Denzel Washington makes corruption frighteningly persuasive in Antoine Fuqua’s gripping police thriller. Ethan Hawke gives him someone worth watching opposite, though David Ayer’s script becomes disappointingly ordinary when it ought to be tightening its grip.
Training Day takes a familiar police-thriller arrangement and makes the apprenticeship itself frightening. The experienced officer has all the confidence; the newcomer must decide how much of his judgement to surrender in order to learn. Antoine Fuqua makes a gripping film from that unequal relationship, with Denzel Washington doing much of the persuading. Our reservation is substantial but simple: David Ayer’s screenplay eventually settles for much more ordinary thrills than these two men can provide.
Washington’s Alonzo is a corrupt narcotics officer who makes knowing better sound like a personal failing in anyone else. His humour matters as much as his aggression, because it gives Jake a reason to remain interested even when he should be alarmed. Washington enjoys Alonzo’s ability to command attention, and Fuqua is right to let that enjoyment become uncomfortable. We felt uneasy watching Jake endure the humiliations presented as instruction. The bullying works because Alonzo makes acceptance by him seem worth the cost.
Ethan Hawke has the harder, less conspicuous task: Jake must be susceptible without seeming incapable of recognising what is in front of him. Hawke makes the desire to impress credible, which keeps the character from becoming merely a decent man available for punishment. We can see why he might hesitate before challenging someone who appears so certain of himself. The performance gives Washington something to push against, and their exchanges remain tense even when Alonzo is being amusing. Neither actor needs the screenplay to announce the difference in their authority.
Mauro Fiore’s cinematography gives the Los Angeles street scenes a glossy finish that suits Alonzo’s appetite for attention. We occasionally wanted less polish, particularly when the setting ought to make his behaviour feel grubby. Naomi Shohan’s production design keeps the surroundings credible, helping the intimidation feel rooted in places where people actually live. Fuqua handles these spaces with assurance, making the encounters feel dangerous without losing track of the people involved. The style sometimes overstates the threat, but it seldom gets in the actors’ way.
Conrad Buff IV’s editing gives the successive encounters enough momentum to stop the film feeling like a collection of tests for Jake. At 122 minutes, it has room for the actors to complicate what might otherwise be a blunt exercise in intimidation. Mark Mancina’s score adds pressure, though the tension between Washington and Hawke is already doing the necessary work. The most persuasive danger comes from wondering what Alonzo will require Jake to accept next.
The difficulty comes when Ayer asks the plot to take over from that relationship. Its later contrivances require a degree of indulgence that the performances have not needed, and the action grows more conventional. We will leave the details alone, but the change costs the film some of its earlier unease. Fuqua stages it confidently, with a clear sense of pace, but the strain in the plotting remains. Too much of the closing stretch depends on accepting what the screenplay needs to happen.
The police thriller often treats professional competence as a reason to forgive almost anything, and Fuqua makes that habit worth questioning. Alonzo is compelling enough for the temptation to register, even when his conduct should settle the matter. That gives Training Day something nastier and more interesting than the routine clash of a seasoned officer and a beginner. Go for Washington and Hawke; be prepared for the plot to become less interesting than either of them.
