Action dramas are rarely intelligent or provocative. Mostly, they are heavy on the gunplay and special effects and light on credibility and characterization. They are meant to divert and entertain rather than challenge or cause careful contemplation.
"Training Day," starring the incomparable Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, is not your run of the mill action movie. In fact, for the most part it doesn't even fall into that genre. It is much more ambitious than that. And for the most part, quality and ambition go hand in hand. Only near the end does it fall apart, but not enough to make it anything but a must-see.
A contemporary take on the cop/buddy movie, "Training Day" takes place over one day in the worst parts of Los Angeles. Much like Washington's character, Detective Sergeant Alonzo Harris, it's ferocious, intense, mesmerizing and, ultimately, self-destructive.
Harris is a 13-year veteran narcotics officer. Young, idealistic rookie Jake Hoyt (Hawke) is his potential protégé. Hoyt has one day to prove to Harris that he has what it takes to be a narcotics officer.
As they ride around the mean streets together in Harris's 1978 Monte Carlo low rider, the older cop dispenses all of his wisdom upon the younger one. He gives him a lesson on how to be a productive and helpful narcotics officer. His words are bold and morally, ethically and legally questionable, causing an internal struggle in the optimistic Hoyt.
But it's not only Harris's words that trouble Hoyt. It's also his actions. A particularly eye-opening ordeal is when Hoyt confronts two men attempting to rape a young girl. After a lengthy struggle and fierce battle, he eventually subdues the men and frees the girl, only to have Harris let them go.
It's this type of thing that typifies their time together. Hoyt thinks traditionally. He says he wants justice and to arrest the bad guys. Harris tries to get him to see that it's not always that simple. Sometimes you have to let the little fish go in order to catch the big fish. Sometimes an arrest isn't always the best solution. Nothing is black and white and the line between good and bad is not easy to see.
For about 90 or so minutes, "Training Day" is easily among the year's best films. It grabs you from the start. David Ayer's screenplay is complex and produces numerous tough questions while sculpting two memorable leading characters. It ranks up there with "Serpico" among the all-time great cop dramas.
In addition to the well-crafted script, it has much more going for it. The locations add to the realism and grit. Mauro Fiore's cinematography gives it an appropriately dark look and feel. Antoine Fuqua's direction is assured and strong. And the supporting cast, which includes Tom Berenger, Scott Glenn and Cliff Curtis as well as rappers Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, is fantastic.
Best of all, though, are Washington and Hawke. The latter shows a toughness that he's never displayed before. He is completely believable as a rookie cop and gives a thoroughly likeable performance, arguably the best of his career. Washington, however, controls the movie. He is simply one of the best leading men of all-time, and this is a character like no other he's ever played. His performance is remarkably good. Edgy, charismatic, scary, mean and powerful.
Because most of "Training Day" is so good, it's sad to watch it crumble in the final 15 or 20 minutes. It becomes just like every other Hollywood action movie: over the top, needlessly violent and unrealistic. The conclusion is nowhere near satisfactory.
But most of "Training Day" is magnetic and unforgettable, just like Washington's award-worthy performance. It could have been an instant classic; instead it's just really, really good.
Grade: A-
"Training Day" opens at theatres nationwide on Fri., Oct. 5. Click here for showtimes.
