#72: Training Day (2001)

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke and Scott Glenn
Academy Awards (1): Denzel Washington for Best Actor. Nominated one more time. Ethan Hawke for Best Supporting Actor.
Plot: “On his first day on the job as a Los Angeles narcotics officer, a rookie cop goes on a 24-hour training course with a rogue detective who isn’t what he appears.”
Stock: Down
Previous Ranking: #30

“King Kong ain’t got shit on me!”

I hardly ever use Michael Jordan as a comparison because it’s damn near impossible to compare MJ to anything or anyone. But, I will use it here because it’s the ONLY thing I can think of when describing Denzel’s role of Alonzo Harris. If Training Day was Game 6 of the NBA Finals, then Denzel was vintage Michael Jordan.

There really isn’t any other way to describe how perfect Denzel is as Alonzo Harris. His charisma, his language, his laugh … they all play a part in crafting one of the most “perfect” characters I’ve ever had the privilege of watching. He steals every scene he’s in and wholeheartedly deserved the Oscar he took home.

I was a late addition to Training Day and didn’t get around to finally seeing it until a couple years ago. I knew Denzel was superb and I had seen bits-and-pieces of it but never watched it all the way through. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and take it in. It’s too good of a film for you not to see it.

UPDATE

While Denzel isn’t going anywhere in my personal pantheon of best acting performances, the movie does takes a bit of a drop. Truth be told, I’m not too sure how it fell this far. I can say that #30 was a bit high for it four years ago, and that #72 may be a bit low for it now. Maybe in four more years I’ll finally get it right.

Fun Fact: Bruce Willis was offered the role of Alonzo.

Hint for #71: I had to buy one of these recently, and all I could think about was Leo.

Peace Be The Journey.