Training Day

Plot

Jake Hoyt, a young, ambitious LAPD officer, is assigned to work with Detective Alonzo Harris, a highly decorated narcotics officer for a one-day evaluation to determine if Jake will be invited to join his narcotics squad. Alonzo immediately shows a very dominant and unorthodox approach to police work.

Driving around in Alonzo's Monte Carlo, they begin the day by catching some college students buying marijuana. Alonzo confiscates the marijuana, puts it into a pipe and tells Jake to smoke it. When Jake refuses, Alonzo threatens him at gunpoint stating that such a refusal while on the streets would get him killed. After Alonzo ostensibly ends his evaluation, Jake relents and smokes the pipe, getting high. Alonzo then reveals that the marijuana was laced with PCP.

Alonzo and Jake then visit Alonzo's friend Roger, an old drug dealer, to introduce Jake. After they leave, Jake notices a pair of drug addicts attempting to rape a girl in an alley. Jake stops the attack and subdues the addicts, while Alonzo watches without helping. Alonzo menaces the addicts, but refuses to arrest them afterwards. Jake then finds and keeps the girl's wallet which was left behind.

Later, Alonzo and Jake apprehend a wheelchair using dealer named Blue, who has crack rocks and a loaded handgun in his possession. Rather than go to jail, Blue informs on his employer Kevin "Sandman" Miller, who is in prison. Using a fake search warrant, Alonzo steals $40,000 from Sandman's home. As they leave they get into a shootout with local thugs. At lunch, the two visit Alonzo's mistress Sara and her young son.

Next, Jake accompanies Alonzo to a meeting at a restaurant with a trio of corrupt high ranking law enforcement officials. Aware that the Russian mafia is hunting Alonzo, they suggest he skip town. Alonzo insists he has control of the situation and trades the $40,000 for an arrest warrant on Roger.

Alonzo assembles his squad of narcotics officers including Jake, and they return to Roger's house with the warrant to search for his stash. They find over $4 million in cash. Alonzo leads the team in pocketing some of the money, explaining they will only turn in $3 million. Jake refuses to take his share of the money, worrying Alonzo and the other officers. Alonzo executes Roger after Jake refuses to kill him, staging the scene with his men to make Jake appear to be the shooter. Jake subsequently gets into a standoff with the corrupt officers as he refuses to corroborate their story. Alonzo then reveals he has orchestrated the day's events to have leverage over Jake and threatens him with the police department's post-incident blood test, which will detect the PCP Jake smoked and end his career. Alonzo promises to protect Jake from the drug test if he stands down; Jake reluctantly complies.

Later that evening, Alonzo drives Jake to the home of a Sureño gangster named Smiley for an errand. As he waits for Alonzo, Jake reluctantly plays poker with Smiley and his fellow gang members, Sniper and Moreno. Smiley then explains Alonzo's situation: Alonzo got into a fight with a high ranking Russian mobster in Las Vegas and killed him. Alonzo must pay a million dollars as compensation before midnight, or be killed himself. Additionally, Smiley reveals Alonzo has abandoned Jake and paid Smiley to kill him. Jake attempts to flee but is beaten and dragged to the bathroom to be executed. Moreno searches Jake for money and finds the wallet of the girl Jake saved from the attempted rape earlier, who is revealed to be Smiley's cousin. After calling her and confirming that Jake saved her, Smiley spares Jake's life.

Jake returns to Sara's apartment to confront Alonzo. A gunfight and chase ensue, and Alonzo is eventually subdued on the street while the entire neighborhood gathers to watch. Alonzo offers money to whomever kills Jake, but the neighborhood residents, tired of Alonzo's abuse and corruption, refuse to help. Jake takes the stolen money to submit as evidence against Alonzo, and the neighborhood gang allows him to leave safely.

Desperate, Alonzo then attempts to flee for the Los Angeles International Airport, but is ambushed and gunned down by the Russians. Jake returns home, with radio news coverage reporting Alonzo's death in voiceover, echoing the narrative Alonzo had threatened Jake with during their standoff at Roger's house.

Cast

• Denzel Washington as Detective Alonzo Harris (LAPD)
• Ethan Hawke as Officer Jake Hoyt (LAPD)
• Scott Glenn as Roger
• Tom Berenger as Stan Gursky (LA County DA's Office)
• Harris Yulin as Detective Doug Rosselli (LAPD)
• Raymond J. Barry as Captain Lou Jacobs (LAPD)
• Cliff Curtis as Smiley
• Dr. Dre as Paul (LAPD)
• Snoop Dogg as Blue
• Macy Gray as Sandman's wife
• Charlotte Ayanna as Lisa
• Eva Mendes as Sara
• Nick Chinlund as Tim (LAPD)
• Jaime P. Gomez as Mark (LAPD)
• Raymond Cruz as Sniper
• Noel Gugliemi as Moreno
• Kyjel N. Jolly as Alonzo's son
• Peter Greene as Jeff (LAPD) (uncredited)
• Samantha Esteban as Letty
• Cle Shaheed Sloan as Bone
• Terry Crews as a gang member (uncredited)

Production

Development

Although corruption in the LAPD's C.R.A.S.H. unit was yet to be exposed when Training Day was written, Antoine Fuqua has stated that the emergence of the Rampart Scandal in the late 1990s catalyzed the completion of the film. Denzel Washington also grew a beard in order to emulate the appearance of Rafael Pérez, an LAPD narcotics officer involved in multiple scandals. Fuqua wanted Washington's character to be seductive and part of a machine, and not just a random rogue cop. In Washington's own words: "I think in some ways he's done his job too well. He's learned how to manipulate, how to push the line further and further, and, in the process, he's become more hard-core than some of the guys he's chasing."

Fuqua also saw Ethan Hawke's character as generally honorable but so driven by ambition that he was willing to compromise his principles, particularly when following the charming and persuasive example of Washington's character. He has said that he fought with studio executives who wanted to cut the Three Wise Men scene, thinking it slowed the film. He insisted that the scene was pivotal in establishing that at least some of Alonzo's illegal actions were sanctioned by his superiors who regarded unethical behavior as a necessary evil.

Fuqua wanted Training Day to look as authentic as possible, and he shot on location in some of the most infamous neighborhoods of Los Angeles. He even obtained permission to shoot in the Imperial Courts housing project, the first time L.A. street gangs had allowed a film crew to be brought into that neighborhood. The crew also filmed in Hoover Block and Baldwin Village. Parts of the film were shot on the dead end street Palmwood Drive, where Black P. Stones gang members were seen on the rooftops. Cle Shaheed Sloan, the gang technical advisor of Training Day, managed to get on screen real-life gang members from Rollin' 60 Crips, PJ Watts Crips, and Black P. Stones. According to Fuqua, the actors and crew ended up receiving a warm welcome from local residents. When he was unable to shoot a scene directly on location, he recreated the locations on sets.

There were also two police officers on hand as technical advisors, Michael Patterson and Paul Lozada (the latter from the San Francisco Police Department). Washington, Hawke and other cast members also met with undercover police officers, local drug dealers, and gang members to help understand their roles better.

Casting

Davis Guggenheim was originally attached to direct the film, with Matt Damon as Jake Hoyt and Samuel L. Jackson as Alonzo Harris. Once Washington became attached to the project, he requested to have Guggenheim replaced with Fuqua. Eminem was offered the role of Hoyt, but turned it down in order to focus on preparing for 8 Mile (2002). Tobey Maguire, Paul Walker, Freddie Prinze Jr., Ryan Phillippe, and Scott Speedman all auditioned for the role of Hoyt.

Music

Main article: Training Day (soundtrack)

A soundtrack to the film was released on September 11, 2001, by Priority Records. It peaked at 35 on the Billboard 200 and 19 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and spawned two hit singles, Nelly's "#1" and Dr. Dre and DJ Quik's "Put It on Me".

Release

Training Day was originally scheduled for release on September 21, 2001, and had a strong advertising push. However, following the September 11 attacks, the film was pushed back to October 5, 2001, replacing Collateral Damages original release date.

Home media

Training Day was released on DVD and VHS on March 19, 2002. A Blu-ray version was released on August 1, 2006. A 4K Blu-ray version was released on February 28, 2023.

Reception

Box office

Training Day opened at number one, grossing $22.5million, ahead of fellow new release Serendipity in second place. Upon opening, it achieved the second-highest October opening weekend, behind Meet the Parents. It repeated in the top spot in its second weekend, above that week's new release of Bandits in second place, and spent its first six weeks in the Top 10 at the box office. It went on to gross $76.6million in the United States and Canada, and $28.2million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $104.9million, against a budget of $45million.

Critical response

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert said: "Washington seems to enjoy a performance that's over the top and down the other side". Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, praising both the lead and supporting actors and the film's gritty, kinetic energy. He criticized the plot's implausibility, but praised its execution, stating: "Ayer's screenplay is ingenious in the way it plants clues and pays them off in unexpected ways, so that Training Day makes as much sense as movies like this usually can."

Writing in The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Rechtshaffen gave the film a positive review, stating: "Denzel Washington ventures into the dark side as a seriously corrupt narcotics cop... and the results are electrifying. So is the picture, thanks to taut, sinewy direction by Antoine Fuqua and a compelling script by David Ayer."

Denzel Washington's performance as Detective Alonzo Harris was highly praised by critics. In The Village Voice, Amy Taubin wrote that the film "offers the unsettling spectacle of Denzel Washington, whose old-fashioned combination of decency and sexiness suggests the African American counterpart to Gregory Peck (in his To Kill a Mockingbird period), as an LAPD cop so evil he makes Harvey Keitel's Bad Lieutenant look like even smaller potatoes than he was meant to be".

Accolades

In June 2003, the American Film Institute named Alonzo Harris the 50th greatest screen villain of all time in its list AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains.

In July 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition of The New York Times list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing at number 250.

Related projects

TV series adaptation

Main article: Training Day (TV series)

On August 7, 2015, it was announced that Antoine Fuqua had decided to develop a television series based on the movie, and had teamed with Jerry Bruckheimer to develop the concept. Warner Bros. Television was shopping the show to the American broadcast networks. Will Beall was set to write the series, with Fuqua serving as executive producer, and director of the potential pilot. CBS ordered a pilot on August 14, 2015. In addition to Fuqua, Bruckheimer, Beall, and Jonathan Littman served as executive producers for the series, which is set 15 years after the original film. In May 2016, CBS picked up the series, and by December filming for the first season concluded.

The series, starring Bill Paxton and Justin Cornwell, premiered on February 2, 2017, with a 13-episode run as a mid-season replacement. Paxton died later that month after the airing of the fourth episode. The series ended the season as the lowest rated drama series on CBS that season, and was immediately canceled. Alonzo is mentione in the series by Deputy Chief Joy Lockhart when briefing Officer Kyle Craig on sending him undercover at LAPD's Special Investigation Section to investigate Detective Frank Roarke. Frank briefly mentions Alonzo at the end of the first season.

Prequel

In October 2019, it was reported that Warner Bros. was developing a prequel to Training Day. The prequel follows a young Alonzo Harris in late April 1992, two days before the verdict of the Rodney King trial and the associated L.A. riots. The prequel, named Training Day: Day of the Riot, was set to start production in California in February 2022. In March 2025, Fuqua confirmed the project was still in development, that he would not direct it, and that the script was still under revision.

Notes

References

References

1. (October 22, 2001). "''Training Day'' (15)".
2. (March 25, 2002). "The envelope, please: The 2nd annual Foscars". [[The Journal News]].
3. List, Mallorie. (July 30, 2018). "Terry Crews' Best Roles". Complex.
4. Murray Pomerance. (February 1, 2012). "Bad: Infamy, Darkness, Evil and Slime on Screen". SUNY Press.
5. Jonathan Markovitz. (October 14, 2011). "Racial Spectacles:Explorations in Media, Race and Justice". Taylor & Francis.
6. [http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2001/oct/06us.htm "Man on a mission"] {{Webarchive. link. (July 26, 2008 . ''Rediff.com''. October 2006. Retrieved October 20, 2011.)
7. (June 3, 2002). "Training Day DVD".
8. "'Training Day' Production Notes". [[Warner Bros.]].
9. (July 21, 1999). "WB recruits Ayer's 'Training Day'".
10. (October 13, 2010). "Waiting for Superman director Davis Guggenheim".
11. "Eminem Gets Day vs. Denzel?".
12. "Training Day".
13. (September 19, 2001). "'Training' to have its day Oct. 5". [[Ledger-Enquirer]].
14. (September 15, 2001). "'Men in Black 2' ending changed because of attack". [[Messenger-Inquirer]].
15. Godinez, Victor. (March 8, 2002). "Heroes of the past are resurrected". [[Sun Herald]].
16. McCutcheon, David. (July 31, 2006). "Warner's Bundle of Blu-ray". IGN.
17. (January 17, 2023). "'Training Day'; Arrives On 4K Ultra HD February 28, 2023 & Digital On February 7 From Warner Bros".
18. (October 8, 2001). "Weekend Box Office Report:'Training Day' Is Lesson No. 1 for Washington, Warners; 'Serendipity' Bubbles Up to No. 2".
19. "Training Day opens to $24.2m".
20. "''Patriot Games'' {{!}} Domestic Weekly". [[IMDb]].
21. {{Cite Box Office Mojo
22. {{Cite The Numbers
23. "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.
24. Ebert, Roger. (2001-10-05). "Training Day". [[Chicago Sun-Times]].
25. Westhoff, Jeffrey. (October 5, 2001). "Dark 'Day': Washington's brilliant performance can't save 'Training'". [[Northwest Herald]].
26. Rechtshaffen, Michael. (2016-09-12). "'Training Day': THR's 2001 Review".
27. Taubin, Amy. (2001-10-02). "Temples of the Familiar". [[The Village Voice]].
28. "The 74th Academy Awards (2002) Nominees and Winners". AMPAS.
29. "AFI AWARDS 2001". [[American Film Institute]].
30. "Black Reel Awards Past Winners".
31. (July 27, 2018). "BSFC Winners: 2000s".
32. (January 2013). "1988-2013 Award Winner Archives".
33. "Training Day – Golden Globes".
34. (December 14, 2013). "KCFCC Award Winners – 2000-09".
35. "Las Vegas Film Critics Society (Previous Sierra Award Winners)".
36. "The Annual 27th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards".
37. . (June 2, 2002). ["Pop stars claim victories at MTV Movie Awards"](http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/06-02-mtv.htm). *[[CNN]]*.
38. (December 19, 2009). "Past Awards".
39. "2001 New York Film Critics Circle Awards".
40. (January 3, 2012). "The Annual 5th Online Film Critics Society Awards".
41. "2002 Satellite Awards".
42. "The 8th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". [[Screen Actors Guild Award]]s.
43. (May 2002). "2002 Winners & Nominees".
44. "AFI's 100 GREATEST HEROES & VILLAINS". [[American Film Institute]].
45. "Readers Choose Their Top Movies of the 21st Century".
46. (August 7, 2015). "'Training Day' TV Series From Antoine Fuqua & Jerry Bruckheimer Eyed By Nets".
47. (August 14, 2015). "'Training Day' TV Series Finds a Home at CBS". CBR.
48. Andreeva, Nellie. (May 13, 2016). "'Training Day', 'Bull', 'MacGyver', 'The Great Indoors', Matt LeBlanc Comedy & Jason Katims Drama Picked Up By CBS".
49. Andreeva, Nellie. (2017-02-26). "Bill Paxton Had Completed Order For CBS' 'Training Day' Before His Death".
50. Mitovich, Matt Webb. (2017-05-17). "''Training Day'', ''Ransom'' Cancelled at CBS".
51. (October 10, 2019). "Exclusive: 'Training Day' Prequel in the Works at Warner Bros.". Collider.
52. N'Duka, Amanda. (2019-10-10). "'Training Day' Prequel In Development At Warner Bros.".
53. Lu, Gary. (March 19, 2025). "Good News: The ‘Training Day’ Prequel Is Still Happening".