"MYST Post #1: Training Day"

The film I chose to watch over the three day weekend was "Training Day" which was filmed back in 2001, also directed by Antoine Fuqua and easily my favorite crime drama film ever. The two main stars in this movie are Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. Washington stars as this veteran LAPD narcotics officer named Alonzo Harris who was specialized in cracking down on drugs and gang violence. Ethan Hawke stars as this Los Angeles Police officer named Jake Hoyt, who ends up getting a chance at becoming an LAPD detective, and the only way to do so is under the 24 hour training and evaluating of Detective Harris (Washington). Throughout the movie Washington is portrayed as a hardcore gangster cop who tries get Hoyt to understand that what Alonzo does everyday, can be life threatening and you can trust no one but yourself , especially when you try to fight against crime and gang warfare. Other actors/actresses involved are Eva Mendes, Snoop Dogg, Dr.Dre, and Scott Glen. This movie really reminded of another film too such as American Gangster (2007), that made me feel that Denzel Washington was portrayed as a dangerous crime figure. In that movie, he played the role of a gangster named Frank Lucas that took control of the heroin distribution in Harlem and also was the most dangerous gangster in New York in the 1960's. Another movie, even though it didn't have any of the actors in this film, reminded me of how a detective is set up by another man in the same police force that he trusted throughout the film. The movie that made the best connection was Street Kings (2008) that starred Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker.

The style this film used definitely had a lot of suspense involved. The suspense really showed in some of the scenes that involved close encounters with death for officer Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) and the music would really get loud and would signal that something bad was going to happen. The camera technique had a lot of mid range shots and as well as many face to face shots. A lot of scenes involved conversations between Alonzo and Jake, and showing how the mentor trains the rookie cop on  what he knows about the streets all in one day. Washington definitely brings up good points throughout the movie that he teaches to Hawke that he should not mess around on the job, and that you can slip up and something could happen at any time. The film really shows how serious being an undercover police detective can actually be, especially working without no backup. So overall the movie really covers a lot through the camerawork and the technique of showing what makes a good suspenseful crime film.

The scene that really got my attention was right at the end of the movie. When Officer Jake Hoyt comes in to stop Alonzo right before he made his way to meet up with the Russian Mafia, after a little accident in Las Vegas, that killed one of the Russians and putting Alonzo in a position of him being killed if he does not give them what they need. Before this all had happened, Jake figures out that he was being set up by Alonzo after almost being killed by some Mexican gangsters that were assigned  to kill Jake. Jake got himself out of the scuffle and came back to the apartment complex that was the location of Alonzo's stomping grounds. Jake had a one on one brawl with Alonzo and after the fight had been done, Jake had beaten up Alonzo pretty good and takes his gun and the money for the Russians away from Alonzo. This scene got my attention when Jake pointed the gun at Alonzo and told him that he learned a lesson and that he was not one who was inspired by the kind of person Alonzo was. He proved that Alonzo was basically finished and should be taken care of for trying to set up Jake to die. Jake took Alonzo's police badge, showing that Alonzo no longer had power or control of the people that were involved with him and it was his turn to pay the price and that he was no longer the law.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KrNpxODiDA

I would give this film a 9/10. The reason being that this was a film that I could not take my eyes off of. When Denzel Washington is playing a character of a gangster cop, it usually gets my attention right away because he is the best in my opinion, when it comes to playing a gangster. This film had a lot of action involving ongoing investigations, that involves a lot of suspense and people getting set up and killed. Denzel is the one playing the bad guy and sets up his second in command to die and to me, was a surprise when you find out he was a bad guy. So I would recommend this film to anyone that is a fan of Denzel and also loves crime action movies.