Training Day (2001)

On his first day on the job as a Los Angeles narcotics officer, a rookie cop goes beyond a full work day in training within the narcotics division of the L.A.P.D. with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.

Director:

Antoine Fuqua

Writer:

David Ayer

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn

Won 1 Oscar. Another 17 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denzel Washington	...	Alonzo
Ethan Hawke	...	Jake
Scott Glenn	...	Roger
Tom Berenger	...	Stan Gursky
Harris Yulin	...	Doug Rosselli
Raymond J. Barry	...	Lou Jacobs
Cliff Curtis	...	Smiley
Dr. Dre	...	Paul
Snoop Dogg	...	Blue
Macy Gray	...	Sandman's Wife
Charlotte Ayanna	...	Lisa
Eva Mendes	...	Sara (as Eva Mendez)
Nick Chinlund	...	Tim
Jaime Gomez	...	Mark (as Jaime P. Gomez)
Raymond Cruz	...	Sniper

Storyline

In Los Angeles, a city where streets are overrun by drug dealers, those who have sworn to uphold the law are breaking them to clean up the streets. Denzel Washington plays L.A.P.D. detective Alonzo Harris, a veteran narcotics officer whose methods of enforcing the law are questionable, if not corrupt. 'Training Day' follows Harris as he trains rookie Jake Hoyt over a 24-hour period. Ethical dilemmas arise for Hoyt as well as the audience as questions present themselves as to whether or not Harris' methodology for ridding the streets of South Central Los Angeles of drugs is right or wrong.

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Plot Keywords:

narc | day of reckoning | die hard scenario | wedding ring | threatened with a knife | 

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Taglines:

The only thing more dangerous than the line being crossed, is the cop who will cross it.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, drug content and brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

The license plate on Alonzo's car is "ORP 967" obviously a nod to Officer Rafael Perez, the disgraced L.A.P.D. officer who was born in 1967, and on whom the character was based.

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Goofs

When Alonzo and Jake stop the college kids in a lime-green VolksWagen, at first the outside environment and vehicles are all dry. As Alonzo chases the VW and slides in front of it, the ground is wet. After that, the windshield on Alonzo's car is observed to have water droplets on it as if it had been raining. Again, immediately following that, the windshield appears dry. In the next few shots, the viewable windows on the VW alternate between being wet and dry.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Alonzo Harris: What a day. What a motherfuckin' day.

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits after the title is shown.

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Connections

Referenced in The Graham Norton Show: Will Smith/Jenna Coleman/Jamie Oliver/Tom Chaplin (2017)

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Soundtracks

Letter To The President
Written by Quincy Jones III (as QD3), Tupac Shakur, Malcom Greenidge, Katari Cox and Tyruss Himes
Performed by Tupac Shakur (as 2Pac) and Outlawz
Courtesy of Interscope Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

It's my favourite movie

I remember being lent this on DVD during the summer holidays by a mate soon after it was out. I must have watched it every day/second day for about a month! I loved it so much I could never get enough. Denzel and Ethan are a perfect match for this movie; I can't imagine anyone else playing their rolls. Can you? You will either love this movie or find it just a way to 'pass a night'. If you connect with it then you'll never forget it. I know I haven't and I haven't watched it since 2002 because I can remember every part in detail! Training Day is one of those movies which breaks new ground in terms of how a movie can come across to people. It was filmed in such locations such as Imperial Courts neighborhood which, until now, hasn't been filmed. The talk is the talk... you get a real sense of what it's like for these guys as narcotic officers and for what it's like for these guys as the 'bad guys' themselves. At the end of they day they're "Just people and they always were" (Ethan Hawk in a making of Traning day interview).

The movie isn't the fastest paced one around - there are some slow moments but they are played out meaningfully due to some great acting talent which gels the scenes together well. The more you watch it, the more subtle lines and actions you will pick up which make this movie authentic.

Overall, to each his own. I have found this to be one of my favorite movies due to great acting, great directing, great casting (Hawk, Washington, Scott Glen etc) and an interesting storyline.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Spanish Korean Greek

Release Date:

5 October 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Training Day

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,550,788, 7 October 2001

Gross USA:

$76,631,907

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$104,876,233

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1