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Several numbers in the film are worth a look just because of the clear influence of Busby Berkeley. The numbers show sophistication and modernist sensibility very different from the tone and style of the rest of the material, and very Berkelesque. In the "High and Low" number,for example, filmed mostly in closeups, Merman's white skin is strongly silhouetted against her very black costume, which itself blends into the black background. Its a chiaroscuro effect highly reminiscent of Winnie Shaw's "Lullaby of Broadway" number in Gold Diggers of 1933.

Later, in "Shake Me Off With Rhythm", the shiny dance floor reflects the dancers so completely that a reflection begins to dance on its own, itself a reminder of Bojangles by Fred Astaire in Swingtime, which was released in the same year. At another point, dancers intertwine so that their one's arm become the other's legs and it becomes difficult to distinguish them, their intertwined bodies still reflected by the shiny floor in a very modernist composition. It all feels like Busby, off center, inventive, playful. Worth a look.

The movie was disappointing. The idea of the pre-cogs, the way they barely can talk, their otherwordliness and their special knowledge remind me of jungle movies: "bwana not go there, me know jungle, bad there for bwana".

The real failure of the movie is failure of nerve. The very real issues of incarcerating people before they commit murder are never pursued and the story turns into a lame crime plot. By 2054, what happened to Constitutional protections? What happened to trials by jury (it is never explored how the pre-murderers are "convicted"? What happened to search warrants (consider the spiders)? With some exceptions, murder is a local crime: On what legal basis does the Attorney General expand precrime to the rest of the nation? How do people in the world of 2054, other than the very limited cast which consists mostly of police, feel about pre-crime? Why is all key dialog about pre-crime so confused and inconsistent?

The subject could be fascinating, but Spielberg is gutless and cannot let his story lead him to real meat.

Denzel and Ethan are indeed excellent in this mostly taut, well paced drama. Denzel's performance as a corrupt cop beautifully rubs against the possibility of excess, but bever crosses the line. Ethan playing an honest cop, looks increasingly bewildered by his unexpected wild ride, but he never loses his footing. Still, Training Day is one of those infuriating movies that could have been much better if the writer and director had trusted the audience more. The movie is seriously undermined by the "motivation" provided for Denzel's corrupt actions on this day, namely, his need to obtain money to pay off the Russian mafia. Denzel's character has already been set up well to have the mixed motivations of ridding the world of major drug figures and, at the same time, enrich himself for the risk he is taking. His complex character, and the tension with Ethan's character, drive the plot. The extra motivation undermines the drama, making it a more standard shoot 'em up. So for most of the film, the tension and drama is high. But the last few scenes undermine the drama.