Denzel Washington - Training Day

My latest addition of Best Actor Winners

Year: 2001
Actor: Denzel Washington
Film: Training Day
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Role: Alonzo Harris

Other Nominees:
Russell Crowe - A Beautiful Mind
Sean Penn - I Am Sam
Will Smith - Ali
Tom Wilkinson - In the Bedroom


Denzel Washington remains one of the more reliable actors of the last two decades, churning out moderate hit after moderate hit.  He also has given some of the strongest performances of the this time period.  Having won a supporting statue for Glory, audiences were beginning to wonder if he could pick up a lead statue.  In 1999 Washington was brilliant in Norman Jewison's The Hurricane, but was also up against superb work from Kevin Spacey and Russell Crowe.  Kevin Spacey won for his fine work on American Beauty.  The following year Russell Crowe was again nominated, this time for Oscar favorite Gladiator.  The overriding sentiment was give to Crowe a makeup Oscar for his commanding performance as Maximus.  Like many cases his work as Maximus paled in comparison to his terrific turn a year later in The Insider.  However, a year later Crowe delivered another fine performance in A Beautiful Mind.  This set up a battle between Washington and Crowe for Best Actor.

Many felt despite Crowe having won a year earlier that he would win again, given the overwhelming support the Academy had shown for A Beautiful Mind.  Yet, Washington could not be denied, for his searing portrayal of a corrupt narcotics cop.  There is nothing likable about Washington's character, and Washington uses every possible moment to make him larger than a life (a trait Oscar loves).  In an otherwise average movie, Washington's presence makes it difficult to grow disinterested in the proceedings.  On the whole Washington generally fails to engage me into his characterizations, but he delivers such a fierce performance thats it's difficult not to be engaged.  I only wish he could've given us a better understanding of what makes his character tick and led him towards the path he took.

Any discussion of the 2001 Oscars is not complete without mention of the so-called race factor.  Halle Berry famously became the first African-American to win Best Actress, while Washington became the second African-American to win Best Actor, not to mention Sidney Poitier's honorary award.  It might be very possible that voters got caught up in the wave to correct past slights of African-American characters, but Washington delivers on his finest performance, so to focus on such petty reasons does is performance a disservice.

Also of note is Ethan Hawke's supporting nomination, interesting in that he is clearly the lead of the film.  At one time Oscar wasn't against to nominating male co-stars in the lead category, but it's become an unwritten rule that a movie can't have two leads.  Gene Hackman was also unfairly snubbed in one of the decade's finest performances and easily the best performance of 2001.

Other Wins and Nominations:
Actor of the Year - AFI
Best Actor - Boston Film Critics
Best Actor Nomination - Chicago Film Critics
Best Actor Drama Nomination - Golden Globes
Best Actor - Kansas City Film Critics
Best Actor - Los Angeles Film Critics
Best Actor Nomination - Online Film Critics
Best Actor Nomination - SAG