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:

Street Gang | Profanity | Chase Scene | Bad Guy | Fall Off Roof

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:

Netherlands:12 | Denmark:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #38489) | 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:

David Ayer wrote the first draft in 1995, way before the Rampart Scandal made headlines in 1998. In the first draft, Alonzo was a Latino officer in charge of drug enforcement in the gang infested area of Pico-Union within the Rampart Division. He was a loner and didn't have any partner because of his reputation as a corrupt and racist cop. But the basics elements of the character were there: he wears expensive jewelry and drives a 1979 Monte Carlo model.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When driving the Monte Carlo, the transmission shifter is in "P" (parking) position.

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:

Spoofed in Delivery (2004/I)

Soundtrack:

F**k You

Fantastic, Denzel Washington's finest hour

Before seeing this movie, my impression of Denzil Washington as an actor wasn't especially high. Not to say that he isn't talented, just that ever since Crimson Tide he appeared to be slotted neatly into every stern hero in every serious political thriller to be trotted off the studio assembly line for years. But then came Training Day and his role as Alonzo Harris and all that changed. Shrugging off the overly serious good guy image once and for all, Washington here is a revelation; a barking, ranting maelstrom of police brutality who believes that maintaining order on the crime ridden streets of LA means being even more ruthless than the drug dealers he faces on a day to day basis. His performance elevates the film from standard thriller fare into an exemplary story that has quite rightly become one of my favourite films of all time.

Set over the course of twenty four hours, the film whisks Ethan Hawke's naive young police officer onto an introductory day of Narcotics work under Alonzo's tutelage. As the hours go by, Hawke is subjected to more and more violence as the heat and paranoia of suburban Los Angeles combined with his loose cannon superior officer play a heavy toll on his nerves. Consequently, the film is very much a two man story with Hawke and Washington playing off against each other expertly as polar opposites. One young, inexperienced and a firm believer in the rule book, the other older, more cynical and twisted by all his years on the streets into a bull-headed monster.

The story itself is fraught with tension. Alonzo forcing his young protégé to smoke PCP at gunpoint is just the start and from there on the pulse pounding never stops. The execution scene where Hawke realises just how far gone his partner is for example is one of nail-biting pressure and shortly after, his encounter with a trio of Mexican gang members is jaw dropping, working as the exact moment you realise how much hot water he has found himself in.

The end result is nothing less than a brilliant thriller. Hawke and Washington make for a phenomenal double act and the pace only occasionally lets up to allow the characters time to breathe and establish the depth that makes you care for them more. Highly, highly recommended so long as you're prepared to be absolutely terrified of Denzel Washington for years to come.