Earlier this week, the 15th anniversary of Training Day, of one of this writer’s favorite films, came and went. For the uninitiated, Training Day follows the trail of veteran Los Angeles Police Department narcotics officer Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) and rookie cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) over 24 hours as the latter attempts to prove that he is fit to serve in Harris’ elite detective unit.
Washington’s performance as the extremely shady Harris garnered him a deserved Academy Award for Best Actor. As much as Hawke (who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor) shines by developing his character from pushover to badass moral authority over the film’s 122 minutes, it is Washington that consistently scene-steals by displaying Harris’ understandable-yet-frightening penchant for street justice and overall capacity to leap over lines a just cop should never cross.