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Training Day (2001)

tomatometer

72

Average Rating: 6.5/10
Reviews Counted: 153
Fresh: 110 | Rotten: 43

The ending may be less than satisfying, but Denzel Washington reminds us why he's such a great actor in this taut and brutal police drama.

71

Average Rating: 6.3/10
Critic Reviews: 34
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 10

The ending may be less than satisfying, but Denzel Washington reminds us why he's such a great actor in this taut and brutal police drama.

audience

85

liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 267,222

My Rating

Movie Info

The Fast and the Furious (2001) screenwriter David Ayer follows up that fast-paced action hit with this gritty cop drama from director Antoine Fuqua. Ethan Hawke stars as Jake Hoyt, a fresh-faced Los Angeles Police Department rookie anxious to join the elite narcotics squad headed up by 13-year veteran Detective Sergeant Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington). Harris has agreed to give Hoyt a shot at joining his team with a one-day ride-along during which Hoyt must prove his mettle. As the day wears

R, 2 hr. 2 min.

Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense

David Ayer

Jun 1, 2004

$76.1M

Warner Bros. Pictures

Cast

All Critics (157) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (115) | Rotten (44) | DVD (36)

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.

April 9, 2008 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comments (6)
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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.

January 22, 2002 Full Review Source: New York Magazine | Comment
New York Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

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.

October 12, 2001 Full Review Source: Salon.com | Comment
Salon.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Training Day is a tense, polished, well-made action thriller that suffers from bad timing.

October 11, 2001 Full Review Source: New York Observer | Comment
New York Observer
Top Critic IconTop Critic

As usual Washington is astounding. He grabs the screen like a vise and never lets go.

October 8, 2001 Full Review Source: CNN.com | Comment
CNN.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A taut, high-velocity film.

October 5, 2001 Comment
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Great performances, but for adults only.

December 29, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

The movie moves rapidly, is extremely violent and not entirely plausible.

April 9, 2008 Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | Comments (7)
Observer [UK]

This isn't a serious movie, despite Denzel Washington in full eruption and giving his calloused lines more weight and authority than they deserve.

August 5, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comments (2)
eFilmCritic.com

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.

January 4, 2007 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | Comment (1)

Marred slightly by an unsatisfactory climax, this is a cracking cop drama anchored by great performances and intelligent direction from Fuqua.

December 30, 2006 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | Comment
Empire Magazine

...the more detail there is in a frame, the better the picture looks. (HD-DVD Edition)

May 10, 2006 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

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.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

Thumbs up, without question. Unfortunately, Training Day could have been so much more than it is.

October 1, 2005 Full Review Source: Zertinet Movies | Comment
Zertinet Movies

Denzel Washington delivers a remarkable performance in this enthralling and unique tale of a corrupt cop, completely transforming himself into an unexpectedly imposing threat.

January 15, 2004 Full Review Source: Radio Free Entertainment | Comment
Radio Free Entertainment

...an intelligent and riveting action movie that doesn't rely on a lot of special effects to tell a genuinely interesting story.

August 1, 2003 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comment
Reel Film Reviews

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.

February 13, 2003 Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) | Comment

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.

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | Comment
Film Quips Online
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Training Day

Training Day is a gripping thriller, despite the fact that it trades in rusty corrupt cop and film noir cliches, plus a wack of borrowed scenes from other movies.This is due to the talents of three men who elevate this into something truly special: Denzel Washington, charismatic leading man doing the best work of his

February 6, 2012
Josh Morris

Super Reviewer

Denzel's performance is absolutely riveting. Every scene he's in, he's got the audience captivated. The East-LA, gritty gang setting is revealing and shocking but the movie suffers from poor production value, poor cinematography & camera work, and little substance. This movie is extremely forgettable; what isn't

September 17, 2010
Albert Kim

Super Reviewer

    1. Alonzo Harris: You'll never see the light of... who the fuck do you think you're fucking with? I'm the police, I run shit around here. You just live here.
    – Submitted by John D (3 months ago)
    1. Alonzo Harris: King Kong ain't got shit on me.
    – Submitted by Miles T (8 months ago)
    1. Alonzo Harris: You made the decision. Live with your decision. Ain't like I put a gun to your head.
    – Submitted by Iva L (8 months ago)
    1. Blue: I told ya'll I don't work for nobody. Why the fuck are ya'll sweatin' me any mothafuckin' way?
    – Submitted by rob g (9 months ago)
    1. Alonzo Harris: Today's a training day, Officer Hoyt. Show you around, give you a taste of the business. I got 38 cases pending trial, 63 in active investigations, another 250 on the log I can't clear. I supervise five officers. That's five different personalities. Five sets of problems. You can be number six if you act now. But I ain't holding no hands, okay? I ain't baby-sitting. You got today and today only to show me who and what you're made of. You don't like narcotics, get the fuck out of my car. Go get you a nice, pussy desk job, chasing bad checks or something, you hear me?
    – Submitted by rob g (9 months ago)

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