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553 comments in total

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155 out of 190 people found the following comment useful :-
What Movie Were You Guys Watching?!!, 24 April 2006

Author: gurochuck from United States

I know I'm late as hell and I hate to break the overall 'vibe' about this movie but this movie was great when I saw it in the theater and gets better every time I watch it over again. And this is mainly because of the performances by Denzel and Ethan. I don't know what you guys expected but the movie CLEARLY suggests that Denzel is a crooked, burnt-out, streetwise cop and Ethan is a 'wet-behind-the-ears' clueless rookie. So knowing that, WHAT DID YOU GUYS EXPECT, Malcolm X, Remember The Titans, The Hurricane?? If you were, then maybe you all need to be checked out. The reason why this movie was so great is because it wasn't the typical Denzel 'role model' movie. We KNOW that he can play those roles well so it's a testament to his acting ability that he can portray the other side of the spectrum. And my hat goes off to Ethan because he bounces off Denzel flawlessly.

I hate to break the news to you guys but cops like Alonzo ARE OUT THERE and need to be acknowledged. Acting like the problem doesn't exist does not solve it. You don't have to go that deep to know that Alonzo was once a good cop who just got fed up w/ 'police procedures.' If you acknowledge that Jake's shallow-mindedness at the beginning of the film only allows him to look at the perks of making detective and how the progress of the day transforms him, you can really appreciate Ethan's portrayal of him. Let's face it, a bad day at the office when you're a narcotics detective differs greatly from that of an office executive and the different stresses can warrant different results.

Even the street rhetoric was authentic. Maybe you guys need to get out of the 'burbs more. You guys didn't actually expect eloquent dialogue with little or no profanity, did you? The only part of this movie I struggle with is Dr. Dre's terrible overacting and that isn't nearly enough to take away from the overall result.

Next time you guys bash a movie, make sure to try to be objective and rate what you see and not what you're used to seeing!!

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76 out of 89 people found the following comment useful :-
Fantastic, Denzel Washington's finest hour, 15 May 2006

Author: ExpendableMan from United Kingdom

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.

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70 out of 98 people found the following comment useful :-
Denzel's Acadamy Award Winning Moment, 31 January 2006

Author: Tantive7 (Tantive7@hotmail.com) from Brooklyn New York

In his Acadamy Award Winning Performance,as best Actor.The movie, as the title suggests, follows a single day in the life of rookie cop Jake Hoyt (Hawk) as he is subject to a single day of evaluation by a senior, decorated police narcotics officer Alonzo Harris (Washington) to see if he has what it takes to be a 'narc'. Almost immediately Hoyt is placed on the back foot, constantly caught off guard by Alonzo's nature, his ability to switch between a cold, no-nonsense street-wise player, a genuinely caring and good intentioned leader, and occasionally jovial companion. From their first encounters though, where Hoyt tells Harris he will do "anything you want me to do", the situations Hoyt is taken into become more and more morally ambiguous, from the simple use of excessive force to outright illegal activity, forcing Hoyt to decide which side Harris is truly on, whether to trust him, or whether Hoyt is the unwitting centerpiece of a huge and complex web of lies and set-ups in order for Harris to for fill his own sinister motives..This is the movie that won Denzel the Oscar that year for Best Actor!! A must watch

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78 out of 126 people found the following comment useful :-
Performance of a Lifetime from Denzel!, 22 December 2005

Author: icklecharmer from Durham, England

Wow! What a superb film, Denzel Washington at his superb best. Denzel plays a terrific part as Alonzo Harris, a cop with a dark personality.

From the moment you set eyes on him you can relies that Alonzo is a feisty character, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Ethan Hawke provides excellent backup but Denzel steals the show. I don't want to give an plot lines away but there are only three movies in cinema history I have given 10/10, and this one was so close to being number four.

I sincerely hope to see Denzel put in another performance like this one.

Plot is excellent as it leads you into false sense of securities and even shouting at the TV set.

I loved every breathtaking moment of this film and I am sure you will too.

Quite extraordinary.

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40 out of 55 people found the following comment useful :-
Stunning performance by Denzel Washington..., 28 December 2006

Author: Cocacolaguy912-2 from United States

"Training Day" was a very good movie. I like movies that shove it in your face and make you deal with it...movies like, "Black Hawk Down"...no clichés, no touching moments, just brutal, bitter realism. "Training Day" was such a movie. However, the one thing that made this film really shine was the performance by Mr. Washington. To me, a good actor is someone who just IS a character...if it isn't obvious that they are acting than they are doing a good job. That was the case with Washingon. He just was Alonzo. Every pantomime, every word, every glance was performed masterfully. Did Mr. Washington deserve his Oscar? Absolutely. 200%. Some people say, "not Oscar material" and I must wonder, what film...what performance were they watching?

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38 out of 54 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent film that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat and blow you away, 2 August 2006

Author: Grace Zeh (filmgirlgz@gmail.com) from Chantilly, Virginia, USA

If you ask me, TRAINING DAY is an excellent film that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat and blow you away. Harris (Denzel Washington) kind of gave me the creeps. You'll understand why once you've seen this movie. In my opinion, the performances were top grade, the direction was superior, the costumes were perfectly designed, and the cast was perfectly chosen. Also, the soundtrack is really good, too. Before I wrap this up, I must warn you that this movie is very violent if you're going to see it, so viewer discretion is strongly advised. Now, in conclusion, if you're a fan of Denzel Washington or Ethan Hawke, I highly recommend this movie. It's sure to keep you guessing from start to finish.

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47 out of 73 people found the following comment useful :-
It's my favourite movie, 23 February 2006

Author: the_muffler from Australia

I remember being lent this on DVD during the summer holidays by a mate soon after it was out. I must have watched it every day/second day for about a month! I loved it so much I could never get enough. Denzel and Ethan are a perfect match for this movie; I can't imagine anyone else playing their rolls. Can you? You will either love this movie or find it just a way to 'pass a night'. If you connect with it then you'll never forget it. I know I haven't and I haven't watched it since 2002 because I can remember every part in detail! Training Day is one of those movies which breaks new ground in terms of how a movie can come across to people. It was filmed in such locations such as Imperial Courts neighborhood which, until now, hasn't been filmed. The talk is the talk... you get a real sense of what it's like for these guys as narcotic officers and for what it's like for these guys as the 'bad guys' themselves. At the end of they day they're "Just people and they always were" (Ethan Hawk in a making of Traning day interview).

The movie isn't the fastest paced one around - there are some slow moments but they are played out meaningfully due to some great acting talent which gels the scenes together well. The more you watch it, the more subtle lines and actions you will pick up which make this movie authentic.

Overall, to each his own. I have found this to be one of my favorite movies due to great acting, great directing, great casting (Hawk, Washington, Scott Glen etc) and an interesting storyline.

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23 out of 33 people found the following comment useful :-
Great acting by Washington and Hawke Excellent Thriller - Action Film!, 27 April 2007

Author: Juan_from_Bogota from Colombia

This movie impressed me by its great quality in all ways, the story, thrilling with great police detective action and the most remarkable aspect of the movie was the acting performances of Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke; they put his soul on the characters making this movie a total delight for those who like action films with intelligent scripts and also like for high quality films.

About the Movie: Ethan Hawke plays Jake Hoyt, a rookie police officer with a good curriculum that is assigned to a one day trial day in order to qualify for a narcotics division in Los Angeles. Hawke meets then detective Alonzo Haris (Denzel Washington) who was assigned as trainer and evaluator for this rookie. Hoyt wants fiercely to get this assignment, but finds very orthodoxes and quaint ways to "protet and to serve" of Alonzo. In this day Hoyt will meet a true challenge and will face the total opposite way to proceed from the one he learned in the academy; he will also face some of the more dangerous neighborhoods and streets of Los Angeles.

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24 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
First day on a new job, can be stressful..., 24 January 2007

Author: Benjamin Wolfe from USA

Enter Ethan Hawke's character, officer Jake Hoyt. With the allure of a new job, a transfer to the division that he has been working hard to reach. He is at the top of his game.

The Call, from the department head, Alonzo Harris, congratulating him on his promotion, sort of. Denzel Washington, takes on a character, like none other that he has had so far. Sounds like a big business wall street type scenario aye? Not even close, down of skid-row street maybe. This is a story set in Los Angeles, that even when it's daylight, this is the darkest 'beat' in the whole department's city.

From the moment that the meet was set at the coffee shop, something is just, slightly skewed. There seems an absence of real concern for Jake's situation and a lot more mechanical rogue cop, trainer 'Doggin' going on here. Alonzo is dangerous, because he doesn't care, anymore. His soul has departed, and it's simply a matter of time before, he is too. As they departed from the coffee shop, by way of a black Monte Carlo. The director, Antoine Fuqua wanted to show a more real and brutal side of the crime busting business. The place where lines are so blurred...if they even exist anymore. Denzel Washington, should be applauded for the part that he became ' wholly ' involved in. Scary in some ways, it appeared as if there was no acting, just this over the edge ' Narc ' who you just gotta watch like a hawk!

Ethan, was the ' newbie ' but a very likable, "Just wanting to do the right thing" type of guy. Some what confused at times about the way in which Harris attended to his profession. Curious about why he would do what he would do. Alonzo, always explaining away the point to a nervous rookie, who in the back of his mind just knew, that there is something here, that won't let him rest until he does the right thing. It almost costs him his life, in the end, Hoyt is a master in his career field...a true Wolf, amongst the dogs. It seemed as though, Hoyt had an awakening. He had to go down into that alley-way because his 'gut' wouldn't let it alone. And in the end, this is what saved his very existence, now that is reasoning with razor sharpness. Plus he needed to get home to that hot wife of his....

Recommended, but not for those with weaker film story constitutions. (*****)

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21 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :-
Pure Brilliant, 30 January 2006

Author: jordansimpkin2054 from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Awesome, one of the best films ever and Denzel Washington does a very convincing portrayal of the cop who crosses the line, but you have to agree with some of his motives. I love when he shoots Roger and Jake freaks out, he makes a very good point when Jake asks why he shot a friend. "Why was he my friend, because he knew my first name? Roger sold crack to kids and the world is a better place with him dead!" Every point he makes about modern day "street" justice rings very true to modern day crime and justice. It sets the tone very well for an awesome films and all though he is ultimately the bad guy, Alonzo Harris is one of the best characters to every grace the big screen and you can't help but like the guy. There are some great cameos from Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg

A true modern day classic. Highly recommended

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