Training Day (2001) Revisit ft. Joe Boukhari
Original Episode: #130 Training Day (2001) ft. Walter Gainer II (released September 14, 2022)
New Episode: #329 Training Day (2001) Revisit ft. Joe Boukhari (released September 9, 2026)
Guest:
Joe Boukhari
Instagram - I'll Get to It When I Get to It
Letterboxd Film Commentator - @bagodonuts
Previously on: Forrest Gump (1994), Caddyshack (1980) Revisit
Cast:
Antoine Fuqua, Director
David Ayer, Writer
Mauro Fiore, Cinematography
Mark Mancina, Music
Conrad Buff, Editing
Denzel Washington as Detective Alonzo Harris
Ethan Hawke as Officer Jake Hoyt
Scott Glenn as Roger
Eva Mendes as Sara
Cliff Curtis as "Smiley"
Raymond Cruz as "Sniper"
Noel Gugliemi as Moreno
Dr. Dre as Detective Paul
Peter Greene as Detective Jeff
Nick Chinlund as Detective Tim
Jaime P. Gomez as Detective Mark
Snoop Dogg as "Blue"
Macy Gray as Sandman's Wife
Harris Yulin as Detective Doug Rosselli
Tom Berenger as Detective Stanley "Stan" Gursky
Raymond J. Barry as Captain Lou Jacobs
Background:
Training Day opened on October 5, 2001.
With an estimated budget of $45 million, Training Day ultimately grossed $76.6 million in the US and $104.9 million worldwide.
Training Day was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Hawke) and winning Best Actor for Denzel Washington.
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.
Training Day received a subsequent TV series from CBS in 2017, but was abruptly cancelled after star Bill Paxton suddenly passed away.
Currently, Warner Bros. is producing and in the process of filming a prequel film that would take place with Det. Alonzo Harris just days before the Rodney King verdict named Training Day: Day of the Riot. 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.
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.
The film currently holds a 74% among critics on RT, a 71 score on Metacritic, and a 4.1/5 on Letterboxd.
Plot Summary: Seeking a change from his quiet beat in suburban Los Angeles, Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) is assigned to the narcotics division of the LAPD which polices some of the roughest and most violent areas of LA. His trainer is Detective Sergeant Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington), a 13-year narcotics veteran who has long since blurred the line between legality and corruption. With Harris as his guide, Hoyt will be pulled ever deeper into Harris’ world, and will be forced to choose his future path.
Did You Know?:
Alonzo's car is a 1979 Chevy Monte Carlo, with some modifications: it has Dayton wire wheels with bullet caps; a Grant steering wheel; a Flowmaster exhaust; and hydraulics. Added to this, the car is outfitted with a sunroof, which that era's Monte Carlo never had.
Roger's snail joke he tells Jake symbolically means the man represents the streets and the snail represents just another random person falling victim to the streets. The size difference between the two represents how big "the streets" are and how small we are. The big guy kicks this little tiny helpless snail and breaks his shell showing how easy it is for the streets to tear you up. The joke means that street life will run you over and tear you to pieces and won't even remember (or care) the next second. You're just another victim (a tiny snail in the way). No matter who you are or what you've been through, on the streets, you're just another person. When the snail comes back, the man (the streets) doesn't give him any respect. The streets will tear you up and not think twice. Don't expect any respect in the street regardless of who you are or what you've been through.
Denzel Washington has frequently said that Detective Alonzo Harris is his favorite character that he's played. He was at first hesitant to take on the role, but one of his sons had read the screenplay and recommended that he accept. Since Washington won an Oscar for the role, he has since always accepted every part that his son advised him to take.
Tobey Maguire was seriously considered for the part of Officer Jake Hoyt. He even followed undercover narcotics officers in Los Angeles for two months and gained weight for the role. He was dropped when Ethan Hawke, Fuqua's first choice, was finally available for the shooting schedule. About the casting of Ethan Hawke, Antoine Fuqua said "there's something innocent about Ethan, he's such a nice guy, but there's something in his eyes that tells you he's seen something."
David Ayer was the only writer to work on the script, such a rarity that it merited a congratulatory call from the chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures.
The word "fuck" is used two hundred and eleven times.
The Stanley Rubric:
Original Legacy Score: 7.33
New Legacy Score: 8
Original Impact/Significance Score: 8.16
New Impact/Significance Score: 7.5
Original Novelty Score: 7.33
New Novelty Score: 7
Original Classicness Score: 9
New Classicness Score: 9
Original Rewatchability Score: 7.83
New Rewatchability Score: 7
Original Audience Score: 8.95 (90% Google, 89% RT)
New Audience Score: 8.35 (7.8 IMDB, 89% RT)
Original Total Score: 48.6 (#99 currently)
New Total Score: 46.85
In Memorium:
Peter Cullen, 85, Canadian voice actor (Transformers, Winnie the Pooh, Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers).
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