Training Day (Exclusive Series) (HBO Max)

Initial release date: October 5, 2001

Studios: Warner Bros/ Village Roadshow Pictures

Tagline: The only thing more dangerous than the line being crossed, is the cop who will cross it.

Plot: Police drama about a veteran officer who escorts a rookie on his first day with the LAPD’s tough inner-city narcotics unit. ‘Training Day’ is a blistering action drama that asks the audience to decide what is necessary, what is heroic and what crosses the line in the harrowing gray zone of fighting urban crime. Does law-abiding enforcement come at the expense of justice and public safety? If so, do we demand safe streets at any cost?

Cast

Denzel Washington - Alonzo

Ethan Hawke - Jake

Scott Glenn - Roger

Tom Berenger - Stan Gursky

Harris Yulin - Doug Rosselli

Raymond J. Barry - Lou Jacobs

Cliff Curtis - Smiley

Dr. Dre - Paul

Snoop Dog - Blue

Macy Gray - Sandman’s Wife

Charlotte Ayanna - Lisa

Eva Mendes - Sara

Nick Churland - Tim

Jaime Gomez - Mark

Raymond Cruz - Sniper

Noel Gugliemi - Moreno

Samantha Estaban - Letty

Writer: David Ayer (The Tax Collector; Suicide Squad; Fury; Sabotage; End of Watch)

Director: Antoine Fuqua (Infinite; The Equalizer 2)

Rated R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, drug content and brief nudity (122 minutes)

Denzel Washington will always give an incredible performance, even if he's playing a tough, rogue cop in this gripping 2001 cop drama. This cop drama also dives into the world of police corruption and dirty cops.

Over the years, I have seen Washington in many roles. But, never thought that he could do such an outstanding, convincing job as a ruthless cop. ‘Training Day’ also features several tense moments that end in really unexpected ways.

It’s hard to believe that this engaging cop thriller is over twenty years old now!!! Catch ‘Training Day’ on HBO Max!!!

Here are quite a few interesting tidbits for ‘Training Day’:

• Denzel Washington has frequently said that Detective Alonzo Harris is his favorite character that he’s played.

• During the scene where Jake plays cards with the Latino gangsters, Fuqua gave certain instructions to the actors playing the gangsters without telling Ethan Hawke. This was done to further confuse him and add to the tension of the scene.

• Tobey Maguire was seriously considered for the part of Jake Hoyt. He even followed undercover narcotics officers in LA for 2 months and gained weight for the role. He was dropped when Hawke, Fuqua’s first choice, was finally available for the shooting schedule.

• T. Rodgers, the founder of the Black P. Stones Bloods in Baldwin Village aka The Jungles in LA, was on-set for all of the filming in his neighborhood, and allowed the producers to use his neighborhood in exchange for casting gang members.

• To give his character a much more authentic aspect, Washington decided to have the same look as disgraced LAPD officer Rafael Perez.

• When the movie came out, many viewers and critics were skeptical of the scenes where Hoyt smokes marijuana laced with PCP, and Alonzo’s explanation of how a cop who didn’t take drugs offered to him on the street would be ID’d as police and killed. Ayer responded in an interview by holding up a highlighted section of the LAPD’s rules and regulations; it stated that officers were allowed to use narcotics in very specific undercover situations, and hewed closely to what Alonzo told Jake.

• The film had several police technical advisors. Among them was Detective Sgt. Brian Davis, an LAPD vet who is one of the most respected and decorated officers of the infamous elite Special Investigation Section.

• Denzel’s win at the Oscars for Best Actor was considered a major upset at the time, as fellow nominee Russell Crowe had won all the major precursor awards (Golden Globes, SAG, Critics Choice and BAFTA) for ‘A Beautiful Mind.’

• Cle Sloan, a gang technical advisor of this movie, managed to get on-screen real life gang members from Rollin’ 60 Crips, P.J. Watts Crips and B.P. Stones Bloods.

• Opened at No. 1, grossing $24.2 million. The film stayed in the top 10 box office until the seventh week of release, landing at No. 12. With an estimated budget of $45 million, it ultimately grossed $76.6 million in the US and $104.9 million worldwide.

• A TV series aired on CBS in 2017, but only aired for one season, due to the passing of its star Bill Paxton.

• In October 2019, it was reported that WB was developing a prequel, which would follow a young Alonzo.

https://youtu.be/DXPJqRtkDP0