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Training Day is just that: the entire film takes place in the space of Jake Hoyt's (Ethan Hawke) first day on the job as an undercover detective riding with Denzel Washington's Alonzo Harris. Alonzo turns out to be morally bankrupt, and more interested in perpetrating crimes than stopping or solving them. Alonzo's are not petty crimes either- major theft and murder being just two of the crimes he commits on training day. Alonzo also encourages Jake to be part if his team of corrupt detectives by coercing him into take some drugs himself, a fact he then uses to blackmail him into going along with them on the murder of a drug dealer. This does set up an interesting moral dilemma for Jake, which I found to be the most interesting and compelling part of this movie.

Washington's ferocious performance unquestionably drives the film - he seems to revel in Alonzo's evil. But I felt let down by the fact that Alonzo was just too over-the-top. He never acknowledges that what he's doing is so obviously wrong, never addresses who he was before or how he went so far over the line. We do learn that Alonzo is acting out of desperation to pay off an enormous debt by the end of that day, but it still didn't quite add up for me (this DVD's supplements show that some character development of Alonzo was indeed left on the cutting room floor, but more on that later).

Although Washington has stolen headlines for his Oscar-nominated performance here, Hawke's is no less impressive. He's natural and believable even when the script isn't. Like a lot of former music video directors, Antoine Fuqua (Replacement Killers, Bait) is a gifted visual stylist who needs to figure out what he wants to say to his audience and pay more attention to the story. Fuqua certainly does deserve some credit for coaxing terrific performances from his actors, I just wanted a little more from the movie as a whole.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Training Day is presented in anamorphic widescreen at approximately 2.35:1, and is unquestionably one of the finest looking DVDs I've yet seen. The image quality here is absolutely pristine, with depth and detail that is just breathtaking at times. Even the finest details are rendered with striking clarity (and virtually no pixelization). The stylized colors are somewhat dreary, but the fleshtones and everything else looks to be right on the money. Blacks are deep, but there is tremendous detail in the shadows, and clear gradations from black down into shades of gray. While edge enhancement is occasionally noticeable I wasn't distracted by it at all. This is a reference quality presentation.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

As incredible as Training Day's image quality is, the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio isn't far behind. From the opening scene the soundtrack shows an impressive amount of detail, with impressive directional effects up front. At times there's so much detail that I can see this soundtrack as being perceived bright in many systems. The surrounds provide constant ambience and presence that puts the viewer into the acoustic spaces of the film. During the action sequences the surrounds also provide aggressive directional effects that are dimensional and exciting. Deep, tight, and powerful LFE effects punctuate the action effectively when called for, whether from gunshots or thumping bass from a car rolling by. This is a spatial and dynamic presentation that I admired very much.

In addition to a dubbed French 5.1 soundtrack, there are also subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The extras kick off with a screen-specific audio commentary by director Antoine Fuqua, who's very gracious to his stars, Washington and Hawke. He does a nice job of speaking to the story's thematic elements and production stories, and also outlines what attracted him and the stars he worked with to this movie. While not incredibly in-depth, a solid, straightforward commentary.

There's a 15-minute HBO First Look special billed as a documentary, which is pretty typical with some decent interviews and standard EPK behind-the-scenes snippets, but no real meat. Director Fuqua and Washington and Hawke are featured, the the special is presented in full frame and 2.0 stereo.

Far more compelling are the deleted scenes, at least two of which I really wish had been left in the film. One deleted scene in particular, in which Alonzo speaks of a dog beating he witnessed as a rookie, communicated a depth of humanity to Alonzo that I really thought was missing from the movie. Also included is an alternate ending that is so much like the original ending that I'm not even sure it qualifies as a genuine alternate version with respect to changing the narrative that preceded it.

The remaining supplements are of the promotional variety, including two music videos, one by Nelly, and other by Pharaohe Monch (neither of which I enjoyed), cast and crew bios, and the film's theatrical trailer.

DVD- ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

After plopping the disc in your ROM drive, you'll be greeted to a nice if simple custom interface, embedded wtih the usual weblinks as well as the film's entire theatrical website included on teh disc itself. The disc also promises some exclusive content with upcoming future web events, though nothign specific was listed at presstime...

Parting Thoughts