- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
- Messages
- 66,776
- Real Name
- Ronald Epstein
Training Day
"To protect the sheep you gotta
catch the wolf"
Holy Cow! Wow!
When was the last time you saw a movie that
kept you riveted to the screen wondering what
was going to happen next? I have just the movie
for you.
The alarm clock hits 5:00am. It's the first
day of an important new job for Rookie Cop
Jack Hoyt (Etahn Hawke). He's nervous. Role
call is in a few mere hours and he wants to
make a good impression. It has been his dream
to become a Police officer, and this is the big
day.
He gets sidetracked. The phone rings. A voice
tells him not to show up for role call, but to
meet at a local coffee shop. Within the hour,
Officer Hoyt is sitting across from Alonzo Harris
(Denzel Washington), an unconventional rogue
undercover veteran. For the next 24 hours, Harris
takes Hoyt on the challenge of his life.
Departing from the normal "good guy" role that
he is so well known for, Denzel Washington plays
perhaps the most memorable role of his career as
a charismatic detective who seems to have everyone
under his thumb.
From start to finish, this movie is a well written,
well directed and incredibly well acted thriller.
I have never sat and watched a film anticipating
what is going to happen next as the plot gets deeper
and more twisted by every passing moment.
How is the transfer?
It sort of gets repetitious in my reviews to
praise Warner Brothers on their transfers. However,
I have to be honest, Warner is putting out some
of the best transfers today. The anamorphic (2.35:1)
widescreen transfer is absolutely flawless.
Even more impressive is the 5.1 Dolby Digital
soundtrack. This is an extremely active mix that
takes you into the roughest neighborhoods and puts
you smack in the middle of it all. The speakers
become the streets. Voices of gangmembers alarmingly
emanate from each channel. In the rear you hear
traffic go by or a plane fly overhead. There is
never a moment that mix doesn't remind you that there
is a street world surrounding you.
Special Features
A feature-length commentary is provided by
Director Antoine Fuqua. I listened to the first
20 minutes of the documentary which moves slowly
through each scene. We learn that the coffee shop
scene was actually the first day of shooting, and
that all the actors and crew were very nervous that
day. Antoine also talks about the game of chess that
this movie so skillfully plays, and the importance of
building the story layer by layer.
"This is the story of a guy who is twisted",
exclaims actor Denzel Washington at the start of
The Making of Training Day. This 15-minute
HBO documentary talks about the authenticity of
the film. Written by David Ayer, a white kid that
grew up in the toughest area of L.A., the film
takes you into the grittiest parts of the city.
Many of the film's street scenes are shown from
behind-the-scenes as the cast talks about how much
they pushed each other to get this film done right.
There are a total of 5 Alternate Scenes that
are basically extensions of scenes already in place.
4 of these scenes are all street scenes that include
Denzel taunting the women walking the streets, asking
Ethan about his ethnic background, and reminiscing about
"back in the day". All of these cuts don't add anything
substantial to the film. The fifth deleted scene, however,
gives us more insight into what Smiley was supposed to do
after shooting Hoyte in the bathtub. The scene actually
evokes more sympathy for the Smiley character.
For a totally different twist to the story,
check out the added Alternate Ending of the
film that has Officer Hoyte meeting up with the three
wise men of the Department. Though it could easily
have worked well as substitute for the original
ending, it perhaps says too much.
There are two music videos included from Nelly
and Pharoahe Monch.
There is the standard cast and crew bios included
as well as the film's Theatrical Trailer.
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that Training Day is
going to be a film that will be talked about for
the next few months. With its release on DVD, people
will be talking about how entertaining this film is.
It's not a big action movie, but yet, one of those movies
that allows you to kick back, take your mind off the world,
and watch something that will thoroughly surprise and
entertain you.
Worth a purchase sight unseen!
Release Date: March 19, 2002
