Denzel Washington names the greatest death scene of his career: “I died too well”
Consistently remaining at the forefront of the industry for almost four decades, Denzel Washington may be known as one of the most helpful and creatively involved movie stars of all time, but he created his most iconic character by being pure evil.
It was clear ever since his breakthrough performance in Cry Freedom that he would be a big deal, but Washington continued to be a marquee idol by bringing stage-like realism to his film performances, with no shortage of iconic roles early on in his career.
In addition to winning the Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ in Glory, he also earned rave reviews for his portrayal of the titular Malcolm X in Spike Lee’s masterpiece, and led several high-profile genre films like Crimson Tide and Devil in a Blue Dress, but Washington’s most memorable role came when he rejected the spotless nature of his reputation and decided to play one of the greatest villains in film history.
Based on a script by David Ayer, who poured extensive research into the modern Los Angeles Police Department, Training Day was a dark inverse of the typical buddy cop film. Ethan Hawke starred as Jake Hoyt, a young member of the LAPD who is assigned to spend a day working under the office of Alonzo Harris.
Harris, played by Washington in a performance that is nearly unrecognisable, alongside running a conspiracy and brutally enforcing the law, tries to get Hoyt to participate in some illicit criminal activities.
Washington’s casting was genius because he tested how far his inherent charisma could take him; audiences were so used to rooting for his character that it was shocking to see him be so vile and nasty, particularly when Hoyt is in over his head. Any notion that Harris could in any way be somewhat sympathetic is depleted once he commits cold-blooded murder, and by the time Training Day’s final act kicks in, audiences might have actually been rooting to see Washington end up dead.
Harris’ final scene is one of the most iconic moments, and it’s one that Washington still holds up as the greatest death he’s ever had on screen. While he has also expressed pride for his death scene in Safe House, an underrated crime thriller that co-starred Ryan Reynolds, Training Day clearly had a massive impact on culture at large. The role even won the actor an Academy Award for ‘Best Actor’, which was considered to be an upset over Russell Crowe’s work in the eventual ‘Best Picture’ winner, A Beautiful Mind.
Washington has died many times onscreen, including in films like Malcolm X, Roman J Israel, Esq, and The Tragedy of Macbeth, just to name a few; however, the ending of Training Day feels different because there’s no telling what tricks Harris has up his sleeve. Considering that he’s always able to skirt justice and slip away without consequences, characters like Hoyt are only able to sleep easy when they know that he is dead.
In addition to earning him accolades, Training Day also became the first film Washington made with director Antoine Fuqua, who would become one of his most loyal collaborators, such that while he had never previously made a sequel to one of his own films, he starred in all three instalments in The Equalizer franchise, directed by Fuqua.
