8. Training Day
At first I would not accept Training Day as something more than another hack job collection of other, better films. But I have since come around on this film, noticing the depths of its characters, the brilliance of the plot, and the ferocity of the action. Denzel Washington, who would win Oscar here, plays Detective Alonso Harris, a man with a plan and a fresh new pawn in Jake (Ethan Hawke), an eager young detective who has gotten into something way over his head and much too dangerous. Training Day deserves multiple viewings, because the depth isn't readily available. Only after you know the end do you appreciate the journey of this picture.