Review of Training Day (2001) by Bradysmith — 10 Nov 2013

One of the best crime thrillers I've ever seen, Training day would have gotten a 9 from me had it not become somewhat sloppy in the last couple of minutes with a generic cat and mouse chase scene. Unlike most of his roles Denzel Washington's Alonzo Harris is an absolute monster.

Cruel, violent, deceitful, and downright nasty, he makes other loose cannon cops like John McClane seem like SpongeBob in the episode where he becomes a hall-monitor. Denzel rightfully earned an Oscar in this role.

Dafoe also does a great job, which earned him an Oscar nomination as well. This movie is a gritty, exhilarating, and extremely well crafted thrill ride. There are plot twists and turns you won't expect, as well as lots of memorable dialogue and action.

Corruption and morally ambiguous situations literally stuff the film, which makes it as thought provoking as it is visceral. Near the ending there is a generic and basically pointless chase scene which took up enough time to force me into giving it an 8 instead of a nine, but don't let this quibble discourage you from seeing it.

Thanks to Training Day, the next time I walk into the DVD store, I know which movie I'm looking for first.