Sure, Denzel Washington got an Academy Award for "Training Day." Why not? By this time, anything he does really will warrant an award of any kind and I doubt any one will complain. Well, except the losers of course.

"Training Day" follows rookie narcotics cop Jake Hoyt, played by Ethan Hawke (Before Sunset), as he has his first day in the division with seasoned veteran detective-sergeant Alonzo Harris (Washington). Harris is a street sharp cookie with plenty of connections and informants, and a very corrupt style, which Hoyt spends most of the movie trying to adapt to. Eventually, Hoyt finds out he's part of a plot which reaches as far as the district attorney's office and spends act three fighting for his life and what he believes is justice. Yea!

The film is masterfully written by David Ayer, who is quickly adding cop movies to his resume as a writer with "Dark Blue" and the movie version of "S.W.A.T." Both characters are rock solid and have extremely subtle inner motivation, allowed to be revealed at perfect moments. Once the picture threw itself into the life of the narcotics officer and these two contrasting performers and characters, I was in for the ride and not let down.

Antoine Fuqua's direction was adequate for this style of story, but far from his presentation of the recent "King Arthur."

However, I'm a little leery that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences deemed it upon themselves to give Denzel Washington an award for this piece. Albeit it was extremely memorable, it does not compare to his work on "The Hurricane," which he was also nominated for, and "John Q" also released the same year as TD, and that's just to name a few. Washington has to win an Academy Award for a role where he says either nigga' and dawg' in almost every line. It simply seem unjust.

Overall, my personal feelings on Washington's win is regardless of my opinion of this picture. My only problem with the film is Fuqua had a handful of sequences I think he let print way too dark, and I mean lighting, not material.

If you haven't seen training day, pick it up. Its quality cop cinema.

Benn - Where's the Humanity?