TRAINING DAY (2001) 2 stars out of 4. Starring Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glen, Cliff Curtis, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, Macy Gray and Tom Berenger. Written by David Ayer. Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Rated R.
It's usually exciting to see an actor with a good-guy reputation putting on the black hat and trying to portray the villain.
That is the main reason I was interested in Training Day, in which Denzel Washington shucks his Boy Scout image to play Alonzo Harris, a veteran narcotics officer, a rogue cop who crosses the line until there is not much difference between himself and those he has sworn to put away.
But Washington's larger-than-life image is so burned into our psyches, that it hard to accept him as a corrupt narc. The question arises, "Who's problem is that the audience's or the actor's?
In this case, it's a little of both. Washington cannot totally commit to the dark side. His Harris is a deadly, charismatic, unpredictable charmer, always ready with a laugh or a smile. He also can strike with the suddenness of a rattler.
Good actor that he is, Washington tries to present a complex persona, not allowing his Harris to plunge totally to the depths. His Harris, though dangerous and deadly, is too flamboyant. Washington has not been able - or not allowed himself - to totally immerse himself into his character's rank nature.
Training Day is a violent outing about the first day on the job for a new narcotics officer, Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke). One of the movie's biggest problems is that Hawke is a cipher. He is too wooden, too overwhelmed by Washington's personality to find a voice as strong as that of his partner's.
Hawke spends most of the movie in Washington's shadow. His character lacks vigor and verve. His Hoyt is emotionally light and his physical presence is too slight to be considered an on-screen equal. He is too unworldly, too naive to be a counterpoint to Washington's illicit dynamo.
The story, though, is interesting to follow, as hints to the main plot are dropped here and there and in rather oblique ways.
The film begins unraveling during a scene featuring one of the most lame coincidences ever put on screen. This sequence which started out so promising drags the rest of the film down with it.
Still, the movie is a star turn for Washington. As Harris, he swaggers, struts and parades around like a one-man band. He is a conniving con artist, ostensibly trying to teach a rookie officer the way of the street, while continuing to plot his secret agenda.
Nothing rings true here. The film has the feel of playing-acting cops, not life-on-the-street police. Plus, it features one of those down-and-dirty fights that would land lesser mortals such as us in the hospital for a month or two, but from which both antagonists merely stumble away with the usual phony film limp.
Training Day is a glorified lesser feature that does nothing for the careers of either of its stars. Motivation is questionable, the script needed some more polish and some of the action is cartoonish.
It may satisfy Washington's legions of fans, but that is as far as it goes.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at bobbloom@iquest.net. Other reviews by Bloom can be found by going to www.jconline.com and clicking on golafayette. Bloom's reviews also can be found on the Web at the Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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