Training Day, starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, exposes the dark side of the Los Angelos police force. The audience follows a rookie cop on his first day as a narcotics officer with an experienced-but-dirty officer, Alonzo. In the span of one day, the two experience the highs and lows of manipulating the law for Alonzo's benefit, only to reap the consequences in the end.
Despite being a fictional story, Training Day offers some insightful dialogue and quotes, making it a timeless movie experience.
Updated on December 25th, 2020 by Mark Birrell: Training Day has one of modern Hollywood's most famous screenplays as it was the movie that not only earned Denzel Washington an Oscar for Best Actor but also really launched the career of David Ayer, starting him on a path in grittily realistic crime movies that would lead to him becoming a blockbuster director himself. Plus, it's just generally bursting with quotable lines that have stuck with fans over the years. There are so many great lines from the movie that we felt obliged to add an extra 5 to our list.
15 Alonzo: "You've gotta hide that love deep inside, you understand?"
One of the first pieces of advice that Alonzo dishes out to Hoyt on their long drive throughout Los Angeles seems like one of the most sincere. Alonzo's lack of empathy overall isn't a good aspect of his character but lines like this do remind the audience that, while Alonzo is a bad egg, he was born out of a situation that's already bad independently of him.
The day that you bring your old lady to the office is the day that you don't make it back home. You've gotta hide that love deep inside, you understand? Otherwise, these maggots out here on the street, they'll find it, they'll use it against you and they will chew you up. Never wear that wedding ring to work.
14 Alonzo: "Boom!"
Part of what keeps the audience on the edge of their seats throughout Training Day is that they're never quite sure what the unpredictable Alonzo is going to do next. He's effectively psychotic and will say or do anything he needs to get what he wants, which is something that he always keeps to himself.
Frequently throughout the movie, he will suddenly surprise Hoyt by loudly saying "Boom!", it's a habit that's shared by Roger and it sums up his frighteningly explosive nature quite succinctly.
13 Alonzo: "This s***'s chess, it ain't checkers."
Every once in a while, Alonzo does let some truth slip out, however. Whilst endlessly lying to Hoyt and justifying his terrible behavior by saying that he does it in order to actually help the local community, he elaborates on how he thinks strategically.
This is revealing as, of course, the hotheaded Alonzo is revealed to be actually very cunning and indirect in his plotting. He doesn't go straight for what he wants and is always thinking several moves ahead.
12 Smiley: "Life's a trip, qué no?"
After Hoyt narrowly escapes execution by Smiley and his crew because they realize that Hoyt saved a relative of Smiley's earlier in the day, Smiley attempts to brush off the terrifying ordeal that Hoyt just went through with talk of it being "just business".
Hoyt learns a lot about psychotic personality types throughout his day and Smiley's ability to simply shrug off cold-blooded murder says a lot about the harsh reality of the criminal underworld.
11 Alonzo: "King Kong ain't got s**** on me!"
One of the most well-known lines from the movie comes right at the end as Alonzo realizes that his time is well and truly up. Facing a rebellious neighborhood that's no longer afraid of him, he begins to lose his cool composure in front of a large crowd.
Funnily enough, whilst it often remembered as a humorous line, there is an element of truth to what Alonzo says. Not only is he one of movie history's biggest monsters, but he's also arguably much more frightening than any fictional beast because he feels genuinely real.
10 Alonzo: "To Protect The Sheep You Gotta Catch The Wolf, And It Takes A Wolf To Catch A Wolf."
Alonzo is both a hero and a villain but has lost his sense of right and wrong after years on the police force. Jake Hoyt learned by the book, Alonzo learned by the street and did anything to survive. Years of doing so blurred the line between cop and criminal.
Despite his wrongdoings, Alonzo throws Jake a valuable piece of advice when it comes to his job as a narcotics officer. If you want to keep the streets clean, you need to get your hands dirty.
9 Alonzo: "You're In The Office, Baby."
One of the most iconic scenes from Training Day is in the beginning. When the duo steps into Alonzo's car (not from the LAPD motor lot), Jake is entering a world unknown to him.
The car, Alonzo's office, is essentially the all-seeing eye whose presence demands fear and respect from the people of LA. Alonzo's "office" is riddled with crime as he hides behind the badge, making him invincible (for the time being).
8 Alonzo: "What A Day."
One of the most interesting facts about Training Day is that the whole movie takes place in one day. There's no flashbacks, prelude, or extended ending, Training Day is a rollercoaster from start to finish with little to no breaks in between scenes.
Not only is this clever, but it masterfully shows how much can go wrong for someone like Alonzo. On the surface, he's a narcotics officer, but riding along for a day shows the dark and dirty underbelly of how things really get done.
7 Alonzo: "Nobody Told You To Smoke That Thing. You Made The Decision. Live With Your Decision. Ain't Like I Put A Gun To Your Head."
Jake is often forced to make tough decisions in Training Day as he goes back forth deciding to act on his police academy training (which would get him killed) and acting on what Alonzo taught him. What's ironic, however, is Alonzo's assurance that he isn't putting a gun to his head.
In reality, Alonzo bringing Jake along for all of this is putting a target and gun on his head. Henceforth, every decision Jake makes is dictated by Alonzo's rhetoric and he has to live with it.
6 Jake: "It's No Fun When The Rabbit Has The Gun, Is It?"
Jake rarely overpowers Alonzo, but when he does, it's worthy of a second glance. Jake is the rabbit in the world of wolves and his training will determine whether he's ready to enter a world of violence rather than protection.
Alonzo admires the good in Jake because he was just like him, only to turn once he realized what the real world is like. But once he's temporarily removed from his throne, Alonzo realizes how the badge can get in the way. Jake is both a threat and an asset, someone Alonzo can use and train. But Jake doesn't fall for it, and he makes his point known.
5 Jake: "You Don't Deserve This."
In the span of one day, Jake realizes Alonzo isn't worthy of a police badge and does more harm than good to the people of L.A. Instead of preserving life, he takes it; instead of being a narcotics officer, he's a drug dealer.
Alonzo manipulates things for his benefit, while Jake looks to keep criminals off the street. In the span of a day, Jake realizes the real criminal is right next to him.
4 Alonzo: "Nothing's Free In This World, Jake. Not Even Arrest Warrants."
Alonzo is a bit of an opportunist, exposing and using people while hiding his badge. His knowledge of the streets gives him an edge, but he still needs to abide by the law.
Instead, Alonzo makes his own rules, skipping arrest warrants and the "going by the book" mentality. In his world, Alonzo takes for himself despite the selfless nature and position of his job.
3 Alonzo: "They Build Jails 'Cause Of Me."
Alonzo may be a cop, imprisoning criminals and cleaning up the streets, but he doesn't inspire hope. Jails are full because of him, but some of those arrests and incarcerations aren't justified.
After the instance with Roger, the audience realizes how the narcotics department really operates on a daily basis, and how they're awarded medals.
2 Alonzo: "It's Not What You Know, It's What You Can Prove."
It's not about what you know, it's about who you know. Alonzo knows how the system works and understands it's all about what you can prove, not what you saw, said, or believe.
However, even the evidence is likely to be tampered with, as seen with Roger's death. Jake quickly learns no matter how just he is, no good will come of working alongside Alonzo.
1 Alonzo: "You Wanna Go To Jail Or You Wanna Go Home?"
One of the most iconic quotes from Training Day, Alonzo's philosophy is deceptive. While trying to help the people of L.A., he's really using the crime to his advantage.
By going home, Alonzo has won the respect and fear of people, while putting them in jail earns him the same from the police department. It's a double-edged sword with both outcomes harming the people of the city.
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