Film Review: Training Day (2001)

(source: tmdb.org)

In 1997 L.A. Confidential has depicted 1950s Los Angeles as cesspool of police corruption. Four years later another film suggested that things haven’t changed much in next half of century. That film was Training Day, 2001 crime thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua.

Protagonist is Jake Hoyt (played by Ethan Hawke), young and ambitious LAPD officer who wants of becoming detective in order to increase salary and provide for his family. The opportunity comes after he becomes object of interest by Alonzo Harris (played by Denzel Washington), legendary narcotics detective who considers him as possible candidate for his elite team of undercover officers. Before Jake is able to get that prestigious spot, he would have to spend one day on the streets being both mentored and assessed by Alonzo. At least, that is what Jake believes before seeing that Alonzo’s methods of fighting crime involve something more serious than bending the rules of police procedure and go even beyond the other side of the law. When Jake expresses his outrage, Alonzo answers that undercover officer can’t survive nor do the job unless earning trust of criminal underworld beforehand. Jake until the last moment wants to believe that this is only a test, but before the day ends he begins to worry that Alonzo went so deep that his own career and life are suddenly in danger.

Training Day is best known as the film that brought well-deserved Oscar to Denzel Washington, thus compensating for many past injustices. It was also the first film to bring serious and potentially depressive issues of police corruption to the audience still traumatised by tragic events of 9/11. Furthermore, it was also one of the very few Hollywood films that challenged certain unwritten rules of “political correctness” and had the villain who happened to be black. But, most importantly, it was very well made film.

Most of the credits for its success should go to Antoine Fuqua, African American director whose career before and afterwards left much to be desired. In Training Day he insisted on authenticity and tried very hard to avoid cliches and stereotypes. He also gave less emphasis on action and more on portrayal of characters and their moral dilemmas. Fuqua was very fortunate to get script by David Ayer, writer who had lived in South Central section of Los Angeles and was quite aware of milieu with which the film dealt. Ayer’s script is very intelligent and avoids both black-and-white characterisation and “politically correct” sermons. Even the villains are shown as multidimensional characters with complex motivations. Corrupt policemen try to justify their actions with pragmatic reasoning about “lesser evil” and desire to fight criminals with their own illegal methods; drug dealers are shown as people that possess something that could be described as code of honour and the film suggests that Alonzo once in that past used to be as naive and idealistic as Jake is at the beginning of the film.

Ayer and Fuqua were very fortunate to have Denzel Washington in the main cast. Washington was obviously having great fun while playing character so different from angelic heroes he had been playing in previous decades. Washington has invested a lot of energy and talent in his work, resulting in Alonzo being portrayed as complex person, who is not only able to seduce Jake by justifying his actions and appealing to his subconscious agenda, but also make audience believe until the last moment that he would reveal himself as hero at the end of the day. Ethan Hawke was very good choice for the role of Jake, but, despite all of his talent, he was simply overshadowed both by Washington’s magnificent performance. Furthermore, his character, who serves as moral anchor with which audience must identify with, is less complex. Washington and Hawke are joined by great cast that includes veteran character actors like Scott Glen, Harris Yulin, Tom Berenger and Raymond J. Barry, as well as musicians like Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre and Macy Gray. Although happy ending is at odds with generally dark and depressive rest of the film, Training Day is still a very good piece of cinema that deserves recommendation even to those viewers who aren’t Washington’s fans.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)