View Full Version : Training Day - what did you think?
caught a pre-release screening tonight, courtesy of the Beeb (at Leic Sq).
I thought it was pretty good, if not fantastic. I thought it was a little over-complicated and by the end, there wasn't much of a story. A little over the top and unrealistic in places.
Denzel Washington was really, really good and Ethan Hawke was better than average too - well acted.
Anyways, I never pretend to be the best reviewer in the world (!), but I'll be interested to hear what you lot thought of it........
DiViDDiE
23-01-2002, 22:52
Yep ! I was there tonite aswell. Where were you sitting ?
(didi you see the group of poeple who sat at the front and when the film title began, figured that that were in the wrong movie and all got up promptly and left!!:eek:
Yes I enjoyed the film. It did ever so slightly keep you on the edge. (the ending was a bit too obvious). Acting was good throughout. The fil was 2 long hours but the film did keep you entertained.
Definately a bloke film
8/10:clap:
Really enjoyed Denzel in this, he is awesome
I saw this in the US a few months back.
Denzel was great (same kind of performance as Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast), very entertaining movie, although it stretched quite a few ideas a bit far by sticking to its 'all in one day' theme. A lot of the sideline stories, especially Denzil and the Russians (???) were a bit too much I thought. And what a bunch of wasted actors in the bar, as Denzel asks for help off local officials or whatever they were.
:mad: I HAD tickets to see this tonight,but i have torn or done something with my cartlidge,and was a little late getting there.
The front door is right in front of the box office,so you have to go there first(or at least i thought you did.The attendent must have benn 10 year old and was so slow my leg was killing.
When i finally got to the desk she said just over there.
Got to the ticket collector."I am sorry i carnt let you in.It was about 2mins past half past.What a B@$&+££"D.Wor lass was doing her nut.
I think i might complain and see if i get any free tickets.
Will it work.
sticky vicki
24-01-2002, 07:57
I was there last night as well - thoroughly entertaining film although I agree that it's a bit over the top in places.
DiViDDie - you say it's definitely a bloke film...well I assume that's why they cast Ethan Hawke! :D From a girls point of view I can honestly say I enjoyed it, but it did start getting a bit gruesome towards the end!
Great acting, good storyline, if a little predictable, and good action! :clap:
Cirrus888
24-01-2002, 13:47
Saw this in HK about a month ago and it starts of well mainly because I love police corruption plotlines but the last 3rd insults your intelligence and there is nothing there you ain't seen before. While denzel left me with the feeling that 'I am a big star and I want another oscar now!' ... very false ending which will completely spoil the film much like the planet of the apes ending did.
playaslaya
25-01-2002, 00:36
Saw this last night, I thought it was excellent though I also didnt like the ending. The performances were great especially Denzel and even Snoop Dogg, Macy Gray and Dr Dre out in good performances.
There was even quite a bit of humour in it - especially in scenes you wouldn't expect it in. The scene near the end with the Latino guys playing cards was so menacing - I was really getting worried for Ethan Hawke! I think there's an alternative ending on the DVD so it will be interesting to see how that works out.
I really liked the way Denzel started of as just a tough cop, then a rogue, then a corrupt cop and then finally a complete a-hole.
It would have been better IMHO if the film ended with Hoyt talking the cash after "shooting" the old cop and becoming a corrupt cop like Denzel. It would have been more cynical than the regular ending (which is still just as downbeat) but would have made it more realistic showing him take choices instead of following orders.
BTW Denzels wife was hot!
I came out of the film thinking - it was just o.k., a bit long but not too bad. However, the more I think about it, the more I dislike it, from about 1/2 way in it just goes to rot, and the ending....
It would have been better if Ethan would have shot him, it would have been better if he would have shot Ethan, it would have been better if Ethan was working for Internal Affairs - but no, they just put the tagged on Russian thing. I know the Russians were the reason that he was doing what he was doing, but so many unanswered questions -
what happened to his team?
why did he wait until Ethan was training to carry this out?
the Three Wise Men added nothing?
convoluted "coincidence" with Smiley's neice!
Not very good at all - kind of a 5/10.
Disappearer
07-02-2002, 23:01
I thought it was excellent.
The ending left too many loose ends? Well, isn't that what they used to do in many crime flicks in the 70s which are now (rightly) considered classics?
Originally posted by Disappearer
I thought it was excellent.
The ending left too many loose ends? Well, isn't that what they used to do in many crime flicks in the 70s which are now (rightly) considered classics?
No!!! They relied on a good story, believable characters and a strong sense of where it was going! Loose ends do not a movie make!
Well I knew I'd like this the moment I saw that Denzil had 2 guns John Woo stile and was laughing my head off at
the blokeness of him shooting at them guys with both guns one of them held sideways. Yes the ending was a cop out but it's not as bad as the POTA movie and besides POTA was a bad film anyway IMHO and didn't need to be remade as the original was fine. Anyway back to Training Day, I was really impressed with Denzil Washington and I'd possibly argue that this performance was better than in "The Hurricane". I was suprised at how small a part Tom Berenger had in it oh and who was Macy Gray? Was she the woman in the house that they broke into with a fake warrant?
I also noticed that the shot from the trailer was took out where you see the car driving down the street with the shot upside down. Not important but hey.
It was also funny as two 70 year old women walked into the film when it was a good hour in (don't know what they were thinking? it was a trailer for something else?) anyway they sat down and then got up and left promptly after hearing Dr Dre say mother ******* :)
Disappearer
08-02-2002, 22:15
Originally posted by MARKMAN
No!!! They relied on a good story, believable characters and a strong sense of where it was going! Loose ends do not a movie make!
It depends on your definition of "loose ends". Training Day was a 24 hour snapshot that dosen't leave everything neatly tied up at the end.
Repecussions would obviously take place for Hawke's character, the other bad cops are still around, nothing is certain. This was not exactly a happy ending - Washington's character got what was coming to him, but he's left one hell of a mess behind. I like films that don't give you easy resolutions.
Saw Training Day last night and while I thought it was very watchable, it wasn't amazing. If anything, I thought it was too short, given the pacing for the first hour-and-a-half it seemed to rush to a (perhaps slightly disappointing) conclusion. That said, I thought both Washington and Hawke were excellent, which was essential as there were virtually no major supporting characters. I was, however, slightly less convinced by the acting ability of Dr. Dre! ;)
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