is its strongest attribute, featuring two stellar performances from Hawke and Washington. Hawke portrays Jake's confusion and question of reality with supreme believability; in effect, his character's disbelief at the events surrounding him rubs off on us. It is Washington's character that keeps this movie at such a feverpitch. Alonzo is easily one of the most complex characters of the year: his intelligence and street smarts are absolutely spellbinding at times, yet when used to propogate his idea of justice, they become chilling. Despite a slow beginning, "Training Day" is an effective drama that provokes thought and discussion. The film's morals are questionable, but that only serves to make one think harder about them. Much will be made of Washington's losing his halo, as well as the corrupt ideals his character follows, but those looking for something different will find this a remarkable turn-around for the actor, who proves his ability as a versatile performer.
Rating:
Summary: Good Cop, Bad Cop
Review: What can be said about "Training Day"? Most people have sufficiently summarized what to expect from chief star Denzel Washington and many an adjective has already been applied to his performance. Breathtaking, mesmerizing, compelling, gripping, riveting, stellar, tour-de-force - you name it, it's been said. Washington does indeed take center stage and is deserving of all praise he has garnered, but who receives less than his share of accolades is Ethan Hawke. Denzel's skills are not to be denied but his co-star is also one in a million and I'm going to lend a little hype to the scale of his performance right now - powerful, persuasive, outstanding, engrossing, intense. There, that should even it out a bit - now onto other things. When David Ayer penned the script for "Training Day", countless studios rejected his raw story, concluding that the material was too abrasive and would cause a lot of hard feelings, particularly with members of the Los Angeles Police Department. But when the Rampart scandal came to a head and a lawsuit was filed against the city, Ayer had but to blink and lucrative offers started coming his way. His screenplay ended up in the hands of Antoine Fuqua, a fledgling director who so far has only helmed three major motion pictures and directed several music videos and commercials. The finished product very much feels like a rap video on mescaline (the hip-hop soundtrack only adds to the flavor) but the tone is more than ominous and Ayers tells a hell of a story. His premise is as follows: a young beat cop named Jake Hoyt has just been assigned to the narcotics division and will have only day of training to determine whether he is capable of creating a drug-free America. The person assessing his legal dexterity is partner Alonzo Harris, a crooked cop determined to harden Jake's soft shell for inner-city crime. In only the first half of the day, Alonzo has Jake smoking pot, swigging beers, prowling neighborhoods swarming with gang members and witnessing a departmental conspiracy. Even Alonzo's personality is wildly erratic - he is abrasive and forceful one minute, good-humored and introspective the next. He is an enigma to the facade of justice and as the hours slug by, Jake sadly becomes a victim of moral ambiguity. Hawke's character is a more conscientious prototype for real-life whistleblower Russell Poole, a former detective with the robbery/homicide division who filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles and LAPD Chief Bernard Parks (...). Hawke plays the valiant blue-collar man effortlessly, his good looks and light approach making his character authentic. I imagine he has probably exhausted himself of the typical angst-ridden male role; playing Jake gives him a chance to show some chops and he holds his own alongside the thunderous Washington. Denzel seems to be a darker and more sinister portrait of LAPD officer Rafael Perez - of course, Ayer has written it so that Alonzo's personality and actions encompass each traitorous officer and their respective debauchery (narcotics, framing innocent people, etc.). This invests his character with so many inscrutable qualities that the shock value is that much greater when his modus operandi is exposed. "Training Day" is, surprisingly, not without a sense of irony - renowned hip-hop artists Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg make significant appearances during the film. Both are former members of Death Row Records, a label which they skidaddled from in 1996 shortly before CEO Marion "Suge" Knight was incarcerated. Knight and his unstable organization (dangerously close to the definition of organized crime) played a significant role in the Rampart scandal and the company is also rumored to be party to the murder of East Coast rapper Biggie Smalls (a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G.). In all, "Training Day" presents an impeccably stark picture of the demons hiding behind the trustworthy pretense of a badge. It will solidify the reality that just as there are good cops on the beat everyday, there are also the bad cops who perpetuate the need for the phrase "to protect and serve".
Rating:
Summary: Looove Denzel Washington
Review: A scary depiction of what may be happening in the police departments across the country. Although, this movie does not suggest that police officers and detectives actually behave in such a rogue manner, one can't help but wonder. Denzel Washington is an extroadinary actor. He is totally convincing as a rogue cop. Once, again, Denzel proves that he is a versatile actor. This is a role unlike any he has ever portrayed. He has always been my favorite actor. The movie is exciting, suspenseful, and amusing (at times). Antoine Fuqua has done a wonderful job directing "Training Day". It is a movie well worth the price of the ticket.
Rating:
Summary: Reality Bites
Review: Denzel Washington should be a lock for at least an Academy Award nomination as best actor in 2001 for his totally heartfelt, violent and over the top performance as a corrupt Los Angeles police narcotics officer. It's obvious that the LAPD is less than thrilled with this movie which is an amalgam of all the scandals which have rocked the department; i.e. Rodney King, 'Ramparts' for starters. Despite the potential difficulty in putting together a coherent tale the director has done his job with a film which holds the viewers' interest from the rising sun to the final scene early the next day. The supporting cast is outstanding with Ethan Hawke, Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre, Scott Glenn and others providing excellent back up to Denzel as he glides through one day and night in the life of an LA narcotics officer. Seeing this film twice let me appreciate all the more how well acted is the role played by Denzel. He is philosophical, violent, humorous, practical, political and, at all times, wise to the ways of the street. Ethan Hawke is marvelous as his 'rookie'and meshes very well with his more senior counterpart, Denzel Washington. The only reason Denzel may not receive the major kudos he deserves for this role is that in today's hyper-patriotic, support the law enforcement climate, this downbeat look at the cops may not be deemed politically correct even as it is spot on.
Rating:
Summary: It ain't Colors (but it's close)
Review: Training Day (Antione Fuqua, 2001) Fuqua, who has directed scores of music videos and
made his big-screen debut with the impressive Chow
Yun-Fat vehicle The Replacement Killers (1998), offers
up his most recent flick, Training Day. The movie
takes us through the first day on the undercover
narcotics squad of LAPD officer Jake Hoyt (Ethan
Hawke), who's riding along with the head of the unit,
Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington). It doesn't take too
long before Hoyt realizes that the life of an
undercover officer ain't what gets taught at the
police academy. As should be obvious, comparisons to Dennis Hopper's
brilliant 1988 film _Colors_ are inevitable, and
they're warranted. Screenwriter David Ayer (U-571, The
Fast and the Furious) had to realize while writing
this that the comparisons were going to happen, and
there are few films, especially cop films, that won't
suffer in comparison. Ayer uses the one-day timeframe
as one of the differences between the two films; he
also adds a couple of subplots, some that work, some
that don't. But like _Colors_, the true basis of the
film is an exploration of the personalities of the two
main characters, how they conflict, and how the older
cop (Washington, in this case, playing the same role
Robert Duvall did in the earlier movie) has to combine
the wisdom of the law officer with the street
sensibility of the thug in order to survive from day
to day, much less actually get anything done. While Hawke and Washington don't have the same
chemistry as Duvall and Penn, Training Day doesn't hit
you over the head with its plot quite as hard as
Colors did. It also avoids the morality-tale mentality
until the last twenty minutes or so of the film (one
wonders, idly, if the film had a different ending
originally and got a re-shoot after test-marketing).
Alonzo Harris is a bad guy, pure and simple (and it's
refreshing to see Denzel Washington play someone who's
not squeaky-clean), but that doesn't make him any less
competent at his job, or any less believable when
dispensing various bits of homily on how to survive as
an undercover narcotics officer. It also makes the
first portion of the film's climax (surprisingly long
and surprisingly interest-holding) that much more
unexpected when it finally does occur. And herein, actually, is the one place the film really
screws up. Training Day's climax opens with one hell
of a large coincidence which could have been derailed
at any one of a number of places along the way, and
some of the characters in the film have to slip out of
character at times in order for the coincidence to
take shape (note that this is unnoticeable until the
event in question happens, but it leaves a slightly
sour aftertaste). A little rewriting earlier in the
film might have solved this problem. One last note of comparison between the two is in the
uniformly high quality of the supporting casts in both
films. In Training Day, Fuqua gives us a number of
folks who are starting to pop up in a lot of
supporting roles these days, from the surprisingly
talented Snoop Dogg to the big-screen debut of Macy
Gray (with better hair than usual, and thus
unrecognizable). Special attention should be paid to
Eva Mendes as Denzel's main squeeze and Cliff Curtis
(last seen by a wide audience torturing Mark Wahlberg
in Three Kings) as one of his top informants. Curtis,
especially, is on his way up in the world, and fast. Overall, there are enough errors in Training Day to
still make Colors the better film, but this was one
fine shot at the title. After viewing, let it sink in
for a while, as its full measure takes a while and
some reflection to settle in. ****
Rating:
Summary: A "Training Day" for Experts
Review: "Training Day" is an example of a real life movie. It gets into the life of a corrupt DEA detective played by Denzel Washington, and the training of a new cop (Ethan Hawke). The movie takes place in one day when a lot of events take place. People are hated, busted, and killed. (...) Denzel delivers an oscar performance bringing out the corrupt and optimistic cop he poses. He fools the audience with his speech and character. Whether you know it or not, the chracters and events portrayed in "Training Day" resemble the actual events and charcters in the city of Los Angelos. The acting carries the movie to it's climax and resolution. "Training Day" is a perfect example of what a suspense movie should be. All in all, see the movie, be prepared to experience what a great movie actually feels like and how good of an actor Denzel is.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Good
Review: I went to the local dollar movie to see Ghosts of Mars but it was not showing at the time I needed, I had some time to kill so I ended up with Training Day. I went in expecting your standard cop thriller movie, but I was suprised at how good it was. I am sure that you know the basic plot by now. My favorite scene is when Ethan Hawke's charactor realizes that Alonzo has abandoned him at the gangsters house to meet his fate. The tension in that scene is gripping and you wonder how in the world he is going to get out of it. I would not recommend it for kids because there is very bad language and violence. So wait until they are in bed.
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