Training Day

3 Pages 722 Words

Training Day is not just soulful, it's organic. You can hear it breathing. Long, slow concentrated breathes of polluted air - a slight struggle to fill the lungs, because it's a heavy smoker, with quick confident exhales, snapping the eyes to attention as blood pumps furiously, menacing and red. This is the power of Antoine Fuqua's (The Replacement Killers, a.k.a. Charlie's favorite movie) serious minded morality tale of two Los Angeles cops spending a day together on the gritty streets - one man a hardened know it all veteran, Alonzo (Denzel Washington, explosive like a fire cracker) and the other a first day with all the trimmings rookie, Jake (Ethan Hawke wringing electricity from a part that lesser actors would have missed). Actually, there is a third person riding around in Alonzo's slick black high and mighty mobile getting schooled about what it "really" means and what it "really" takes to clean up the scum and keep the peace – you, the audience, are being trained as well. The movie stares at you disapprovingly, sizes you're white ass up, and asks if you're ready. Whatever you answer you're wrong - just get in and shut up-but, keep your eyes open. Watch Alonzo carefully and wonder how much of his rhetoric you believe and still feel comfortable being in the car. Would it be foolish to underestimate him? Glance over at Jake and think what must be going through his head, and don't sell him short either. Don't let Alonzo catch you clawing at the locks trying to make an early exit, because that will make you appear weak and might just get you killed. At the end of the day you're going to be asked one question: What earned your respect today? The answer will tell you who you are.

It's not like we haven't seen this formula before. Clean, crisp, idealistic babe is partnered with a burn the book, senior officer who enlightens the younger man as to what police work truly is (The Rookie, Point Break). But I can't remember the formula ...