Washington turns to the dark side
By ADAM WELTLER
Scene Movie Critic
"To protect the sheep, you must catch the wolf. It takes a wolf to catch a wolf."
This is Detective Sgt. Alonzo Harris' (Denzel Washington) philosophy, which he preaches to rookie Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) on how to fight crime on the streets in the new crime drama "Training Day."
Taking place over one exhilarating day in south central Los Angeles, "Training Day" tells the story of narcotics rookie Jake Hoyt's initiation into the world of inner city crime and his temptation with the corruption it breeds. A talented up-and-comer, Hoyt signs on to join Harris, an LAPD narcotics officer with one of the best arrest and conviction records in the force's history. His squad produces the quickest and best promotions in the department, and the ambitious Hoyt needs the job to provide for his wife and infant daughter.
From their first meeting, Harris dominates, treating Hoyt like the rookie that he is, as if he knows nothing. Harris knows the streets like the back of his hand, living the part with his black skullcap and chains. His "office" is a black Monte Carlo complete with rims and a hydraulic system. He seems to know every street and every dealer, using his knowledge to make contacts and get the information he wants, sometimes through questionable if not illegal means.
Hoyt enters the squad as a true greenhorn, idealistic and enthusiastic, convinced he can make a difference in the world. Harris knows how dangerous idealism can be to the both of them. Throughout the day, Harris imparts upon the rookie (and the audience) his hard-nosed take on the streets, giving us a cynical view of life in the ghettos of L.A.
To catch the wolf, you must be a wolf. And Harris has made himself a wolf both feared and respected within the underworld.
Hoyt's training begins with Harris forcing the rookie at gunpoint to smoke PCP-laced pot, which they had confiscated from a bust. His rationale: "If I was a dealer, you'd be dead by now." Hoyt reluctantly accepts, and begins his initiation into a world he already dislikes. Harris' tactics and methods are unorthodox and mostly illegal, but he is always quick to back up his actions with seemingly legitimate reasoning.
But as Hoyt continues to follow Harris, he becomes aware of the corruption that has overtaken him in his quest for justice. He sees Harris steal money from drug dealers, pull a knife on a prisoner in custody, and murder one of his criminal contacts (a friend) to pay a debt. We learn more of Harris' private life, including the price on his head that he needs money to pay off. Once Hoyt realizes this, it is already too late, and getting out may cost him his life.
Thought provoking and exciting, "Training Day" gives its audience a close look at the paths we can take for justice.
One cannot help but draw comparisons to our country's war on terrorism. Should terror be fought with terror? To fight the enemy, one must know the enemy, and Harris does this. But at what cost? The film shows that crossing the line into treachery can give us an advantage on evil, but it can easily consume us in the process.
As Sgt. Harris, Washington gives one of the best performances of his career, creating a character that is both two-faced and intimidating, likeable and loathsome, and brutal yet almost necessary.
Ethan Hawke tries to portray a transformation in Hoyt from an idealistic rookie to a hardened cop, but the script doesn't develop this change as much as it should.
Rap artists Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg provide cameos along the way, playing a crooked cop and a wheelchair-bound crack dealer, respectively.
"Training Day" is solid entertainment and certainly tells an engrossing story. The weaknesses lie in Harris' complete formation into a representative figure of the evils in society. But, then again, if audiences are to accept "Denzel" as a villain, he had better be really bad. And, as Harris, Washington is one bad cop.
In a nutshell: Top tier entertainment with some important themes and an impresive performance by Washington.
--Four shamrocks (out of five)
Contact Adam Welter at aweltler@nd.edu.
All Scene Stories for Thursday, October 11, 2001
