Denzel Washington delivers an Academy Award-winning performance opposite Ethan Hawke in this gritty drama set in the morally ambiguous world of undercover police work. Every day a war rages between drug dealers and cops on the streets of America’s inner cities. With every war come casualties, none greater than 13-year veteran Los Angeles narcotics officer Alonzo Harris (Washington), whose questionable methods blur the line between legal and corrupt. Today Alonzo gets a new partner, idealistic rookie Jake Hoyt (Hawke), and Jake has one day–and one day only–to prove his mettle to his fiercely charismatic superior. Over 24 hours, Jake will be dragged into the ethical mire of Alonzo’s logic as both men risk their careers and their lives to serve conflicting notions of justice.
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Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Training Day offers a tremendous uptick in quality over the ancient Blu-Ray from 2006 which has always been one of the bigger disappointments on the format. This package also comes with a remastered Blu-Ray disc which might be worth it for those who are not 4K UHD capable as of yet. It would not surprise us to learn that this is derived from a new 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative due to the marked improvements across the board. Trust us, this film has never looked as good as it is supposed to with the old Blu-Ray.
One of the areas that starts this transfer out on the right foot is the appropriately gritty natural film grain which has not had any major digital tinkering applied, leaving this disc free of ugly DNR, compression artifacts and other encode issues. From beginning to end, you are treated to well-resolved grain that avoids being clumpy or swarming across the screen in unnatural ways. Skin tones appear stable with a stellar amount of detail apparent on faces such as pores and perspiration. The weathered production design in the various houses and within the interior of the car is presented with such clarity that you will be taken aback by how much new information you take in. There are textures that you never previously experienced that are now visible for the first time. Nothing ever struggles for definition at any point.
Where this disc may find some skeptics is in the color grade for certain scenes, but anyone familiar with early DVD-era masters might know that they tended to run overly warm which has warped how people believe these movies should appear. The HDR10 really dials in the hot aesthetic to something more nuanced and balanced. The highlights in the film are more pure with greater definition and balance with no instances of blooming to be found even in the bright sun. The black levels maintain impeccable shadow detail, staying deep and inky with no hint of crush or compression artifacts. Some scenes are given a more teal appearance, but this is not a blanket atrocity like some other revisionist remasters. This is a very satisfying transfer that completely demolishes the old presentation and should make your viewing experience extra enjoyable.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a new Dolby Atmos audio track that delivers a presentation worthy of the film. The previous Blu-Ray only had a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track, so the upgrade is substantial once again. From the opening notes of the score, you never experience anything in the way of age-related distortion. The score and soundtrack really permeate the room in a meaningful manner which really helps the film come alive. The track goes hard with the low end in a significant way, mostly in relation to the music but also in some exchanges of gunfire and other active moments.
The track makes excellent use of the surround speakers with environmental flourishes and sound effects adding a lot of nuanced activity. The height channels add some nice dimension to the experience even if they are mostly complementary rather than carrying the main load. The movie is dialogue heavy and clarity is rarely an issue outside of a few moments when competing activity gets a bit overbearing. The dialogue could have been dialed up a notch or two in the mix and been a bit more impactful. Nevertheless, Warner Bros. has done some great work with this one by providing a tremendous upgrade from the older release. There are English SDH and an array of other subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Antoine Fuqua provides a really solid track in which he discusses why this movie lined up so perfectly with his background, what the actors brought to the characters, collaborating with Denzel Washington, what he wanted to achieve with certain camera setups, trying to maintain realism and more.
- Training Day – Crossing The Line: A 15-minute vintage featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the story of the film, drawing from real-world inspirations, the darker direction for Denzel Washington and much more.
- Alternate Ending: A five-minute alternate ending is provided in rough quality which does not work as well as the one we got for the theatrical version.
- Deleted Scenes: There are five unused scenes provided here totaling nearly 13 minutes which are not too essential but offer a good amount of entertainment.
- Music Videos
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- Nelly – “#1” (4:11)
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- Pharoahe Monch – “Got You” (4:22)
- Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute theatrical trailer is provided here which does a good job of getting you excited for the film.
Final Thoughts
Training Day is a thrilling crime drama which keeps you on edge with the constant sense of escalating stakes with every scene. The fearless, unpredictable performance from Denzel Washington puts you appropriately off balance which Ethan Hawke responds to perfectly in his appropriately conflicted role. Both of these performers are near the top of their game which helps smooth over any weaker portions of the script. This is one of the best films Antoine Fuqua has ever unleashed upon the world, and his direction really brings a lot to establishing the atmosphere for this story to flourish. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has delivered a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that handily beats any previous release with a stellar A/V presentation and a fine array of legacy special features. If you are a fan of the film, you owe it to yourself to pick up this new package. Highly Recommended
Training Day is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.