enzel Washington and Ethan Hawke's new police thriller Training Day is as solid as mainstream Hollywood movies come.
And thank the heavens for that.
A smart script, fast pace and very strong acting have breathed new life into the previously faltering LAPD good cop/bad cop genre.
The film follows Hawke's rookie officer Jake Hoyt's initiation into an elite LAPD undercover narcotics unit headed by Alonzo Harris (Washington). Alonzo's methods are questionable at best, favoring street justice over legitimate alternatives.
The entire movie takes place during one rather long day--a gimmick that works very well, especially for the beautiful visuals that director Antoine Fuqua is able to give us (Los Angeles hasn't looked this good in a movie in a long time). The story focuses on Hoyt, as he tries to impress and prove his mettle to Alonzo by doing everything from taking a hit of confiscated pot to stopping an attempted rape of a young girl.
Both Hawke and Washington's performances are fierce and powerful. Hawke nicely balances Hoyt's initial hesitation to adopt Alonzo's method with his eagerness to be accepted into the unit. And as the film progresses and Alonzo becomes more and more of a bad ass, Washington's acting becomes stronger and stronger.
The one hitch to Training Day is that Washington loyalists might have a hard time accepting their beloved Denzel as the bad guy. From Malcolm X to Reuben "Hurricane" Carter, Washington has become an icon playing strong black characters who overcome great adversity.
Here, though, we gradually turn against Alonzo, taking the side of Hawke's character (the plot details as to why, I will leave you to discover), and hoping in the end that Alonzo learns just how tough street justice is.
Our conflicting affinity for Denzel is compounded by the fact that to a certain extent, his methods--though unorthodox--seem to make a bit of sense. Alonzo goes by the rationale that in order to protect the sheep from the wolves, he--and now Hoyt--must become one of the wolves.
Using elaborate setups, extreme brutality and cash payoffs, Alonzo defies every rule in the book. He also chooses his targets wisely. Early in the film, he sets up a bust of a couple of college kids but then lets them go with a warning to never return. Several scenes later, he sticks a pen down a dealer's (Snoop Doggy Dogg) throat to expel swallowed evidence, but releases him in return for the name of his supplier. It's the big fish that Alonzo is after.
What might be tough for audiences to swallow is the idea that in such an era we might look at police brutality and such lofty targets with consent or even approval. Sure the drug war is difficult to win, but is this really the way to try?
Washington might earn his fifth Oscar nomination, but because of his bad guy persona Academy members will probably snub him for a fourth time.
Oscar potential or not, Training Day brings the genre to a new level.
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