I’m going to keep trying to watch the Denzel Washington films I’ve missed that I hear are great. I bought Training Day two years ago and finally watched it. Luckily, I really enjoyed this film a lot and though the two leads were fantastic. Even though Antoine Fuqua has had some flops, but I enjoyed this film quite a bit. I give Training Day the Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy rating.
Training Day is an intense movie with a villain Denzel Washington
Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) is joining the Los Angeles narcotics division and has a 24-hour training course with Detective Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington). Hoyt quickly learns that Det. Harris isn’t what he appears as the day takes odd twists.
I knew the famous quote from this film and I waited throughout to finally hear him say it and what context it was in. At the point Washington shouts, “King Kong ain’t got sh*t on me,” it felt extremely appropriate. Detective Harris is definitely a character with something resembling a god complex. He is above the law and seems to think he is invincible. He’s a despicable character, but an extremely entertaining on to see on screen.
I’m also not always a fan of Ethan Hawke. However, I really enjoyed how he played Hoyt. He definitely went into this for reasons different than Harris. Hoyt is an idealistic cop that gets thrown in the deep end. He proves to be extremely resourceful and a mild personality compared to Harris. Hawke performance stood toe-to-toe with Washington’s despite being a lot more understated. As big as Washington’s performance is, Hawke’s is mild until he gets pushed too far.
The story is interesting and has some nice twists. It also has some moments that feel a bit too much like a movie. However, I was so into the characters that the events that unfolded made me have an emotional reaction. I cheered, my jaw dropped, I shook my head in disgust, but I really enjoyed the journey. I’m looking forward to the next Denzel film I knock off the list.
Berkreviews.com 