All Critics (159)
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Top Critics (35)
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DVD (37)
If he makes it through the trial by fire -- and a blandly twisting plot with no meaningful revelations or substantial themes -- Hawke will get a promotion, but there's nothing in it for us.
On a purely visceral level, Training Day is easily the most exciting movie out there right now, but as a morality tale with anything large on its mind, it's a cop-out.
Training Day isn't just one of the finest cops-and-robbers thrillers of recent years, full of devious twists and gut-grinding tension, but it also steers clear of convenient moral formulas.
Training Day is a tense, polished, well-made action thriller that suffers from bad timing.
As usual Washington is astounding. He grabs the screen like a vise and never lets go.
A taut, high-velocity film.
Great performances, but for adults only.
The movie moves rapidly, is extremely violent and not entirely plausible.
This isn't a serious movie, despite Denzel Washington in full eruption and giving his calloused lines more weight and authority than they deserve.
Cast against type as a corrupt cop, Denzel Washington, usually seen in noble and heroic roles, is nothing short of brilliant; with some luck, he should earn an Oscar nomination.
Marred slightly by an unsatisfactory climax, this is a cracking cop drama anchored by great performances and intelligent direction from Fuqua.
...the more detail there is in a frame, the better the picture looks. (HD-DVD Edition)
Director Fuqua keeps it slick and sleazy and stokes up the race some, but this only accelerates the movie's deafening rush toward the top and ever over.
Thumbs up, without question. Unfortunately, Training Day could have been so much more than it is.
Denzel Washington delivers a remarkable performance in this enthralling and unique tale of a corrupt cop, completely transforming himself into an unexpectedly imposing threat.
...an intelligent and riveting action movie that doesn't rely on a lot of special effects to tell a genuinely interesting story.
While most critics have chosen to highlight Washington's performance as the standout, it would be unfair not to mention Ethan Hawke, who plays the rookie Hoyt with a perfect patina of guileless enthusiasm.
It is unfortunate that the script by David Ayer is so riddled with pretense, but Washington, Hawke, and their supporting cast do all they can to play through.
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