Although Denzel Washington has essayed stronger character portrayals in better films, this is the movie that finally earned him a best-actor Oscar. The gritty 2001 crime story gave Washington the role of crooked narcotics detective Alonzo Harris - "a wolf among wolves" - who provides an eventful first day on the job for plain-clothes rookie Jake (Ethan Hawke). Cruising the mean streets of L.A. in his vintage Monte Carlo, Alonzo begins the initiation of his new partner by tricking him into smoking angel dust. Next, Alonzo introduces Jake to his gaggle of criminal cronies and dodgy informants, and eventually to his Salvadoran mistress (Eva Mendes). The subsequent chain of events seem overly orchestrated to establish, again and again, the notion that Alonzo operates outside the system and adheres to his own code of street justice. As always, Washington puts his all into the performance, but his transformation was more thorough in the earlier features Cry Freedom, Glory, Malcolm X and, particularly, The Hurricane - all films for which he received Academy Award nominations. Upon repeat viewing, the more interesting portrayals in Training Day come from two pop stars: Rapper Snoop Dogg exhibits strong screen presence as a disabled drug dealer named Blue, and soul singer Macy Gray delivers a short but powerful cameo as the wife of another drug dealer. Despite having no formal acting training, both are remarkably real.
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