_**Great urban thriller**_

Ethan Hawke plays Hoyt, a rookie cop on his first 24-hour training day with the L.A.P.D. narcotics division. Denzel Washington plays veteran Alonzo Harris whose methods seem questionable, to say the least. Harris argues that one has to become a wolf to take down a wolf. Will Hoyt make it through the day alive, let alone uncorrupted?

"Training Day" had a lukewarm reception at the box office the first weekend of its release in 2001, but the profits steadily increased for the next six weeks as word-of-mouth spread. The greatness of "Training Day" is not simply due to the intriguing story and excellent writing, but also the superb casting. Hawke is perfect as the naive, but ambitious rookie and Washington is nothing short of stunning as Alonzo Harris, ranking with the best performances in cinematic history, like Jon Voight's Manny in "Runaway Train" or Robert Duvall's Col. Kilgore in "Apocalypse Now."

As the training day continues Alonzo's methodology becomes increasingly dubious and you can just imagine Hoyt responding, "I... don't... see... any... method... at... all... Sir." How can anyone withstand the temptations he faces and not give in (and I don't mean the drugs)? Needless to say, the film scores high marks on the moral conundrum front.

There's one obviously contrived element but that's par for the course with movies and it could've been worse. Of course, the action and thrills are amped-up, but the tone is thankfully realistic.

BOTTOM LINE: "Training Day" is an excellent urban thriller with a captivating performance by Washington. It's fittingly ugly, raw and brutal, so stay away if you don't think you can stomach it.

The film runs 2 hours, 2 minutes, and was shot in L.A. Peripheral actors include Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger, Eva Mendes, Charlotte Ayanna, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.

GRADE: A-