The Denzel Washington Character Decision That “Pissed” People Off Resulted In One Of His Best Ever Movies

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Training Day!

One of the most famous scenes from a Denzel Washington movie reportedly “pissed” people off, but this decision resulted in one of the best movies of his career. Denzel Washington is one of the most beloved actors of the modern era, with him being the best part of many of the most critically acclaimed movies from the past few decades. Despite the actor’s reputation, one of Denzel Washington’s earliest and most popular movies was divisive when it was in development, with this one brilliant decision actually being controversial among the first viewers of this Denzel Washington classic.

Denzel Washington has starred in all kinds of iconic movies, with his performances in movies like Malcolm X, The Equalizer, and American Gangster leading to him being one of Hollywood’s A-list actors. All of these movies pale in compairson to Training Day, however, as it is the film that finally won Washington his Best Actor Oscar at the Academy Awards. In it, Denzel Washington plays the corrupt cop Alonzo Harris, with this arguably being the actor’s most iconic role. Despite Alonzo’s immense popularity over two decades after the film relesaed in 2001, the character’s ending wasn’t always so popular.

Denzel Washington’s Character Dying In Training Day Led To Low Test Scores

Initial Viewers Didn’t Like His Death

One of the most well-known moments from Denzel Washington’s performance in Training Day comes at the very end of the film, with it being the scene in which Alonzo Harris dies. While in the neighborhood that Alonzo has been abusing his power in, Alonzo tells its inhabitants that he will pay whoever hills Officer Jake Hoyt. However, the neighborhood finally stands up to Alonzo, refusing to help him. Alonzo attempts to flee, but is killed by the Russians before he can get to the airport, with the Russians retaliating for Alonzo not paying them what he owes.

Director Antoine Fuqua revealed that Training Day got the worst test scores of his career, with viewers being “pissed” that the director killed Denzel Washington’s character off. Despite him being a corrupt and abusive police officer, viewers of test screenings still didn’t want to see Alonzo Harris die, leading to the film getting mixed reviews before its release. However, when Training Day was finally released to the public, many critics acknowledged that Alonzo Harris had to die, with the movie getting immensely positive reviews.

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Why Denzel Washington’s Character Dying In Training Day Was The Right Choice

Despite First Impressions

Despite the decision to kill off Denzel Washington’s Training Day character initially being controversial, it was the right choice for the movie. Throguhout Training Day, Alonzo Harris is constantly trying to teach his trainee Jake Hoyt that the corruption and abuse of power that he employs is the only way to be successful as a police officer. Harris wants Hoyt to become as corrupt as him, something that Hoyt resists despite the outside forces pushing him in that direction. If Harris didn’t die at the end of Training Day, it could be interpreted that his law enforcement thesis was correct.

On top of that, Alonzo Harris was so hateable throughout Training Day that killing him off was the only way for his arc to be satisfying to audiences. Harris’ corruption leads to him ripping off the Russians and abusing his authority in a neighborhood full of sympathetic characters, meaning that there was almost no way for him to make it out alive. Harris had dug a pit too deep to crawl out of, and since Hoyt decided not to help him, Harris couldn’t make it away from the Russians or the other people who he had crossed.

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Training Day Is Still One Of Denzel Washington’s Best Movies & Performances

It Holds Up 23 Years Later

Even though it has been 23 years since the film released, Training Day is still one of Denzel Washington’s best movies and performances. Washington is absolutely incredible in Training Day, with him stealing every scene that he is in. Denzel Washington rarely plays villains, but Training Day proves that the actor can make for an incredible antagonist, with him being one of the most charismatic and most evil characters in cinematic history.

On top of that, Training Day is simply one of the best movies in Denzel Washington’s filmography, with it consistently getting incredibly high ratings for the past two decades. Alongside Fences and Malcolm X, Training Day is one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the already-beloved actor’s career, with it being one of the highlights of Denzel Washington’s time in Hollywood.

Training Day

Denzel Washington and Alonzo Harris star in Training Day, an action thriller that follows the two stars as Los Angeles narcotics officers. Jake Hoyt is prepping on his first major training day for a promotion as he spends spend a tense twenty-four hours across several L.A. crime-ridden neighborhoods as Jake sees the danger and horrors of the job.

Director

Antoine Fuqua

Release Date

October 5, 2001

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Writers

David Ayer

Runtime

122 minutes

Budget

$45 million

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