Washington Continues Unmasking His Versatility With A Forceful, Dark Turn

Whenever one thinks of memorable villains from recent cinema history, certain actors — Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Dennis Hopper, John Malkovich, Sharon Stone, and Anthony Hopkins, to name a few — come to mind. Denzel Washington, whose name would be near the top of a short, converse list of stars known for playing audience-engaging protagonists, puts in a bid to join the roll call of big-screen heavies with his role in Training Day, the top movie in the country the last two weeks.

Directed by action stylist Antoine Fuqua (The Replacement Killers), Training Day features a forceful Washington as dark, enigmatic cop Alonzo Harris, an LAPD detective with a sterling record and striking reputation for putting away the bad guys. Harris, who runs an elite narcotics squad, takes under his wing anxious rookie Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke), a highly regarded greenhorn who likens his one-day stint with the veteran to tryouts for the varsity football team. If Hoyt can pass muster, then, Harris promises, his career options in law enforcement will be limitless.

From his very first scene (a jolting barrage of profanity, rudeness and height-of-all-arrogance swagger), Washington appears to delight in flaunting his new, brash persona to an audience more accustomed to seeming someone like Samuel L. Jackson in this part, but not our Denzel! In fact, in the film’s opening moments, his coarseness could be off-putting... but that’s precisely why this stunt proves to be a clever bit of counter-casting. Early in Training Day, as viewers, very much aware of Washington’s going against type, feel their way around the Oscar-winner’s performance, they are wondering if his “I’m a bad man” countenance is more a put-on than a real, flesh-and-blood characterization, just as Hoyt, unsure of what to make of his temperamental mentor, must be pondering. But then it happens: Washington quickly turns on his charisma and innate likability and disarms both us and Hoyt with his effusive charms, and displays more shadings in his performance than simply laying on the bravado, dark attire and street slang.

Likewise, Training Day, as a film, though definitely with its share of cop-genre conventions, provides more than simply an exercise in histrionics for one of our screen era’s best talents. It shows some real edge in its street scenes as Harris and Hoyt patrol South Central and banter back and forth about the state of crime in L.A. and the degree to which individuals can combat it. There’s also some fun to be had spotting such music artists as Snoop Dogg, Macy Gray and Dr Dre all taking time off their day jobs with co-starring roles here. But most pleasantly surprising is the meatiness of the relationship between Harris and Hoyt, and the interesting chemistry between Washington and Hawke, an actor who is also getting a chance to break new ground in a role vastly different from others on his resumé. Their relationship is the springboard for the film’s intriguing dialogue on good and evil, black and white (both morally and racially), and the degree to which “shades of grey”” may be necessary to accomplish the task before these detectives.

Training Day, rated R for unflinching language, drug content, violence and brief nudity, is not nearly the feel-good film that Denzel’s last offering, Remember the Titans, was. But then, it’s not meant to be. Though Training Day is not for everyone, it is a captivating movie that will stimulate discussion and will serve as further evidence of the versatility and talent of one of our great actors.