Training Day (2001)

Director:

Antoine Fuqua

Writer (WGA):

David Ayer (written by)

Release Date:

5 October 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The only thing more dangerous than the line being crossed, is the cop who will cross it.

Plot:

On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears as.

Plot Keywords:

Profanity | Bad Guy | Vomit Scene | Beautiful Woman | Korean

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 13 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Denzel Washington	...	Alonzo
Ethan Hawke	...	Jake
Scott Glenn	...	Roger
Tom Berenger	...	Stan Gursky
Harris Yulin	...	Doug Rosselli
Raymond J. Barry	...	Lou Jacobs
Cliff Curtis	...	Smiley
Dr. Dre	...	Paul
Snoop Dogg	...	Blue
Macy Gray	...	Sandman's Wife
Charlotte Ayanna	...	Lisa
Eva Mendes	...	Sara (as Eva Mendez)
Nick Chinlund	...	Tim
Jaime Gomez	...	Mark (as Jaime P. Gomez)
Raymond Cruz	...	Sniper

MPAA:

Rated R for brutal violence, pervasive language, drug content and brief nudity.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English | Russian | Spanish | Mandarin

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Philippines:R-18 | Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #38489) | Denmark:15 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Although not shown in the film, the producers of the movie asked if the Angelus Temple cross, a famous Echo Park landmark could be used in the film. When the church declined, they brought in a "fake" cross and using a crane hoisted it up a few feet in front of the real Angelus Temple.

Goofs:

Continuity: The level of the drink in Alonzo's hand when they first go to see Roger changes between shots.

Quotes:

Alonzo Harris: You hear that, homey? You wanna go to jail or you wanna go home? Huh?
Crackhead #1: What you think?
Alonzo Harris: They got room for you at the booty house, you ever been to the booty house. Big boys have you grab you ankles...
Crackhead #1: Suck my dick, bitch. I know people.
Alonzo Harris: That's how it starts. What about you, my man? Where's yo' horn?
Crackhead #2: I ain't got nothin' on me, man.
Alonzo Harris: You sure?
Crackhead #2: Yeah, man.
Alonzo Harris: You got money, though.
[pulls out crack]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Harsh Times (2005)

Soundtrack:

American Dream

Watch it for Washington's performance; some well made, unpredictable scenes and let it just draw you in.

What we have with Training Day is a big mixture of: gangster, crime, cop/buddy and something close to resembling a ghetto drama all in one. Needless to say that all these aspects of the film work together in a reasonably effective way which, in the end, leaves you feeling satisfied. There are individual strokes of greatness but these are limited to things like Denzil Washington's performance who reminded me of a Wesley Snipes character out of something like 'New Jack City' (1991). There is also the element of unpredictability for the best part as relative rookie Jake (Hawke) gets put through some pretty harsh paces for the first forty minutes or so.

I came away from Training Day liking it overall but there were some distinct things that had me thinking to myself 'Yeah, I see exactly what they're trying to do here.' And this is relatable to the 'buddy/cop' sequence. Jake and Alonzo (Washington) are the absolute binary opposites of one another: you couldn't get two more different characters. One is a 'desk' cop who books illegally parked cars and probably takes the odd trip to the doughnut shop one too many times (although his build doesn't suggest this) whereas Alonzo is one of those cops you see in films and if you were ever going to become a law enforcer, you'd want to live their lifestyle: guns, girls and plenty of softly earned drug money. Although this is nothing new, it was refreshing to see it done in an unpredictable manner and of course, Washington's performance sees it out.

Secondly, the way in which each character acts – Jake seems sharper and wants to do everything by the book whereas Alonzo's methods include something more reminiscent of: instead of arresting two rapists, just threaten in an extreme manner to shoot their genitalia off if they catch them doing it again and let them go. Jake even talks and dresses differently and of course, Ethan Hawke is a white Caucasian American – Washington is coloured so these two characters make for great entertainment in an easily explosive situation when you've got two people so different in looks and lifestyles.

Thanks to some good film-making, certain situations of tension and spontaneity happen and are carried out well. These situations are also very awkward and since we're supposed to map onto the character of Jake more so than Alonzo, we do sort of feel what he's feeling – again, this is thanks to Washington's amazing performance; especially when he either forces Jake to take a smoke of some drugs or when someone is unexpectedly shot and Jake is panting heavily or even when they drive though a bad neighbourhood and Alonzo states: 'Don't you ever come here without me' as black ghetto gangsters eye up the vehicle. Although this manipulates our opinions on Jake as a bit of a wimp and further makes us think Alonzo is sort of invincible, the payoff for thinking these things is great – the filmmakers make us think of one thing so much that all the odds seemed stacked against us later on.

What was also clever is the way in which the film can change so dramatically – although not entirely realistic all the time, one situation or setting can very quickly change in an instant. This could include when Jake is in big trouble with some Mexican gangsters but gets out of jail thanks to a previous deed that he did. Although this was a bit of a fluke, it would still be possible in the tightly knitted world of crime that particular city possesses. Although these changes are unpredictable and entertaining, lines must be drawn somewhere especially in which the finale is played out: where several characters seem to switch sides to team up with a guy who they've known of for about twelve hours, which was a little unbelievable.

In the long run, Training Day is a very entertaining film that doesn't cover too much ground in terms of innovation or anything deeper than that but it is a clever example of how to suck an audience in and play with them later on.