Training Day and Belly

Training Day and Belly

In 2001, one of the most memorable performance's in Hollywood was Honored with an Academy Award, for Best Actor In A Leading Role. The Oscar, went to Denzel Washington, for is amazing performance in Training Day. A powerful departure from his good guy roles, Denzel Washington, plays Alonzo Harris, a street smart, crocked, undercover narc, out on the mission to save his ass, from the Russian mob. On the day in question, he is giving rookie cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) a chance to prove himself worthy to be a part of his elite squad of undercover narcotics officers.

From the beginning of the film, in the early hours of the morning, in the city of Los Angeles, we are introduced to Jake Hoyt, a first time father, getting ready for his first day of training, with his senior partner, Alonzo. Little does he know, that he is in for the rockiest 24 hours of his life. Jake is alarmed at Alonzo's unorthodoxy, which includes making him smoke pot so he'll know what it feels like, drinking on the job, and letting bad guys go if they're not "important" enough to spend time on.

The violence is minimal until the finale, when Alonzo is killed by the Russian Mafia, which more than makes up for the lack of bullets seen in the first 100 minutes. Whether the violence is necessary or gratuitous depends on your point of view. To me, violence is unjustified only when it doesn't fit the context or when the film hasn't already earned my respect, causing the blood to turn me off even more.

The idea that Fuqua ( the director) employed violence just for attention never crossed my mind, as the film was compelling enough already. Surely he knew he didn't need it as a gimmick. He included it because it works. There was nothing different from this movie compared to many others, Fuqua didn't use any special camera techniques, that really made you say "WOW," but the movie was really, well written, and directed, Fuqua captured the true essence of the streets of Los Angeles, to some this is just a movie, with a brilliant performance from Denzel Washington.

Alonzo isn't my only favorite, money hungry character, who gets played at the end. One of my favorite movies was directed by acclaimed music video director, Hype Williams. He made his debut in 1998, with Belly with an all star hip hop cast. The movie is about two life-long friends, Tommy (Simmons, aka DMX) and Sincere (Jones, aka Nas), live the carefree lives of unrepentant drug dealers who believe that since death is their fate, scoring big money is their only