The success of the 2001 crime thriller,Training Day, would have been hard to top, yet one Keanu Reeves and Chris Evans thriller managed to be a surprisingly worthy follow-up.Training Dayis often considered one ofDenzel Washington’s career-defining movies, with his role as corrupt cop Alonzo Harris winning him his first Best Actor Academy Award. Although the movie’s ending allowed for a sequel, none was made and writer David Ayer was not involved in the 2017Training DayTV series. WhileTraining Dayhad no direct follow-up, Ayer brought his directing skills to several crime thrillers, including the underratedStreet Kings.
As of writing,Street Kingsis available to stream on Apple TV+.
Street Kingsstars a pre-Avengers Chris Evans as an enthusiastic young cop, whileKeanu Reeves plays a relatively rare villain role. Reeves plays the corrupt cop Detective Tom Ludlow, whose grief after his wife’s death changed his character from a respected LAPD officer to an angry vigilante who kills criminals, setting their deaths up to look justified. With its law enforcement corruption-focused plot and character manipulations,Street Kingscontains several similar themes toTraining Day. Though the two movies are not connected,Street Kingscould be considered a spiritual successor toTraining Day. However, it is not the only one.
Street Kings Was One Of David Ayer’s Many Spiritual Successors To Training Day
Street Kings Established David Ayer As a Director
David Ayer made his directorial debut with the crime thrillerHarsh Times,which he also wrote and produced.Harsh Timesused Ayer’s success withTraining Dayto advertise the movie, thoughHarsh Timesreceived mixed reviews. Ayer directedStreet Kingsnext, which, likeTraining Day, is a gritty story about gangsters and corrupt police. Ayer’s next movie,End of Watch, established thatlaw enforcement was a common themefor him, and, whileEnd of Watchwas praised for its accuracyand critically acclaimed,Street Kingsis arguably the movie in which Ayer established himself as a director.
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Street Kingsis the first movie that Ayer worked on, which he did not write himself, as crime writer James Ellroy wrote the screenplay. As all ofAyer’s movies afterTraining Dayhad focused on crimeat this point, it is understandable that he would want to directStreet Kings. AlthoughStreet Kings’s lack of cohesion and exaggerated action may be a hallmark of a new director, it also containedelements that madeTraining Dayspecial, like character development.Training Daydemonstrated Ayer’s skill for writing complicated law enforcement characters, whileStreet Kingsestablished him as an action and crime director.
Street Kings Wasn’t As Good As Training Day But Was Still A Good Movie
Street Kings Was The Perfect Follow-Up To Training Day
Training Daywon multiple awards and critical acclaim forDenzel Washington’s action-led performancealongside a look into his complex character. WhileStreet Kingsdoes not live up to the success ofTraining Day,it is still an underrated movie with a solid plot and features a cast that includes acting legends like Hugh Laurie and Forest Whitaker. Chris Evans' role as Detective “Disco” Diskant is well-acted and though his death is relatively predictable, it is impactful, andLudlow’s redemption arc givesStreet Kingssomething differentto offer, even for fans ofTraining Day.
2001
74%
89%
2008
38%
58%
Street Kingsis similar enough toTraining Daythat it feels like a follow-up in spirit. However, Ayer’s skill for writing morally complex characters preventsStreet Kingsfrom feeling like a direct copy, especially as the new set of characters wrestle with different problems. Some might argue that even if Alonzo was more compelling to watch,Ludlow’s background makes him the more interestingof the two corrupt cops.Street Kings’s endingin which Ludlow resolves to do better feels like an optimistic alternative ending for a character like Alonzo, which makesStreet Kingsthe perfect follow-up movie toTraining Day.
Training Day
Cast
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.
