Actors - Training Day

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	Actors - Training Day

Training Day is a 2001 film starring Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris, a highly decorated but corrupt LAPD police officer, and Ethan Hawke as Jake Hoyt, his new green recruit looking to become a part of Harris's Narcotics unit. The entire movie takes place over a single, intense 24-hour period in Los Angeles that changes the lives of both officers. The movie was written by David Ayer and directed by Antoine Fuqua, both of whom grew up in gang neighborhoods.

Fuqua wanted Training Day to look as authentic as possible, and he shot on location in some of the most infamous neighborhoods of Los Angeles, California. He even obtained permission from gangs to shoot in the notoriously dangerous Imperial Courts housing project. His crew ended up receiving a warm welcome from local residents, who were all happy that a movie was being made that showed some of the regular life that exists in their world. When Fuqua wasn't able to shoot a scene directly on location, he did an outstanding job of recreating these locations on sets.

There were two police officers on hand as technical advisors, Michael Patterson and Paul Lozada. Shiheed "Bone" Sloan served as the gang advisor. Washington, Hawke and other cast members also met with undercover police officers, local drug dealers and gangbangers to help them understand their roles better.

Denzel Washington's portrayal of Alonzo Harris gathered glowing praise from the critics. Fuqua wanted his character to be seductive and part of a machine, and not just a random rogue cop. In Washington's own words,

:"I think in some ways he’s done his job too well. He’s learned how to manipulate, how to push the line further and further, and, in the process, he’s become more hard-core than some of the guys he’s chasing."

In the movie Harris shows a liking towards Hoyt, and in many ways he sees Hoyt as a younger version of himself, naive and idealistic before being hardened by harsh realities of police work and street life, before turning into a morally questionable individual himself.

Training Day brings up a moral dilemma of committing little crimes to prevent large ones and getting things done effectively even if it is not done the right way. Denzel Washington won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Ethan Hawke was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Training Day also features appearances by Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger, Harris Yulin, Eva Mendes and musical artists Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Macy Gray.

The story

The movie, as the title suggests, follows a single day in the life of a young LAPD cop Jake Hoyt (Hawke) as he is subject to a single day of evaluation by a senior, decorated LAPD police narcotics officer Alonzo Harris (Washington) to see if he has what it takes to be a 'narc'.

During the first few moments of their riding together as partners, it becomes quickly apparent that Jake's 'by the book' dictum is in stark contrast to Alonzo's philosophy of blending in with the street. Jake is put into a compromising position when Alonzo offers him a hit of PCP (Jake thinks it is marijuana). After initially refusing, Alonzo informs Jake that in order to blend in with the criminal element, he needs to be able to take drugs without hesitation, or he'll be shot. After threatening to throw Jake out of the car, Jake gives in, much to Alonzo's delight. As they're cruising down the street, Jake notices a girl being attacked by two men in a side alley. Jake jumps out of the car and saves the girl, though Alonzo disapproves - by being 'public' for what he considers to be a minor infraction.

During the course of the day, Alonzo brings Jake further and further into the world of the 'street'. He openly and friendly converses with a known drug dealer (Scott Glenn), searches a house without a warrant (using a Chinese restaurant menu as his 'warrant') and harasses various drug dealers. When Alonzo meets with three men in suits in a restaurant, it's clear from their conversation that Alonzo has bigger problems than breaking in a new rookie, but that he somehow seems to have a handle on the situation.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Training Day ]

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Actors - Training Day

The story

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