This is such a great scene. It paints the picture of Alonzo's role in the bigger picture - he's just a puppet for the real players. This is a classic movie

What I miss the most about the 80s, 90s and early 2000s is a lot of movies like this were "one day/night" movies. Those type of movies were all kinds of crazy shit happens in one day. It be like that sometimes.

Alonzo is basically at Jake's level when sitting with the wise men.

I love how they have a good laugh and everyone's having a good time then immediately into "how did you ever screw up so bad?"

I would love to see a Training Day prequel showing Alonso going from a good cop to a corrupt cop.

I love the layers of contrast here. You got Jake as a rookie cop, dressed in plain clothing. Alonzo as a squad leader, dressed in a leather jacket with a gold chain- like a glorified street thug. And then you got the big fishes- an FBI captain, DA, and a high profile detective, all dressed in fine suits. Jake is to Alonzo as Alonzo is to these guys.

Notice how these guys use the word "prick" so Alonzo also adopts the usage of the word "prick" as well. That's because Alonzo is making an effort to change his vernacular and behavior around these guys to fit in. It shows how Alonzo is hyper-conscious of every social setting he inhabits. He even introduces Jake to them by using their full names, which is never how he introduces any other characters in the movie, showing that Alonzo genuinely tries to earn their respect. Also, every time Alonzo drinks an alcoholic beverage, it's supposed to be a visual queue that we are learning more about Alonzo, and another side of him is being revealed. When he is in Roger's house, he drinks liquor, because we are seeing his friendly side as he banters with Roger, and conceals his intentions to betray Roger later. When he's driving the Monte Carlo, he drinks beer, because we are seeing his manipulative side as he breaks through Jake's morals and attempts to persuade him that sometimes breaking the rules is the right thing to do. In this scene, he drinks wine, because we are seeing his elitist side as he tries to convince these horsemen that he's too good at his job to die at the hands of the Russian mafia, and that his sins will never catch up to him. Also, the line at 2:49 is significant: "give him credit: he worked the system; he deserves his freedom." It basically reveals Alonzo's true colors, outlining and reestablishing the antagonistic worldview that Jake will eventually have to confront in the climax of the movie. He believes defying the rules of the system is not wrong if you can get away with it. And Jake laughing at the story shows that throughout the day, Alonzo has slowly taken apart and altered Jake's moral code, and even altered the mentality of the audience. We're hearing a story about a criminal walking free in the streets, who, based on the fact that he avoided his punishment and showed little to no remorse, we can predict will likely become a repeat offender. But because, like Jake, you've been trained to admire Alonzo throughout the movie, you can't help yourself but laugh along with him about the situation. It's also funny how, right after that line at 2:49, when Doug Rosselli challenges what Alonzo says, Alonzo backtracks, because Alonzo knows that he's the subordinate at the table. He realizes that it looks like he's siding with the criminal, and that he's not acting elitist enough to these guys' standards by separating himself from the criminals and vowing to serve street justice to the criminal. Later at 3:39, Alonzo says he'll cash in one of his accounts. That's how he has dehumanized Roger. He sees Roger not as a friend, he views him as an account. We also see Jake sipping wine at 1:28. Although drinking wine is a shared action between Alonzo and Jake, the differing colors of their drinks is symbolic of their differing approaches to fighting crime. Alonzo has corrupted Jake enough by this point in the movie that Jake feels comfortable drinking while he's technically supposed to be on the job, but the color of Jake's wine (white) represents the deep-seeded virtues within him that motivate him as a cop. Jake's moral compass has been far from abandoned. Alonzo's wine (red) represents what motivates him as a cop. While Jake retains a basic level of honesty, purity, and innocence, Alonzo is driven by his passions, impulses, and selfishness. And I haven't even talked about the clothing these characters wear. Mostly because I think the reason why Alonzo wears black throughout the entire movie (except the climax) and Jake wears a white shirt under his dark-colored hoodie is self evident. Although I should point out that Jake's white shirt gets stained with red blood after Alonzo betrays Jake and abandons him with the Sureño gang members who almost shoot him in a bathtub. It's nice symbolism for Jake losing his innocence. And I should also point out that Alonzo wears a white undershirt in the climax because the white represents how pathetically transparent the motivations behind Alonzo's smooth talk are, and we can see what a POS Alonzo truly is. This scene accomplishes so much in such little runtime. It's so rare to see a movie written this tightly. Each scene is so rich with story, but you know what the best part about this movie is? You don't need any special intuition to enjoy this movie. You can enjoy Training Day as a casual viewer who wants to turn their brain off and experience simple escapism, or you can enjoy it as someone like me who neurotically reads way too much into everything.

Can you imagine how corrupt and evil these three guys are to dwarf Alonzo like this?

I like how in this scene alonzo becomes jake hoyt as soon as he sits down

This was probably the most important scene in the movie he got the green light from top chiefs to commit his crime and coverup.

I love how you can tell that Alonzo secretly hates the system even tho he's basically an agent in the matrix who works for the system. One of Denzel's most interesting and layered characters imo

Only one gentleman at that table and that's the one who stood up to shake Jake's hand during the introductions.

Seems like the wiseman with the cigar knew what would happen to Jake being Alonzo’s new trainee, look at the way he looks at jake; doesn’t even say a word. Seems to feel sorry for him.

This scene doesn't seem like much at first. But on a second watch of the movie I realized all these guys were corrupt and at the highest positions on the force.

I always loved that there was a backstory about Alonzo that hung over his head. Pretty cool that he was seemingly so invincible, but he had a huge mark on his back

Alonso seems to be struggling to become one of the wise men. To them he is what Jake is to him. Great scene, great movie. Shows the hiararchy of corruption and your way up the distorted system

Love this part where they make Alonzo look like some small fish.

Why do I have the feeling that these kind of shady deals go on with more frequency than we think

This scene shows that everybody works for somebody bigger, and we are all a part of a system that's bigger than one individual

Denzel Washington is arguably one of the best actors of all time.

"How did you ever screw up so bad" lol it was over after that 😂

Ethan Hawke is like me in the school cafeteria in this scene.

Alonso laughs as a way to fit in here. He doesn't know the punchline, unlike the other wisemen. Many times this occurs in social situations. This whole movie is a statement of how people behave and change with different people under different social circumstances in order to benefit themselves.

Wise man: “The Russians don’t care if you have a badge, they’ll WAK you.” Goosebumps because lonzo also knew his destiny

This scene is so multi layered its amazing. I really don't know what I would do if movies like these went away.

3:20 It's all about 3:20. Without a word of dialogue, just with his shifty eyes, Denzel conveys it all. It just got REAL in that moment. Awesome.

This is one of those films. The more you watch it, the more you appreciate it for what it is. They established the players, built the foundations of a solid plot and built upon that with scenes that sucked you in. All within the span of a 24 hour day. It wasnt a perfect movie, but a damn good one with a masterfully acted cast.

4:05 Tom Berenger goes from calm. To completely serious in seconds. This scene, on its own, has better dialogue and acting. Than most movies nowadays.

Good acting. People making a joke and all together directly switching back to serious conservation.

smiles and cries.

These are his teachers. They raised him and deal with him with respect and concern. Great scene. Kind of begs for a prequel

This scene is one of the coldest out there.. It shows that even the top dog in his world can be a pawn in somebody elses

I love how lonzo calls the other guy a prick for calling him a dead man.

I finally understand what the peanut butter story is about. It's about a guy who thinks he is untouchable, he has been out smarting the system but he doesn't realize that he still has to live with the people that are a part of the system.

That hearty laughter at 1:38 😂

No matter how dark this movie is this is still a funny story. Tom Berringer laughing cracks me up.

my man Denzel needs to go to jail for this role. Too convincing.

Well shot scene. You can feel the atmosphere there.... he's sitting at the table with the big dogs, you can sense the tension in the air, and dialogue and interchanges definitely get that across

Berringer, Barry, and Yulin. 3 great actors who just dominate this scene. Love it

"Guy gets hold of some peanut butter, packs his asscrack with it.." 😂 Gets me every time

What I like about this scene is how he starts laughing before he tells the story, makes it infectious, almost impossible to not find it funny. Little moments like this that are realistic are what make movies for me.

The lighting in this scene is genius.

Harris Yulin’s character is the most complex here. He’s a bridled part of a very corrupt system, and yet he still takes being an officer of the law seriously. He is genuinely pissed off about a criminal cheating the system and getting away with it, even though that’s what the three of them do every day. Then his answer is vigilante justice, because it’s the only justice he can deliver, but at least some justice was served, and that’s his job.

Very subtlety acted scene. The more you look at it, the more you realize these guys are all fine professional actors. - because you d swear they were real cops.

Great scene , My cousin and I ate here last Saturday. And yes The Baseball steak is on the menu.

hes so fuckin natural, its like he doesnt fit the role, the role fits him. he bends fuckin reality with his bossness

I think its great acting that Harris Yulin, who plays the guy telling the story, laughs along with everyone even though he's mad about it. He can't help but laugh at his own pain with his friends about how terrible his luck is.

No matter how many times I watch this, Im crying with laughter.

Alonzo got owned in this scene suddenly he became the rookie but tells Dre "Don't worry about it...spoke to the three wise men its all good"

The three wisemen aren't even the top of the dung heap. A captain, a detective and a DA. None of those guys could provide Lonzo with the warrant he needed to make the raid on Roger legal. These dudes are like connected middlemen. The money Lonzo gave the DA was to pay a judge off for the paperwork. This like watching a mafia movie but we only get to see the made men and the soldiers, not the real bosses or the capos.

This scene makes you realise that Alonzo is simply a little fish in a pond full of bigger fishes. Just a puppet on a string.

"I don't know why I'm meeting you. I don't talk to dead men."

Raymond J Barry, Tom Berenger, and Harris Yulin never gets the accreditation they deserve for being damn good actors.

Tom Berenger's grim looks after Doug says “I’m gonna do him”. Masterful.

This part is deep. Shows you how deep the rabbit hole really goes.

Man was out the gate with it! "I don't talk to dead men!" Darn!

I can watch this movie over and over again... Denzel is bloody brilliant!

Lmao at dude calling the insane asylum the "puzzle factory"

If you try to imagine Alonzo's backstory. You can see those guys were probably the ones that brought him into corruption like he, and his team was trying to do with Hoytt later. In the beginning of his career you can imagine Alonzi actually trying to do good like Jake was, but unlike him he actaully went with it.

I love how (after having seen the movie and knowing the full story that the latinos tell later) you can practically see what happened: Alonzo in the club, drunk, someone (the Russian) bumps into him and spills his drink and he loses it, and beats a the Russian mobster to death in the back, gets manhandled and taken into a back room and beaten, they demand $1 million in a week and throw him out on the street. Great storytelling without actually telling.

Well deserved oscar! Denzel was outstanding

Did anyone notice that the cop telling the story was the narcotics chief detective Mel Bernstein in Scarface Montana: "So long Mel have a great trip". Mel: "Fuck You !"

One of the few oscar-winning performances that was actually deserving of the Oscar

The biggest foreshadowing scene in the movie. Classic film. Ethan and Denzel: legends

he really did get a steak.

DW's character is 100% street in this film, but the second he sits down with these guys, he becomes like them, sounds like them. Pure chameleon.

The chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Denzel in every scene is so damn dope. The little nuances of the already invested "comradiere" between them, despite it being Jake's first day. 0:40 The playfulness of Jake mockingly rolling his eyes like a little brother that was told to wait by Big bro Alonzo is just one of the many examples throughout the film. Denzel's performance is peak art for sure, but Ethan brought his A-Game as well. I can't get enough of these two and it's tragic af that they didn't do more work together. Seeing those moments damn near makes me wish we had gotten a happier ending instead. An ending that would have managed to keep this dynamic alive for future films.

Extra chunky jiff still makes me laugh really hard. 😅🤣😂

This movie has so many great scenes it's amazing.

Tom Berenger Back in The Day was one of The coolest actors

The way he moves his eyes back and forth. The way he puckers his lips drinking the wine as he's getting scolded.... Denzel nailed this role so damn good. The bar was set pretty high after this one.

sure, Mel maybe you can hand out yourself one of them first class tickets to the Resurrection

Great scene...excellent choice by Antoine Fuqua to get 3 pros like Tom Berenger, Raymond J. Barry and Harris Yulin to play the wise men...on the DVD commentary Fuqua said he was thrilled these great character actors did the movie.

This is basically the Roger scene. When he tells the story about the snail and answers his phone saying It's your mess you clean it up. He's basically telling Alonzo he's not helping him out of this.

The peanut butter court story is hysterically funny! Has me LMAO watching this scene and film a million times already..

At 2:30, I can rewind on that laugh all day and not get tired. Thats a classic.

How come people don't mention Training Day when talking about all time great gangster movies, it should be there. It's a great movie. Edit: You guys are saying Training Day is not a gangster movie, but I see a lot of gangs and gangsters in the movie. Plus by definition, Alonzo is a gangster, he is a gangster with rackets, an outlaw. Look up the word gangster and the definition.

God his laugh at 1:38 always makes me crack a smile 😂😂😂

Always a fan of Berenger, just a great actor to his core, even in smaller roles. Alongside Denzel, nothing but great friction and chemistry in every moment, no question. Top talents

4:18 "who's drivin?" *takes another sip from the drink* "me!"

I remember literally almost crying from laughter from this scene. It's funny but not like split my side funny. But with Denzel and Tom Berenger it's easy.

I like how you can notice there's a boss, a manager and a supervisor 😅. The boss and manager are just looking and seeing how the Supervisor handle's this situation. Damn how that relates and feels so much like working at your job.

Training Day, Book of Eli, The Equalizer, & many...MANY more masterful roles, executed by an acting arts master, Denzel Washington! We may never again see another individual who is so...locked into his/her art like this gentleman is.

The thing I like about this scene that I know to be true, is that in the real world, the top dog "good guys" (whatever that means) are sitting a few tables down from the top dog "bad guys" at the fine restaurants, and they each acknowledge each other because at those levels, the line you think exists in the sand, doesn't exist. Especially when it comes to money.

So you tellin me mel bernstien from scarface plays a crook cop in scarface and training day? Nice

This is when the movie goes from a drama to a horror flick. Just about now.

This scene is a master class for any actor....everyone is playing the part to a T. Fantastic filmmaking.

I guess Mel Bernstein enjoyed those first class tickets to the resurrection.

“Why the long face Doug, huh? Feds seize your house or something?” “Fuck yourself, Alonzo” Perfect lmao

The scene is much more brilliant than it is shows at first, and not just Denzel's acting but also the subtle scripting encoded on it.

"You're a messenger boy, sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill"...

This scene is a study in how film are done .

EVERYONE of 3 at table are AMAZING actors! real cool they agreed to be in brief scene, a testament to love of craft and admiration for Mr. Washington.

Masterful scene - with the presence of extremely extraordinary seasoned thespians - with Denzel looming largest. The subtle, yet powerful expressions and eye shifting- the closeups and editing were critical here. It’s akin to what “ Alonzo” alluded to - seeking counsel with “3 Wise Men.” The scene also perfectly depicts the true arrogance and pomposity of real life top brass cops and decorated/corrupt detective within the LAPD - trust me, I’ve witnessed them in Los Angeles in the turbulent 1990s and early 2000s - most of them are real pricks!!

and Im watching this literally eating a peanut butter sandwich

They totally set Alonzo up here, a good laugh in the beginning but they were backing off to see if Alonzo could really "handle it" , blind as a bat because of his ego

They way the Detective analyze Jake from head to toe is almost chilling like a hunter, the way the captain sizes him up during the handshake, and the way the head of the shooting squad pays him no mind because of the mess Alonzo stirred up in Vegas… the way Alonzo was having Jake chase his own tail all day he was smart to listen in as much as he could

All of the wisemen are like a part of Alanzo’s personality. The funny one, the sympathetic one, the aggressive one, and the killer. “I’m going to do him if I see him on the streets.” Same what Alanzo was doing with alley crackhead. He’s like all four of them combined.

Only in Vegas did alonso become aware that he did not have the makings of a varsity cop

Suddenly Alonzo's dominance evaporates once he comes up against those really in charge, the puppeteers behind Dept. corruption. Suddenly he's the small man that fucked up big time. Look at how each Wise Man looks at Alonzo: he's a liability and thus must be elimated: a dead man walking. Great acting on all parts