Rating: 
Summary: Strange enough to be fiction
Review: I was impressed, as most seem to be, with Denzel Washington's unstereotypical role as the "bad guy". Ethan Hawke holds his own and is not naive enough to be completely predictable. The ending is good, but you won't walk out of the theatre with a good feeling. The "Russian" subplot is very undeveloped and may leave the viewer confused up until the end, but it is not vital to the foundation of the plot (except for the conclusion) and does not subtract it's intensity. Although the movie is quite graphic, you can still watch it even if you get squeemish. This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat most of the time and fulfills it's role as a psychological "thriller": it makes you think. Just strange enough to be fiction, it's a movie i would recommend in the theatre rather than as a rental or home video, so go and check it out for yourself!
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly well done
Review: a friend had recommended this to me a week before I saw this but I laughed at her. I actually went to the multiplex to see "From Hell" which was disappointing, so on my way out I decided to slip into this movie. and boy what a surprise. Denzel Washington gives what may be his best peroformance in a long time in what is a scary ride of a movie. This movie took twists and turns that made me wish it was soon over. I can't remember being so much on edge by any movie i've seen in a long time. Where "From Hell" should have been--a scary ride to the edge of madness--this movie does that. You've got to see it.
Rating:
Summary: A Micraculously Provocative Must-See Cautionary Tale
Review: Antoine Fuqua's (The Replacement Killers) exasperatingly intense, masterly evocative,
and grandly psychologically accosting crime police thriller Training Day starring
Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Macy Gray, and Snopp Doggy Dogg
commences by imprinting on the viewer an all-together familiar seedy crime melodrama.
Then this seemingly recycled cop movie equation summarily becomes estranged
from all of the genre's pre-conceived formulas, conventions, and clichés and
zestfully thrusts its audience into a Pulp Fiction-esque Twilight Zone of infinite
unknowns. Overtly intense it may be, Training Day's so-called excesses are absolutely necessary to this film's shockingly disquieting view of modern law-enforcement and societal factors. Brimming full of the morally deplorable, tumultuously volatile, and authentically immediate sights and sounds that at first may resonate as a typical wam bam thriller, Training Day intellectually reaps a ground-braking resourcefulness that consistently curtails the audience from comprehending its inner plot points too quickly or becoming aware of it's character predestined paths before they develop into view. Though the film does provide us with ample evidence to it's character's interior inner workings, Training Day continues to creativity and tirelessly redefine it's identity so often and so cleverly that any first-time viewer can't help but be consciously blown away by it's narrative, radically stunned by it's story-telling audacity, or emotionally bewildered by it's cultural implications. It remains a testament to this film's resiliency that it persists in haunting you so long after it concludes spinning web of intrigue. Dominantly at the artistic center of this vivaciously riveting crime tale, Denzel
Washington blazes open, with one decisively unforgettably potent character,
an entirely new occupational direction for the once cinematically pure leading
good guy. In an unexpected melee of acting bravado, Washington almost appears
to be inordinately possessed with this character that is so aesthetically and
dramatically powerful that you almost forget Washington is playing it. In a blisteringly radiant gem of a performance that should earn him an Academy
-Award nomination, Denzel plays L.A.P.D. Narcotics veteran Alonzo Harris who
in the course of a single day trains and enlightens 19-month rookie cop Jake
Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) in the increasingly sinister underbelly of drug policing
in Los Angeles. Harris initiates Boyt upon the mandatory necessity of protecting
the tax-paying sheep (the citizens) from the Narcotic predators by becoming
predators themselves. Alonzo sanctifies these views by lulling Hoyt into believing
that his skeptical pessimism is an indispensable requisite of becoming an undercover
cop, and with this premise the audience's unfathomable descent into inconceivable
darkness begins. Encased with incredibly edgy supporting performances, invariably claustrophobic
locales, an charismatically haphazardly enticing plot, many subtly thrilling
story eccentricities, and a superbly larger than life leading performance by
Denzel Washington, Training Day transcends it's source genre to pose generally
unsettling questions with such relish and audaciousness that it still should
remain as fresh and relevant fifteen years from now. As for Training Day's upcoming DVD edition, hopefully it will include a descent
anmorphic widescreen presentation, an Antoine Faqua commentary track, deleted
scenes, and several other fine materials to go along with such a fabulous film. P.S. Always Pick Up a Rape Victim's Wallet
Rating:
Summary: Great urban drama!
Review: Denzel Washington gives a great performance as a crooked cop and Ethan Hawke delivers an equally effective performance as a "rookie" cop in training. This is one of the best films of this kind to come out in years. Totally original with a surprising ending, this proves to be one of the best films so far this year! Highly recommended! *Contains pervasive language and drug use, as well as brief nudity and graphic violence.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful movie.
Review: Training Day, starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke is a powerhouse good cop/ bad cop movie. Even with some prior knowledge of certain aspects of the movie, Denzel was so convincing in the role of the gritty veteran that several traps blind-sided me in the end. The corruption of the force and Denzel in particular is subtle at first, but the reprecussions are not. Ethan plays the role of a timid rookie. His heart seems to be in the right place but at times he's very gullible. Part of this vulnerability is due to Denzel's merciless teaching of "street justice". Many people in Ethan's position would have acted the same way with such a rigid companion. Some of the story seems too convenient but it is in no way predictable. I never checked my watch or made a popcorn run during Training Day. Denzel should get an Oscar for his performance.
Rating: 
Summary: ack.........
Review: what can i say.. i went to see it so it had a good trailer, but after a few minutes of real acting, and i think 5 bang's from Denzel this movie totally lost focus of what they were doing, what they were saying and everyone forgot how to act. so it got a 1 from me, for holding my attention for 15 minutes, poor acting, horrible scripting, directing, save your $9.00 and rent something.
Rating:
Summary: Best in a slow year
Review: When I first saw the trailers to "Training Day", I thought to myself, "this is either going to be a good movie, or the worst thing since Bicentennial Man". Luckily, I was very impressed by the movie. The plot follows the first 24 hours of a newly assigned cop his corrupt partner. Along the way, the experience more action than most cops will ever see, but what do you really expect? The movie is not really a cop movie, but a psychological drama that introduces you into the mind of Densel Washington's character, Alonzo. For that purpose alone, I would recommend the movie since you really begin to understand the "corrupt" cop, and agree with some of his ideas. AT the end of the movie, you will think to yourself whether you want a "sheep or wolf" for a cop. The acting is also another thing I was very impressed with in this movie. Washington's performance was very convincing, where Hawke was somewhat of a disappointment. Hawke's portrayal of an innocent cop was very bland, but somehow, it worked with the movie. However, I still expected a better performance. The music score fit very well with the gritty theme of the movie, and the cinematograph seemed to work well most of the time. The only disappointment with this movie had to be the ending. Without giving anything away, the movie just should have ended 10 minutes earlier. Then the audience would have seen "the wolves turn on the wolf" (when you see the movie, you will understand what I mean). The subplot with the Russians also was very poorly introduced. It seemed to emerge from out of nowhere and was irrelevant to the theme of the movie. Overall, "Training Day" is a very fast paced movie with many subtle themes that can be thought provoking. I strongly recommend this movie, partly because there has been nothing good this year to see, and because it is a very good movie. Depending on how the year's movies are, I might even see some Oscar nominations for this film. 2 thumbs up!!!
Rating:
Summary: Violent but a great piece of work
Review: This is a great piece of work. Denzel is fantastic. My respect for his acting abilities hit an all-time high. I think he alone breathes most of the life into this movie. The screeplay was something that wouldn't have been easy to have written. Denzel and Ethan have done a fantastic job in doing justice to the screenplay. If you don't mind some violence, don't miss this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Denzel Washington finally gets to act
Review: Training Day tells the story of two narcotics officers -- a trainee played by Ethan Hawke and the veteran, played by Denzel Washington, who spends the film's pivotal day educating Hawke in more ways than one. After playing several heroic police officers (in films like Ricochet, Velocity, ect.), Washington is a revelation here as a corrupt, breathtakingly evil figure. Despite the fact that most of the film's publicity has dealt with Washington's "change-of-pace" role, its still jarring to see this actor become so convincingly evil. Its also extremely compelling and serves to remind us that Denzel Washington is one of the best actors working today. Plotwise, the film is uneven. The strongest scenes are the ones dealing with actual streetlife, largely through the casting of authentic gang members and such recognizable icons as Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre. Unlike most urban thrillers, you get the feeling that there is actually an authenticity to this film's disturbing vision. Less compelling is the film's eventual inclusion of the Russian Mafia -- it feels a little too conventional and quite simply it just not all that compelling. While I know that many viewers have an instant dislike for any film featuring Ethan Hawke (and I have to admit that I'm amongst those who have yet to forgive him for his "novel" The Hottest State), he's actually an underrated actor and does a fairly convincing job here. At first, its hard to accept the idea of Hawke -- who always seems to be looking for a coffeehouse to read Beat poetry in -- as a young cop but he actually does pull it off and manages not to get overshadowed by Washington. Still, make no mistake about it, this is Denzel Washington's film and the main reason to see the film is his amazing performance. Denzel Washington is one of the best actors working today but, up until his performance in Training Day, it, at times, seemed that he would never get a chance to truly show it. In most of his film, he's been given role meant to play up his nobility and his heroism. He found himself in the same ristrictive position that another strong and intense African-American actor found himself trapped in the late '60s. Like Sidney Poitier, Washington found himself cast in roles where, though his great talent was obvious and certainly he didn't miss a step in his characterization, the roles themselves were limited. Like Poitier, Washington was running the risk of being stereotyped, by good-intentioned liberal, white filmmakers, as the "noble black man." As such, filmgoers seemed to be running the risk of forgetting that Washington could be an unpredictable, slyly humorous actor and that few actors -- black or white -- are as capable of making just plain deviousness and arrogance as attractive and admirable as Washington. His earlier performances in the films Power, A Soldier's Story, and Mo' Better Blues as well as the TV series St. Elsewhere stand as testaments to that. Luckily, Training Day allows Washington to show us just how could an actor he is. His performance truly holds the film together and gives it a power that it might not otherwise have.
Rating:
Summary: Worth seeing
Review: Overall, I thought this movie was pretty good. It was well written and superbly acted. Denzel Washington did a fantastic job portraying a cop, even if he was a bad cop. This movie had some great twists and turns in the plot, but it was hard to follow at times. I recommend others to see it, but go to a matinee show.
|
