Training Day [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Cast: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn

Release Date: February 28, 2023

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

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.

Please Note: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

‘Training Day’ joins Jake Hoyt, a rookie cop and hopeful new member of a powerful narcotics task force run by edgy, seasoned detective Alonzo Harris. But before Jake is given his new dream job he must join Alonzo for a training day where he’ll be offered the chance to show what he’s capable of. What Jake wasn’t expecting is a day that will test him and Alonzo more than either could have fathomed when he begins to see Alonzo’s true side which quickly runs right over the line of right and wrong, not to mention legal and illegal. Now Jake will have to decide whether he wants to be part of a corrupt unit that runs the streets however they see fit or if he can survive trying to get out, let alone stop Alonzo as the violence and questionable activity only becomes worse as the day progresses.

First released in theaters in 2001 ‘Training Day’ is expertly guided along its intense course by director Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer, Shooter) from a screenplay by the talented David Ayer (End of Watch, Fury). The capable work behind the camera is only tremendously complemented by a powerhouse cast that includes Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Cliff Curtis, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tom Berenger, Macy Gray and more who each do their part to help this one become something truly special, although Washington’s performance easily stands out and his impressive portrayal of Alonzo even earned him a well-deserved Oscar.

‘Training Day’ is a wild, tense and massively entertaining ride into the depths of Los Angeles and its most dangerous areas that sends an honest rookie cop on a day that will test far more than he could have fathomed once he’s forced to face temptation, greed and corruption on far too many levels to contemplate. It’s a fantastic film that was first released into theaters in 2001 and still holds up on every level over twenty years later thanks to its smart, fast-paced story, gritty and thrilling action, as well as an uncompromising look at the criminal world and the officers that police (or in some cases exploit) those who populate it. Not to mention Denzel Washington in one of the best and most unique performances of his impressive career with a talented supporting cast to back him up. If you’ve never had the pleasure of this film but tend to enjoy a solid and gritty action-thriller with a tremendous cast then I would strongly encourage making a point of giving this one a chance because you might just be shocked with how great and engaging of a ride it manages to deliver.

As part of the studio’s one-hundred year celebration, Warner Bros. brings ‘Training Day’ home on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever at last featuring a rather impressive new Ultra High Definition video presentation with HDR-10 that looks better than we’ve ever seen the film appear at home. The solid new Ultra High Definition video presentation is only the tip of the iceberg too as this new release also features a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack which is quite the treat in its own right considering the film has never even had a Blu-ray release with lossless audio; and perhaps even more impressive is that this new release also features a Blu-ray copy of the film that features the new video presentation and soundtrack. The release may not be outright perfect in every conceivable way and some may be slightly thrown with how different some moments (and a few colors) look on the 4K UHD presentation in particular, but it’s an altogether very nice new release to say the least that any diehard fans of the film that are fully 4K capable will want to consider adding to their collection. If you’re already considering a purchase, then this is one is definitely recommended.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Training Day’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with HDR-10 presented in a 2.35:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks rather fantastic as a whole and delivers a clean, richly detailed presentation with a suitably filmic appearance that brings everything from the streets, vehicles and character details looking sharp, clean and better than ever before, while never suffering from any unexpected issues along the way. The HDR-10 addition also complements nearly everything within by offering some gorgeous coloring, although in a manner that might look slightly different than the film we’re used to, but never necessarily in a bad way; after all the film has only been provided an older Blu-ray release with more ancient encoding until now. Overall, this is a pretty wonderful new Ultra High Definition video presentation that looks sharp, bright and gorgeous altogether and should thrill fans of this one that have been hoping to see an upgrade like this hit the streets.

The included Blu-ray copy of the film included in the Combo Pack also features the new video presentation in 1080p High Definition with AVC encoding.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a new Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is as much of an upgrade as the video presentation considering that the Blu-ray version of the film previously available only comes with a lossy Dolby Digital soundtrack. This new audio presentation serves up a crisp, clean and hard hitting audio presentation that’s easily a notable improvement across the board. It utilizes all seven available channels throughout in order to send music booming, gunshots blasting, along with vehicles, rain pouring and plenty more zipping throughout the various speakers at every fitting opportunity, while never resulting in any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously becoming distorted or rendered inaudible in the process. The music entries and Alonzo’s car revving up, along with a few other tidbits also allow the subwoofer a chance to really show off its stuff. Overall, this is a marvelous new Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that should have no trouble whatsoever leaving fans thoroughly satisfied.

The Blu-ray copy of the film included in the Combo Pack also features the new Dolby Atmos soundtrack.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Training Day’ includes a handful of previously released extras, the majority of which can be found on the included Blu-ray disc. Both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs include an ‘Audio Commentary with Director Antoine Fuqua’ while the Blu-ray disc additionally includes a few ‘Deleted Scenes’ from the movie (running approximately 12 minutes in length altogether), along with an ‘Alternate Ending’ (running approximately 5 minutes) and the Behind the Scenes Featurette ‘Training Day: Crossing the Line’ (approximately 15 minutes). Also included are the ‘Nelly “#1” Music Video’ (4 minutes), the ‘Pharoahe Monch “Got You” Music Video’ (4 minutes) and the film’s ‘Trailer’ (2 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Remastered Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 7.5/10

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‘Training Day’ Arrives Home on 4K Ultra HD February 28, 2023 & is Now Available to Own on Digital from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment

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