LogFAQs > #968963374

11. Training Day (2001)
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Runtime: 2h 2m
Score: 150

ssbm: 3
Snake: 7
Vis: 10
Karo: 10
John: 11
Tangy: 12
plasma: 15
Myth: 17
Poke: 18
seginus: 18
rockus: 29

ssbm
Rating: A

The two main characters - Alonzo and Jake - are just great. They complement each other so well. Alonzo, of course, just steals the spotlight in every single scene he's in, but Jake does a great job of being a likable protagonist. He's an honest cop, never compromising on his morals. All three acts of the movie have great scenes in them, with the second act being really strong, when Jake learns that Alonzo is corrupt and he's been grooming him to become the next Alonzo. I love the conversation Alonzo has with Jake about getting Jake on his side and the entire scene where Jake has a gun to Alonzo's face is excellent. The intro to the movie is great too. It does a great job of making you feel completely lost and dancing to the beat of Alonzo's drum. And, of course...smiles and cries. Jake kinda overacted on being high, but it's still a really great scene.

I think the movie kinda wobbles around the end. The confrontation with Jake and Alonzo, especially inside Alonzo's home, is great. The confrontation inside the Jungle where everyone's watching...ehhh, it's starting to lose me. I also think the rape subplot and the Chicanos subplot mixing together is a little too convenient for my taste. But those are all minor issues. The first two-thirds and even the last third is just really entertaining. What a day.

Snake
Man I love Denzel Washington in this; a truly twisty movie full of dark turns, nasty antagonists, a slightly less-than-relatable anti-hero completely turning the whole concept on its head, and Ethan Hawke as the glue that holds it all together. It's one of the most compelling police procedurals I've ever seen. I used to be a little down on this film actually, but this recent rewatch has completely changed my mind. It's a damn masterpiece.

Vis
I know this has come up a few times on the list already, what with police corruption and all, but it was nice to see another film where the organized crime in question were the police themselves. Alonzo Harris is a bad motherfucker who views himself as above the law because he himself is the law, and we get to watch him just casually commit increasingly horrifying crimes as the movie goes along, because theres no one stopping him. But unlike some of these other movies where they PURELY idolize their horrific, villainous main character, were treated to Harris actions through the lens of a nave and pure Jake Hoyt. Hes rightfully disgusted by Harris from minute one (forcing him to take drugs), and as such, we as viewers can latch onto him as the hero that needs to defeat the evil at the end (whether he succeeds or not). I just found the plot engaging, especially how they seed doubt of Harris infallibility throughout the film, until he reaches his ultimate downfall. Its very well-told in that regard.

Karo
When a young rookie officer is paired up with an eccentric detective, it makes you think its going to be a funny buddy cop movie, but it then goes down some dark paths that are very on the nose about policing in america.
You see, Alonzo seems like just an ordinary cop to me. Albeit one who doesnt bother wearing the mask. 'who's he gonna complain to?' 'we're the police, we do whatever the fuck we want!' Sounds about right.
It's a decently made film that manages to subvert my expectations while helping educate a public brainwashed by police propaganda TV crime serials.

John
One of the best things Training Day does is its examination of the different levels of organized crime. Instead of diving into the individual tiers within the mafia as some of the more dedicated mob films do, Training Day portrays "the Russians" as an almost invisible force that kinda floats behind everything, not showing up visually until the very last scene. It portrays different levels of street crime, from the nobodies jumping women on the street to the smaller gangs to entire communities of people run, at least in part, under gang control. There's the low-level corrupt cops, the corrupt ex-cops, the upper echelon corrupt cops that view themselves as invincible, and then there's Alonzo himself, who in his last shout tries to declare himself above everyone else in the film's most famous line. The film attempts to ask a lot of questions about which is the worst of any two evils and how far you can go while still calling yourself "the good guy" in your own head. It can't answer all those questions, and it knows it can't, so ultimately Ethan Hawke is left a much more broken man for it at the end of the day.

Tangy
Who doesnt love this movie? This is another one of those movies thats just completely carried by one actor and in this case its Denzel. Honestly Alonzo Harris is one of my favorite types of villains. Hes so scummy, but you just cant help but to enjoy his charisma. It creates this unique dynamic to the character that makes you want to trust him, even though you know its a bad idea. It all has tremendous payoff too when we finally see his ego collapse upon itself. Everything else is solid too, but Denzel has the spotlight on him whenever hes on screen.