11/07/06 Training Day

Training Day (2001), directed by Antoine Fuqua

watched solo; DVD rental (Netflix) @ home; suggested by Jason

Let's just re-title this film for what it truly is. Let's call it "The Film That Denzel Was Given The Oscar For Finally, Despite Earlier Performances Which Should Have Garnered It, But The Academy Messed Up & Wanted To Make Up For Their Mistakes In The Eyes Of The Audience." Except, that title probably wouldn't fit on most theater marquees. I mean, this should in no way take away from the directors' gritty portrayal of street life and undercover cop work, which is done very well by the talented Fuqua. This should also not belittle the fact that Denzel got the Best Supporting Oscar in 1989 for the remarkable Civil War epic "Glory" (great movie by the way). This merely should draw notice to the Academy's lack of selection prowess in the past, usually not recognizing truly the most worthy performances, but rather sometimes bowing to a popularity contest. Perhaps it was not having the gumption (see cahones) to honor an African-American with such a prestigious award for many years...but whatever the case, Denzel should have won a few times over...perhaps with the likes of "Malcolm X" or "The Hurricane" before his deserving win. Now, that I'm off that moral high horse, it should be said that this is one hell of a performance...and for such a heroic guy on screen, it's one that showcases his ability to play the bad guy well too. He plays the tough veteran narc officer Alonzo, who must take the inexperienced rookie cop Jake (Ethan Hawke) under his wing on the mean streets of Los Angeles. Looking to clean up the streets of gang violence and drugs, Jake wants nothing more than to be a good cop and learn from his new mentor. However, Alonzo teaches with a questionable approach of living the life of the gangsters, emersing himself in the culture so deeply to reach his goals, that's Jake's unsure if he hasn't crossed over to the darkside himself. Alonzo's rogue tactics at first are met with Jake's skepticism and critique, but when his methods produce results, the rookie is forced into an ethical dilemma on what is right & wrong. This 24-hour period in the day of these two men with very different approaches to law enforcement will turn out to be one that either will ever forget. It truly is a moving performance, in harsh form, from Denzel and the gritty filming style. While worthy of the accolades that the film garnered, I wish that it would have just come sooner rather than just as an afterthought to the man's legacy of film. Oh, and you get to see Eva Mendes completely naked in the film...do they give out Oscars for best bare-ass of the year as well? She'd probably be snubbed and then given the award a few years later for a cameo in some James Bond film or something.

4 out of 5 stars