Best Actor 2001: Denzel Washington in Training Day

Denzel Washington won his second Oscar from his fifth nomination. Washington plays a corrupt narcotics detective, Alonzo Harris, who goes through extreme measures to do his job and to pay back a debt.

Training day follows the first day of the new detective Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke). Alonzo is his guide and he gives Hawke's character a baptism of fire.

Looking at this performance it is easy enough to take a look at the broader larger than life style that Denzel Washington brings to the role. It is not an overtly realistic approach especially when compared to Ethan Hawke's far quieter performance as the primary lead of the film, despite his nomination in the supporting category. From my time on originally reviewing this performance, which was one of my first reviews, though I have to admit I've come a long way towards the proper realization that performances are dependent not on a realism as compared to the world we live in, but whatever is the existence of the film they live in. Washington's read of this material, quite honestly is the right one as written, even if it slightly disagrees with Antoine Fuqua's attempt to adhere towards some sort of reality in his straight forward direction. Washington's read is closer to David Ayer's script, which is less of a honest "training day", but rather this descent into a ridiculous criminal/cop world of Los Angeles that runs more akin to some massively interconnected spy network almost, than even just a complex story of cops and criminals.

Washington's performance frankly stands as the representation of the Ayer's over the top story, while Hawke attempts garner some reality. This actually in the end makes enough sense, even if it is definitely not a truly cohesive film when it comes to tone, with Hawke and Washington playing polar opposites when it comes to the characters. Alonzo Harris the seasoned narcotics cop and all about boisterous soul who treats the streets like his personal playground. Washington's turn then in that sense has a logic in playing it as almost a kid in a playground. Washington has certainly the charisma and screen presence to pull of this approach. This as he does indeed control a scene through sheer power of the ego Alonzo as a man who will say things others won't and also will do things others would never dare. Washington is able to create the sheer will of the man partially through this rather broad behavior who is as much gangster as he is cop. It also must be said, that Washington is quite entertaining in this approach. It is easy to say that he is fun to watch in all his braggadocios glory as a man who believes he owns the street. This is even if there's perhaps just a little too much of a contrast between Hawke trying to portray an absolute reality, and Washington definitely going for a heightened turn.

Of course Washington's performance isn't all those big moments, and there is definite variation in his work. This as with that smile of his even he does make a genuine menace as this sly snake. Washington is able to create the sense of a captivating presence that is also off-putting. This is as you gain the idea successfully from his work that this also means that he'll do whatever he wants when it is that he wants to. Beyond the menace though there are moments of genuine nuance in his work, that I wish there was more of quite honestly, and there was at least one that nonsensically hit the cutting room floor. In the finished film though there is one major one after he, Jake and his crew have hit a house to "bust a drug dealer, but rather in reality steal and murder from a man who appeared to be an ally of Alonzo's. It's a great scene for Washington this as he very quietly tries to inform the way things need to work for Jake. There's even a hint of shame that I love that Washington brings alluding to the only bit of guilt within Alonzo's hide. This as he tries to prod Jake to fall in line, in turn exist in what has become his reality of being a cop, and also probably hoping that he wouldn't have to kill him either. That scene though does take a backseat to the rest of the film as really as this villain that needs to be defeated. In that sense Washington's performance also works in that broader sense. I mean there's not a lot of subtle ways to deliver "King Kong Ain't Got Shit on Me", but what Washington does is sell the line as a raging egomaniac. I'll also give Washington credit in that same scene though in tempering in the final moments as he brings a real desperation in his eyes when Alonzo's nearly pleads Jake for the money since it will save his life. Again I don't think the film quite matches what Washington is doing all the way through, and I do think his best moments are his more subdued ones. Having said that Washington's turn is a daring one, an entertaining one to be sure, and still largely an effective one that does elevate his film that isn't quite sure what it wants to be.