Summary
Training Daydirector Antoine Fuqua reveals why the 2001 film was poorly received during test screenings during a panel atSan Diego Comic-Con. The police drama sees a corrupt veteran police officer, Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington), paired up with rookie officer Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke), whose idealism is challenged by Alonzo.Washington went on to win an Academy Award for his performance, with his emphatic delivery of"King Kong ain’t got s*** on me!“becomingTraining Day’s most iconic quote.
While speaking onCollider’s Directors on Directing panelat San Diego Comic-Con, Fuqua explained that thetest audiences disliked the film because it ended with Washington’s character being killed. Alonzo is ultimately gunned down by the Russian mafia after he is unable to pay the money he owes them on time. Even though Alonzo isTraining Day’s antagonist, Washington’s immense popularity made it difficult to accept his violent death at the end of the film. Check out Fuqua’s comments below:
Training Day didn’t score high in the test screening because I killed Denzel. People were pissed. [Laughs] I almost got ran out of the theater on that one. That was probably the lowest test screening.
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Alonzo’s Survival Wouldn’t Have Worked
WhileWashington’s movie star popularitymade hisTraining Daycharacter’s death difficult for test audiences to accept, it was the only viable way to end the film. In his efforts to manipulate Jake and obtain the money he owes the Russian mafia, Alonzo tries to prove that the only way to be a police officer is to be corrupt and to be ruthless, and that any other way is not feasible.Alonzo’s survival would have demonstrated that he was rightand that the police can be above the law without facing repercussions.
EndingTraining Dayany other way would have felt disingenuous to the story’s themes and to the conflict between Alonzo and Jake.
Jake proves Alonzo wrong, as his noble actions earlier in the film prevent him from being killed, and wins over the man Alonzo paid to kill him. When Alonzo later tries to bribe a crowd of his neighbors to kill Jake, they all refuse and let him pass, and turn their backs on Alonzo. They see that not all police officers are like him and thatthere are still those like Jake who are committed to doing the right thingand protecting others from harm.
Ethan Hawke’sTraining Dayperformance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Alonzo is not an isolated issue in the LAPD, as, in one scene, he meets with individuals known as the “Three Wise Men,” who are at the top of the LAPD’s hierarchy.Alonzo pays the ultimate price for his corruption, and it may only be a matter of time before the “Three Wise Men” and others like them also pay that price.EndingTraining Dayany other waywould have felt disingenuous to the story’s themes and to the conflict between Alonzo and Jake.
Alonzo’s Story Could Continue Despite His Death
A Prequel Was In The Works
Even though Alonzo clearly dies at the end ofTraining Day, his story may continue.ATraining Dayprequelrevolving around a young Alonzo was reportedly in development by Warner Bros. in 2019, with Nick Yarborough writing the script. The story would take place in Los Angeles in 1992, nine years before the events ofTraining Day, asa young Alonzo and the rest of the city grapple with the police brutalityagainst Rodney Kingand await the verdict of his trial.
The issue of police brutality is still timely and would provide a meaningful and relevant lens for Alonzo’s origin story.
Fuqua is not as enthusiastic as he was once about the possibility of an Alonzo prequelnow that Washington cannot play the character. In anupdate for theTraining Dayprequel, Fuqua shared that,“There was a time when a prequel for Training Day sounded interesting, but it would have had to be done with Denzel back then, when he was closer to that age.“Significant strides have been made with de-aging technology in the years sinceTraining Day’s release, but is likely something neither Fuqua nor Washington would be interested in pursuing to bring a young Alonzo to life.
As one of Washington’s best movie performances, it is difficult to imagine a different actor portraying the role, even at a different stage in the character’s life. That being said, the issue of police brutality is still timely and would providea meaningful and relevant lens for Alonzo’s origin story. ATraining Dayprequel could further enrich his story in the original film, although numerous factors, including the lack of progress since 2019, make it seem like it is now unlikely to happen.
Training Day
Cast
Denzel Washington and Alonzo Harris star in Training Day, an action thriller that follows the two stars as Los Angeles narcotics officers. Jake Hoyt is prepping on his first major training day for a promotion as he spends spend a tense twenty-four hours across several L.A. crime-ridden neighborhoods as Jake sees the danger and horrors of the job.
