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MuadDib Reviews TRAINING DAY!!

Published at:  Sep 19, 2001 4:21:23 AM CDT

Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.



Chosen one, shmosen one. I just want to know what he thought of the new Denzel Washington/Ethan Hawke film.



Hello, folks. This is MuadDib, long time chatter and consumer of the site, first time contributor. Right off I’d like to express me deepest sympathies to those who lost loves ones in the WTC tragedy and who are currently fielding the grief for an entire nation.

On Monday night, I was privy to a screening of the upcoming Denzel
Washington acting exhibition, TRAINING DAY. The screening was held by a
local radio station, and the DJ flunky on the mike informed the crowd that
the film release had been pushed back from the 21st of September (IMDB
supplies the new date of Oct. 5) in light of the unfortunate events in New
York. Apparently TRAINING DAY is now shouldering the responsibility
COLLATERAL DAMAGE undertook for Warner Bros.

First, understand the afternoon I had leading up to the 8:30 screening. I
spent the entire afternoon at the very same theater I saw the screening at watching movies that I probably shouldn’t have. All the movies I saw (HARDBALL, TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME, RATE RACE) either teetered on mediocrity or landed directly in the category of genuine cinematic colostomy bags. I was brought ever closer to the outpouring of cries saying, "When is a good fucking movie going to come out?". I know that exasperation. But good things happen at the movie theater when the leaves turn colors... we know that. Look at the release schedule for December, and behold the many wonders. I truly believe that TRAINING DAY is a start of that goodness. Not a superlative film, but a sound and enjoyable piece of work.

We all know that this is Denzel’s show, right off the bat. The bigwigs who funded it, the people who worked on it, and the viewers who are going to see it are in this for one purpose: Denzel chewing it up as a baddie. And be
assured; he dives right in.

The film’s narrative rests directly over the shoulder of enterprising rookie LAPD officer Jake Hoyt, played capably by Ethan Hawke, who fights throughout the movie to save the poorly written character from the dredges.

Jake is everything we’ve seen and come to expect from the rookie cliche.
He’s straight laced, he’s got a growing family, and he’s semi-tough, with enough naivety and soft spots to be an easy target for an accomplished predator.

There’s no bigger predator than Washington’s Alonzo Harris, the LAPD narcotics squad leader whom Jake wants to work for. As in the title, the film is Jake’s 24 hour job interview for Alonzo’s elite team, and we follow the two through a day cruising along the mean streets of LA. Jake is our perspective through this seedy voyage, but Alonzo is front and square the subject.

Clad in black, with a skullcap and gold chains that lay side by side his badge, he’s a sort of prototype for Alpha male superiority dressed up in street hustler invective and a hungry, fell smile. Alonzo is a king of the streets, fully in love with his street-cred. Alonzo’s only mid-career, and already a myth to the guys on both sides of LA crime. He moves around his habitat like a Zen master turned bully, full of confidence and authority. His megalomania now and then enflames to immense proportions, and Alonzo explains to Jake, "Every suspect you kill on duty has to become your slave in the afterlife."

Indeed, Alonzo’s methods are unsound. He threatens suspects with suspects, casually sprays bullets out of his dual 9mm’s on a crowded street, and performs a rather nasty stomach pumping with a writing pen on an uncooperative drug dealer.

Alonzo is a towering character, and he needs to be, because he IS the movie. Washington takes all the physicality he exuded in THE HURRICANE, and
all the disconcerting charisma and command he owned in MALCOM X, and turns them up to 11. Alonzo is equal parts Morgan Freeman’s Fast Black, Popeye Doyle, Baldwin in MALICE, and Tony Montana... well, let‘s say Peoples Hernandez.

For the first half of the film, the movie delights in taking us on a dark
side journey into the necessity of brutality when dealing with brutal people, hosted by the sadistically avuncular Alonzo. And that’s what trips up the second half. When Alonzo’s tactics become even worse, the movie’s moral stance attempts to shift on Alonzo, none too successfully. The movie wants us to admire his braggadocio and his swagger, but it also wants us to vilify him. Can’t do that thing with the cake, guys.

Aside from the morality issue, the only other problems with the movie are a few rather large sized holes in the plot. In one egregious case, Jake gets out of a hopeless situation at the VERY last second through a completely contrived coincidence.

There are no bad performances in the film. Washington and Hawke work
together quite well, with Hawke picking his spots, but mostly doing play by
play for Washington’s very colorful commentator.

In the second half of the movie, there are a bunch of familiar faces that
pop up every five or so minutes, and they provide nice support, but they also provide dumbasses in the audience to yell out, "Say, isn’t that (Dre, Snoop, Macy Gray, that guy who raped Ving Rhames)?" every five goddamn minutes.

Fuqua proves to be a non-issue, here. He does bring out his filters and
time lapse, but he seems to know to work within his limited ability and put the camera in front of Washington and roll the film, like a good boy.

Most of the film is conversation in Alonzo‘s unmarked car, but when violence erupts, it is communicated in a sheerly traumatic manner. Very few
rounds are spent in the film, but when they are, their affects are acutely felt (never more than in a queasy scene where a character willingly takes gunshots to his bulletproof vest covered chest).

All in all, I think this is a good flick. You’ll probably enjoy it. Your appreciation will hinge on your opinion of Denzel Washington, and your
tolerance for harsh scenes of violence. But, I am hoping that is a sign of
goodness coming to your theater.

That’s all I’ve got, for now.

Muad's a good egg from our chat room. Nice of him to contribute. Thanks.



"Moriarty" out.








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    Readers Talkback

  • Sep 19, 2001 7:10:07 AM CDT

    first

    by cakemunch

    sorry, had to...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 19, 2001 7:23:11 AM CDT

    Good critic has given this a bad grade.

    by metsys

    I have only read one major critics review of this movie and that was Owen Gleberman for Entertainment Weekly. I usually agree with him and respect his opinion. He gave Training Day a C- calling it a bad star vehicle for Denzel. "Denzel seems to be saying: Look at me playing this bad guy. Watch me act evil. Give me an Oscar."

    I don't how other critics will like TD but this is not a good sign.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 19, 2001 8:41:46 AM CDT

    Good review...

    by huneybee

    It read well and was very perceptive. I am amazed, though, at how conditioned I have become to the idea of plot holes. They are so frequent that I think I have become immune...just blindly accepting that whatever is necessary to keep things rolling will happen.____A Bee That Drools When She Hears That Bell Ring

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 19, 2001 10:47:57 AM CDT

    What This Guy Didn't Like "Two Can Play That Game"? That Movie

    by the founder

    I hate to sound cliched, but you really have to appreciate Black Humor, and just have experianced the culutural differences that set us apart from mainstream society. I thougt it was an entertaining flick, now I won't go as far to say it was one of the years best, or compare it to obvious classics, but it was a fun movie about relationships. It's worth the price of admission, but if you have a distaste for balck films or don't get some of our humor and way of life, then don't see this movie, but hey you never know you may enjoy it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 19, 2001 3:01:38 PM CDT

    This movie is good??? OOOOOO-Kay......

    by rogue_leader

    You'll have to forgive me if I am a little bit skeptical seeing as how this is from the guy who's last two movie were Bait and The Replacement Killers.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Sep 20, 2001 9:39:47 AM CDT

    owen gleiberman?

    by jaminator45

    you respect owen gleiberman? this guy is a fucking twerp. he doesnt like shit. he picks one or two little "special" movies every year and hates everything else. THis man burns up his thesaurus with every review. he loves his cute little analogies. entertainment weakly should fire his ass and get someone who still likes movies to do their reviews. lisa schwarzbutt is not much better.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jan 26, 2003 5:59:23 AM CST

    Last

    by 2leggedfreak

    Bit of a harsh review as I found the film to be great entertainment. A coincidence that gets the hero out of a jam isn't a plot hole and , in this particular instance, you can say that Jakes character reaped the reward of his straitlaced approach to helping people....sometimes the real successes in life just come from being nice to people. A brilliant moral tale for our times and scary as hell too.

    Reply to Talkback

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