Powered by a meteoric performance from Denzel Washington, Training Day offers up a complete and riveting story. An analysis of the film and in particular, a deleted scene available on DVD, proves that no matter what you do, the storyform will always win out.

MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

If there is one thing I’ve learned from my own personal training day of analysis on this film, it’s this: if for some reason you can’t stop thinking about a film - can’t stop rolling around the characters and plot in your head - chances are you’ve got a full and complete story.

At first I thought the story was broken. It seemed to me that both Main and Impact Characters had not changed. Hoyt stood steadfast in his belief in justice, and Alonzo stayed true to his belief that might makes right. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was confused because of a deleted scene I watched right after the movie. This scene twisted the movie in such a way that its original message became clouded. More on that after my analysis of the film’s storyform.

Synposis

Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) has until midnight (OS Limit: Timelock) to get one million dollars to the Russian mafia (OS Goal: Obtaining). Along for the ride is his brand new recruit to the narcotics division, Jake Hoyt (Main Character: Situation). Jake has joined up because becoming a narc is the quickest way towards making detective - 18 months is all it would take (MC Concern: The Future). Hoping for that coveted shot at detective (MC Problem: Consider) Hoyt tries his best to impress his new mentor - the mentor from Hell.

Alonzo is the ultimate bad ass cop who’s demeanor and reputation makes him “meaner than any of L.A.’s mean streets” (Impact Character: Mind). Alonzo keeps a firm grip on the criminals he deals with (IC Problem: Control) yet doesn’t seem intent on arresting everyone. Faced with two obvious potential rapists, Alonzo lets them go. This does not sit well with Hoyt - it’s unsafe to leave criminals like that out on the street (SS Inhibitor: Morality). His first response to seeing the girl being raped was to jump out of the moving car and run through traffic to save her - all while laced on PCP (MC Approach: Do-er). Alonzo believes you let the “wolves take care of the wolves” - other gang members will take care of these guys. Hoyt knows that Harris represents his ticket towards career advancement and decides his job must come first (SS Catalyst: Commitment).

Alonzo continues to introduce Hoyt to the streets of L.A. - a place teeming with drug trafficking and illegal activity (Objective Story: Activities). Illegal activity that even Alonzo seems somehow connected to. Alonzo distracts Hoyt by constantly getting him to lighten up - “BOOM!” Alonzo shouts at him constantly (IC Response: Feeling). But Alonzo loses favor with Hoyt when he opens fire in a neighborhood filled with kids (IC Critical Flaw: Choice). Alonzo defends himself - his method might not be what they taught Hoyt in the Academy, but it has served him all these years. As wrong as it may seem on the outside, to act and think like this is the best any of them can hope for if they want to make a difference (IC Unique Ability: Hope).

It isn’t until they rob Alonzo’s friend Roger (Scott Glenn) that Hoyt finally finds himself faced with a tough decision (OS Driver: Action). Should he turn crooked like Alonzo and his crew? Or should he do what is right and just? Alonzo’s crew, crooked cops as well, seem to have no problem with doing whatever it takes to make some money (OS Catalyst: Self-Interest).

Faced with a shotgun at Hoyt’s hand, Alonzo continues to try and manipulate Hoyt into seeing the light (Subjective Story: Manipulations). Alonzo already knows he’s a marked man (OS Problem: Consider), so Hoyt’s threat of death means nothing to him. Their passionate argument revolves around the tough choices, sometimes even wrong choices, that you have to make in order to win the fight against the bad guys (SS Issue: Rationalizination). For the time being, Hoyt lets Alonzo live but still refuses to agree with his crooked point-of-view (SS Response: Oppose).

The two venture to another of Alonzo’s friends - Smiley. Alonzo disappears to the bathroom while Hoyt sits down and plays a game of cards with Alonzo’s “friends.” He lets his guard down enough before he realizes not only that Alonzo set him up to be killed, but that everyone on the streets has their own diabolical way of surviving (OS Issue: Approach). They drag Hoyt to the bathroom and place a gun against his head. Luckily, they find the wallet of the girl who was to be raped earlier in the day. Realizing that the girl is Smiley’s cousin, they let Hoyt live (OS Solution: Reconsider).

Hoyt confronts Alonzo with the intention of bringing the charismatic agent to justice. Alonzo won’t have it and a fight ensues. Hoyt gets the better of him and drags Alonzo out into the street. The neighborhood gang members surround them.

Hoyt intends on turning Alonzo and his money in (OS Inhibitor: Responsiblity). But before he can, a gang member pulls out a gun and aims it at Alonzo (OS Driver: Action). The gang member tells Hoyt to get out of there, that he “has his back.”

Realizing there’s no way Alonzo will go quietly to justice, Hoyt decides it might be OK to bend his strict policeman ethics (MC Solution: Reconsider) and offers up Alonzo to the street - in much the same way that Alonzo did to the rapists earlier on in the day (MC Resolve: Change). Alonzo fails to get the money to the Russians (OS Outcome: Failure) and pays for his transgressions with his life (OS Driver: Action). Officer Hoyt returns home, battered and beaten. He trudges up the path to his front door and the safety of his own home (MC Judgment: Good).

Analysis

Note: The following video clips contain strong adult language!

The Main and Impact Characters were easy to decipher from the film. I remember seeing trailers for this movie back in 2001 and thinking to myself, “Hmmm…seems like a Dramatica-type storyform there.” For whatever reason though I never had a chance to see it. But I could tell the structure was there: Two opposing viewpoints battling it out within a larger framework.

Plus, it always helps to have the famous “You and I are alike” scene in there as well:

It’s nice that it’s someone else pointing out the similarities. If there’s one thing Training Day does not suffer from - it’s cliched dialogue. They did however, wimp out on one thing: Hoyt should’ve returned home with Alonzo’s satchel of money.

If we had seen Hoyt enter his house with that money, we’d have known for sure that he had changed over to Alonzo’s point-of-view. Think of how much more a powerful a statement that would’ve been for Hoyt to do something that, in his mind, was so wrong. Especially considering that his life was spared at the last moment by doing something that was right (saving the teenage girl from rape). To me it would’ve been a bolder and braver statement - maybe even more true to life.

To be fair though, they don’t say whether he did or not. He just opens and closes the door to his car and walks up to his front door. It leaves the storyfrom intact and allows those of us audience members who can handle a reprehensible main character to enjoy a thoughtful and meaningful conclusion.

But it didn’t always end like that.

A Clouded Message Avoided

On the DVD we are provided with the original ending which thankfully, was removed. In it, Hoyt returns home to find the Three Wise Men waiting ominously at the foot of his driveway. They want to know where their cut of Alonzo’s money is. Hoyt turns and tells them that he’s done what he was supposed to do. He’s turned the money in and wants them to leave him alone. Regrettably, they agree to his demands, and turn and leave.

That seriously screwed up the story for me and is probably why test audiences were not happy with it. With an ending like that, how could we tell where Hoyt stood psychologically? To make such an abrupt switch back to his original way of thinking right after he just made this profound change just felt wrong.

The storyform would not allow it.

The message or meaning of a story is hardcoded into the structure of said story. To twist and warp it at the end because you want your Main Character to come off as righteous confuses the message. And in doing so you violate the trust an audience member gives a storyteller. If you’re going to set up all these forces, you’ve got to be willing to follow it through all the way to the end.

This ending would’ve worked if, after the three drove off, Hoyt then reached into his car and pulled out Alonzo’s sack of money. That would’ve kept things clear and consistent and audiences would not have felt cheated. Many would probably have hated Hoyt - but his actions would have made sense.

But that scene simply did not exist. And because this ending worked contrary to the storyform in Training Day, it was justly removed.

On Remaining Steadfast

Director Antoine Fuqwa, in his commentary track on the DVD, suggests that Hoyt returned home a “hero.” The language he uses suggests that he saw Hoyt as a resolute Steadfast Main Character who stood up on the right side of justice. Hoyt’s line “I found out today that I’m not like you” probably comes from this place. To me that line came off false, especially considering the actions Hoyt takes moments later.

The problem is, if Hoyt was intended to be steadfast, Alonzo would have to have changed. Now granted, he does grow through the course of the story, becoming more and more unhinged (IC Solution: Uncontrolled) even proclaiming “King Kong ain’t got nothin’ on me” - but he’s grown into his resolve, not out of.

In other Steadfast Main Character stories, it is often the will and force of the Main Character’s resoluteness that causes the Impact Character to change his or her point-of-view. William Wallace convinces Robert the Bruce to change his cowardly ways in Braveheart. Dr. Richard Kimball manages to convince Marshall Gerard of Richard’s innocence. Christian’s unwavering belief in the power of love evokes the same emotion out of the cynical Satine in Moulin Rouge!.

But Training Day is not that kind of story.

Hoyt’s change in perspective is clear:

Hoyt starts off believing strongly in the rightness of justice…

But ends up allowing the street to take care of its own.

In giving Alonzo over to the gang members he has, in fact, become just like Alonzo. He’s doing to Alonzo what Alonzo did the rapists earlier in the day. Hoyt walks away and in doing so, adopts Alonzo’s point of view.

Taking It to the Edge

To seal the argument Hoyt should’ve flinched as a hail of gunfire erupted behind him - the members of the “Jungle” taking care of Alonzo themselves. But I’m not sure how audiences would have accepted it.

The story has a Main Character Judgment of Good - to have him personally resolved of all angst as a man is shot to death behind them, then return home with a huge case of money would probably have been too reprehensible for most audiences.

The message of a story is hardcoded into the structure of the story

Personally, I would’ve gone with that ending, but then again, I have yet to direct a film. Letting Hoyt leave that scene in the “Jungle” clean was probably the best decision. Much easier to let the Russians take care of Alonzo and go home empty-handed.

Which brings up another point - the ending with Alonzo being shot by the Russian mafia felt a bit off. Why would Alonzo drive down to the airport to meet the Russians? He didn’t have the money. And I don’t believe he had given up - that he was ready to die. It might have felt better as an audience member to see Alonzo taken care of that way (and it was again, powerfully acted) - but really, Alonzo was dead when Hoyt left him to the streets.

To have those gang members finish Alonzo off would have brought the story to the edge of greatness. It would’ve been a powerful and brutal conclusion. And even though many audience members might have rejected it, I believe the filmmakers would’ve been justified in doing so.

Conclusion

Training Day is the story of a righteous man who loses a hefty chunk of his virtuousness his first day on the job. This man, Officer Hoyt, learns that you’ve got to get dirty if you want to get dirty. Whether or not that is morally right is of no consequence. What is important is that if you want to survive on these streets, this is what you have to do.

If Hoyt was to be shown as a man who stood resolute in his righteousness then he would have cuffed Alonzo and taken him in. Instead, he let the “wolves take care of the wolves” - a bold and powerful message that I believe Training Day provides. A powerful message that, with an extra nudge, could’ve pushed the film over into the status of masterpiece.

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