October 7, 2001 -- "Training Day" is a film of white-hot intensity focused on the subject of police corruption. The powerful story also lends itself to a broader interpretation than a simple contest between good and evil. The film is a tour de force.

Denzel Washington ("The Hurricane") stars as Alonzo Harris, a crooked cop with deceptive charm. Harris is a hot-shot detective sergeant with an impressive record of drug-related convictions arising from his investigations. Ethan Hawke (of "Snow Falling on Cedars") co-stars as Jake Hoyt, a young cop hoping for a promotion to Harris' elite detective squad. He reports for work in the morning of his training day with Harris. It will prove to be a very long day.

Harris turns out to a master of manipulation. He teases, coaxes, cajoles, bullies and threatens Hoyt into doing various illegal activities to prove that he is worthy of joining the other street detectives. Hoyt reluctantly goes along with escalating series of requests until he finally reaches his breaking point. Too late, he finds he is implicated in illegal activities.

Washington is brilliant as the corrupt detective. He usually plays good guys in the movies, but his portrayal of Harris is as chillingly evil as any I've seen. Harris commits the most violent of crimes, but yet he's so smooth he almost convinces you that he's right in what he does. He certainly seems to have convinced himself that he's doing the right thing. Hawke is every bit as good as the idealistic young cop who is appalled at Harris' behavior.

You can tell Hawke has his game face on from the opening shot. He is intense and focused in his role as a young man who is in way over his head. The supporting cast is very good, led by veteran actors Scott Glenn of "Vertical Limit" and Tom Berenger of "The Substitute." Eva Mendes of "Exit Wounds" plays Sara, Harris' wife. Snoop Doggy Dogg of "Baby Boy" plays Sammy. Veteran actors Harris Yulin and Raymond J. Barry, along with Berenger, play the three "wise men" who oversee illegal police operations. Musicians Dr. Dre and Macy Gray also appear in the film.

The cinematography by Mauro Fiore ("Driven," "Get Carter," "Lost Souls") creatively evokes urban danger, as well as some drug-induced states. The film's energetic soundtrack features original material recorded by hip-hop singers Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Xzibit and Cypress Hill. Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and David Bowie combine for a remake of Bowie’s classic song "This Is Not America" for the film. C-Murder and Trick Daddy remade "F**k Tha Police" as the retitled track "Watch The Police," and the Golden State Warriors recording group added "Bounce With Golden State." Director Antoine Fuqua of "The Replacement Killers" once again evokes a strong visually compelling style to go with this very powerful screenplay written by David Ayer ("The Fast and the Furious").

On the surface, the film appears to be a simple clash of good and evil, but it is really about the temptation of corruption and the ability of the corrupt person to rationalize anything. Washington is charismatic, charming and seductive, but also very frightening in his role. He likes to play games with people's minds. Harris is convinced that his own personal system of justice works, and that you can't get convictions by being honest and legal. Over the years he has worked his system of justice down to the point where virtually anything goes. There is a flicker of decency in him. Harris says that he was just like Hoyt when he was younger. Indeed, Hoyt is very ambitious and he is willing to bend the rules a little in order to get ahead. Will he end up like Harris? All of us would like to think we're like Hoyt, but with the right pressures and temptations, who is to say that we wouldn't end up like Harris. In Harris' parlance there are two kinds of people, sheep and wolves. His solution is to be a wolf. Hoyt believes that the key to surviving on the streets is to be able to hold onto your sorrows and joys and not to succumb to cynicism and emotional numbness. It would be nice if Hoyt is right. This film rates an A.

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