A rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn’t what he appears to be.
“You wanna go to jail, or you wanna go home?” Detective Alonzo.
You probably remember the lines shouted by Denzel at his neighbors: “I’m the police; I run shit around here. You just live here. Yeah, that’s right, you better walk away. Go on and walk away… ’cause I’m gonna burn this motherfucker down. King Kong ain’t got shit on me!”
This scene and performance are obviously overdone, but Denzel sells it. And even if its unbelievable – his delivery makes you believe it. Denzel won an Oscar for his performance, although I think the Academy tried to right past wrongs like awarding Al Pacino the best actor for the hamfest “Scent of a Woman.” “Malcolm X” was the better choice and had a better performance. Since Denzel has been stuck in B-movie territory, which has been a fun experience for popcorn fun but is also a shame to see him underutilized as an actor, this particularly stood out when I watched the recent masterpiece “The Tragedy of Macbeth” by Joel Coen. Denzel is magnificent as the titular character, and I wish he had worked with Scorsese, Mann, and other greats instead of glorified music video directors.
Director Antoine Fuqua still makes decent B-movies (my favorites being “The Equalizer 1&2” reunited with Denzel) or forgettable ones (“Infinite”), while “Training Day” screenwriter the equally cop-loving and gang-loving David Ayer cemented his career with this. Unsurprisingly, Ayer crafted this ridiculous yet entertaining action outing. Since then, Ayer has made a slew of adrenaline-fueled dumb movies. Although, I am particularly fond of “Sabotage” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
For those that forgot or needed a refresher: Officer Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) leaves his newborn daughter and wife for the craziest 24 hours of his life. After meeting with Detective Alonzo at a diner, the two get in “the office,” actually Alonzo’s customized black Monte Carlo. The character of Alonzo was inspired by the real-life Rampart Scandal, where LAPD officers were engaging in all kinds of criminal behavior like robbing banks. Wearing all black, with some fantastic jewelry that holds his detective badge, Alonzo is full of terrifying charisma.
“Training Day” was shot mainly around Eastern LA, Echo Park, and downtown. Cinematographer Mauro Fiore (“Avatar”) powerfully highlights greens with some occasional shades of yellows and blues. The prevalent use of greens recalled Robby Müller’s iconic work on Wim Wenders’ “The American Friend.” “Training Day’s” production also copied Michael Mann’s approach: hosing down LA’s streets and cars to achieve a Neo-Noir aesthetic.
With a fast-moving plot, Jake is quickly uncomfortable with Alonzo’s authoritarian rule over the streets of LA. After a traffic stop produces a sack of PCP, Alonzo forces Jake to smoke a bowl of it at gunpoint. This gives a powerful piece of leverage to the veteran detective over his rookie. Eventually, this leads to the dramatic meeting with some Eastside gangsters, which is still one of the film’s more far-fetched plot points. Regardless, it is still a powerful scene. Kiwi Cliff Curtis is a chameleon and still menacing as the leader of the Eastside gang. Raymond Cruz, Aka Tuco from “Breaking Bad,” playing Tuco for the first time is really creepy. Cruz used to play hoorah military roles in “Clear and Present Danger” and “The Rock,” but he will always be remembered as the unpredictable gangster. This ominous meeting also leads Jake to learn that Alonzo owes the Russian mob a million dollars for murdering one of their men in Vegas.
For the film’s many shortcomings, Denzel and Hawke play brilliantly off one another, while the rest of the cast is really good (except for a lame performance by Dr. Dre, while Snoop can actually act). Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger, Raymond Barry, and Harris Yulin are highlighted. The scene at the Pacific Car Diner with the Wisemen is still among the best. As well as the ones with Roger (Scott Glenn), a drug dealer and one of Alonzo’s top informants. Their chemistry in the two scenes is exceptionally well-done. And another brilliant scene after a dirty on-duty murder, Alonzo falsely tells Jake that can shape the nature of the LAPD, “you can change things from the inside.”
Twenty-two years later, the biggest standout is the film’s view of the police. Referring back to the Rampart Scandal, there were consequences for SOME police. But the film makes it look like if you do anything illegal as a police officer, you will go to prison. We know for sure that’s not true. Luckily, it is not Copaganda praising cops and their sacrifice. But the Blood gangsters siding with the good cop Jake over Alonzo felt forced. Yes, Alonzo extorted them, but I doubt any gangsters want cops like Jake patrolling their neighborhood. Besides the previously mentioned tirade by Denzel, the film’s finale is just fisticuffs with a shootout in Alonzo’s apartment that is still fun, with kitchen props being shot up.
“Training Day” is not a great film, but it is great fun. I will always rewatch this for the experience of watching Denzel play a nasty villain. With his devilish grin and searing eyes, there are so many faces you never saw him make. King Kong does not have shit on him when he’s at his best.
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