MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Crime Thriller/Stars: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger, Harris Yulin, Raymond J. Barry, Cliff Curtis, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Macy Gray, Charlotte Ayanna, Terry Crews, Eva Mendes, Nick Chinlund, Jaime P. Gomez, Raymond Cruz, Noel Gugliemi/Runtime: 122 minutes

I think it’s safe to start this review off by saying that if you were to make a list of the ten most stress-provoking moments in a person’s life then one of the items that would undoubtedly and without question have to be on that list would be “starting a new job”. After all, not only are you worried about making the best possible impression you can with your new co-workers let alone boss, but you have no idea how the various office dynamics work, when your lunch break is, what kind of person you’re going to have for a boss, or (and perhaps most horrifying of all) even if they’ll let you have bathroom breaks when you need them. All jokes aside though, there really is no denying that as stressful as starting a new job can be, it’s got to be even more intense if you’re a member of that distinct group known as law enforcement who just signed up to be part of a squad that it slowly but surely dawns on you that everyone in, with particular regard to the leader, maybe just maybe doesn’t really play by the book that you all are supposed to abide by every single day despite being highly decorated to say nothing of respected in your shared profession. Indeed in case you hadn’t put two and five together dear reader, it is this kind of stress that is very much at the core of the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 2001’s Training Day. A film that shows what happens when an idealistic rookie on the force finds himself learning way more than he thought about the streets of L.A. during an 24 hour evaluatory period and finds himself having to make a choice on if what he wants career-wise is worth the price that it is not-so politely yet very much firmly necessitating for him to pay. A film that, for what it’s worth, also happens to be easily one of the best slices of cinema of the 2000s to say nothing of giving us a pair of career-defining turns from its pair of lead actors. Indeed it might have a few issues scattered about here and there, but with the aid of top-tier filmmaking behind the camera and downright electrifying work in front of the camera by a skilled and incredibly well-chosen cast of talent in front of the camera, Training Day is a gritty, taut, riveting, and also quite thought-provoking in its own way cinematic ride that is sure to leave you hooked and engaged right from the word go all the way until the screen cuts to black and the credits begin to roll.

The plot is as follows: Taking place over the course of a single day, Training Day gets its electrifying narrative underway as we see a young man by the name of Jake Hoyt wake up shortly before that most obnoxious of devices known as an alarm clock does it for him. We soon learn that Hoyt is a fairly novice, or rookie if you prefer, member of that distinct organization known as the LAPD and today is his first day as part of an elite undercover narcotics unit. In order to ensure his spot in the unit however, he must first get through a 24-hour evaluation period (hence the title of the film) with the leader of the unit who in this case takes the form of a highly regarded and decorated detective named Alonzo Harris. Yet, as excited as he is about the chance to work with this revered officer (and maybe even use him as a stepping stone to making detective himself one day) we soon see that things start to take a turn when our hero actually meets with Alonzo and discovers that this highly regarded individual also happens to be a tough as nails, hardened to the hilt, and not handicapped by bull hockey in any way guy who seems to be more than a bit on the ruthless side. At any rate, we soon watch as Alonzo fairly swiftly begins extolling his street smarts on the young officer and we learn, along with Jake, that what he thinks he would be doing as a member of this unit is not what he may have pictured. Instead, according to Alonzo, to really be successful Jake must be willing to not just use his brain over his muscles to say nothing of be willing to let smaller-time criminals go in order to have a chance at reeling in the bigger fish. Rather, he must be willing to both immerse himself wholeheartedly into this world of which he wants to be a part as well as engage in practices that might seem more than a tad bit iffy should a review board, Internal Affairs, or even the courts catch wind of them. Yet although our boy wonder has more than a few reservations about this methodology being extolled to him we see that he really doesn’t say anything….at least at first. Of course, as the day goes on and the experiences that he and Alonzo share begin to get more and more perilous it isn’t long before our hero starts to have his eyes opened. Not just to how genuinely dangerous this world of which he wants to be a part of really is and can be, but also to the very real possibility that his teacher/guide through that aforementioned world might be a wee bit more immersed in it than he is truly letting on. As for how immersed Alonzo is to say nothing of the impact that this has on our hero that is something I will leave for you to discover…..

Now right off, it should be noted that the work done behind the camera on this slice of cinema is fairly solid. Yes the narrative is one that is a bit on the simple side, but in all fairness I do admire this film for that degree of simplicity. I say this because not only does it ensure that we are able to follow along with what is happening in the film with a degree of relative ease, but this simplicity of the narrative also makes it possible for the story to never really get sidetracked and potentially lose the viewer as a result. With that in mind, it should be said that this slice of cinema is the blessed recipient of a truly terrific script penned by David Ayer (Fury, End of Watch, and that first studio mangled Suicide Squad adaptation from 2016). Indeed not only does the dialogue come across as raw and potent especially in several of the back and forths between the two main characters, but there is also a wonderful degree of realism to say nothing of authenticity to it as well. A feat that is perhaps best made possible by the fact that Ayer actually chooses to place this film in a part of L.A. (in this case: South Central) where he actually lived and grew up for a period of time which as a result guarantees us that the narrative might be fictional, but the world these characters operate/reside in is very much quite the reverse of that. Along with that though, we are also able to see that the aforementioned wonderful degree of authenticity is by no means limited to just the powerful work done on the script, but can also be found in regards to the work done by Antoine Fuqua at the helm. Indeed I say this because not only does Fuqua film this in an extremely stylish way that feels like we are either in the car or side by side with our two leads in the series of situations that they find themselves a part of either together or apart, but he also makes the brilliant choice of filming this slice of cinema in the actual neighborhoods that our characters traverse to with such examples as the Imperial Courts playing an integral part in the narrative and even incorporating people who actually live in those neighborhoods to either be in the movie or work behind the scenes. As a result, not only does the film come across as more authentic, but it even gives movie goers a chance to see this world for the way that it really is rather than how it’s been Hollywoodified at other times in other cinematic efforts. We also see that the work done by the director of photography is nothing short of majestic in how it manages to skillfully showcase what is going on at all times even during a 5-minute sequence where we see Hoyt’s perspective following unknowingly ingesting PCP and even making sure that the parts of the film set at night are both easy to follow as well as taut in the best way possible. Suffice it to say that when you also incorporate brilliant efforts from the production design and musical accompaniment departments, it’s clear that the work behind the camera on this film does a fantastic job of making this story as realistic and engaging as possible.

Of course, the other big element that most definitely works in this slice of cinema’s favor would have to be the extremely skilled performances given by the cast of players in front of the camera. This, without question, starts with Denzel Washington in the role of Alonzo Harris and he is a complete and utter revelation. Indeed Washington does a grand job at not only taking the qualities of likability and charisma he had utilized to great effect in his career up to that point (and even since come to think) and then challenging the audience to try and find those ingredients in this character, but he also does a wonderful job at ensuring that Hoyt (and by extension each and every one of us as movie goers) are left uncertain as to whether or not his methods to say nothing of him as a person are only slightly over the line or if he’s just a full-blown scumbag. Instead, Washington brilliantly crosses the line at a slow yet methodical pace to say nothing of ever-steadily ratcheting up his mind games as the movie goes on. As a result, we see that when the film finally is willing to show us the kind of person that this guy is we are left completely and utterly floored at just how far gone he truly is. Suffice it to say that this is easily a guy who could have just been a full-blown diabolical antagonist, but when played by an immensely talented actor like Denzel Washington, we see that he is very much a multilayered personality as opposed to just simply being a bonafide one-note mustache-twirling bad guy thus providing further proof that if there was ever an actor who just is not able for whatever reason to provide audiences with a bad performance then Denzel Washington should definitely be at either the top or near the top of that list. Alongside the tour-de-force performance given by Washington, we as movie goers are also treated to a phenomenal turn here from Ethan Hawke in the role of Jake Hoyt. Yes this is a character that in the wrong hands would have simply been the typical “dweeby Boy Scout”-type cop who is so unbearably naïve that audiences won’t want to follow him for a whole movie. Fortunately, we see that Hawke is such a class act that he is able to take what people expect of this character and work it to his favor thus ensuring that his riveting metamorphosis from daisy-fresh and incredibly optimistic rookie to someone who is more than slightly hardened by what he experiences is both realistic and riveting in equal measure. Besides the wonderful work done here by our two leads, we also see that this slice of cinema provides us with a terrific collection of support performances. Suffice it to say that every single one of these performers from Tom Berenger, Raymond J. Barry, the always enjoyable Scott Glenn, Cliff Curtis, Raymond Cruz, Harris Yulin, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Macy Gray, and even early turns here from Eva Mendes and Terry Crews among others respectively it’s clear that each and every one of them is operating at the pinnacle of their talents even the focus mostly is on the dynamic lead duo.

All in all and at the end of the day is Training Day a perfect slice of cinema? Sadly as much as I would like to say absolutely to that I am afraid I can’t. Having said that however, does that mean that this slice of cinema is one of the worst movies I have ever seen? Truthfully that is most assuredly not the case either. Actually, I would say that this is a genuinely great film and easily one of the finest hours for everyone involved on either side of the camera. To be sure, there are a few issues here and there especially when it comes to how little a fair amount of the immensely talented and just immense to begin support cast are given to work with to say nothing of a few other things that truth be told are teenier tiny little nitpicks more than actual detriments to the overall quality of the film itself. Those quibbles aside however, there is no denying that the work done behind the camera does a magnificent job at not only keeping audiences on the edge of their seat to say nothing of right from frame one completely and utterly immersed into the very-much real world that the film itself is set in and the work done in front of the camera by both Denzel Washington as well as Ethan Hawke in their respective roles of Alonzo and Jake respectively should definitely and rightfully be viewed as career highlights for a pair of performers who both have given us as movie goers more than their fair share of iconic performances respectively. Suffice it to say that there is a point in this movie where Alonzo says at one point that “it’s not what you know, but what you can prove” and I definitely feel like this is one instance where that is very much the case. I say that because yes, I know beyond a doubt that the 2001 slice of cinema that is Training Day is a fantastic, electrifying, and phenomenally made/performed movie that I am sure you will have no issue with checking out time and time again if you give it the chance to work its magic on you. Even with that in mind though, it is still very much my hope that the review I have written for you today has done its job and managed to prove that to you as well. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give Training Day “01” a solid 4 out of 5.