The main characters in the film, Training Day
The main characters in the film, Training Day, are Ethan Hawke and Denzel Washington (Tatti, 2015). The film shows the true lives of two Los Angeles cops participating in the "War on Drugs" in the narcotics department. Hawke portrays rookie policeman Jake Hoyt, newly chosen by Washington to join the special unit under the supervision of Alonzo Harris.
Jake's motivation and the supervisor's misconduct
The rookie decided to join the narcotic special forces and put the "bad guys" behind bars (Mata, 2001). As such, Jake was prepared to do whatever it took to show Jake that he had what it took to get the promotion. For instance, throughout the day the rookie's supervisor misuses his position by coercing Jake into smoking marijuana despite the illegality of the use of marijuana. The supervisor proceeds to threaten the rookie to smoke marijuana or end his training day instantly. As the plot unfolds, it is evident that Alonzo 's superiors are aware of what he is doing and choose to ignore, therefore the rookie could not report his supervisor. Also, Alonzo reminds Jake of the cops "code of silence" in case Jake has any intentions of reporting him to his superiors.
The revelation and Alonzo's true motives
Towards the end of the movie, the reason why the supervisors want control over the rookie is revealed. Apparently, Alonzo is acting out of his accord the whole time. He owes a large amount of money to a Russian mob and failing to deliver the cash by the end of the night leads to his death. All the events that occur compromising Jake's morals throughout the day are to help Alonzo collect enough cash to pay off the Russian mob in time (Norden, 2007).
References
Mata Sapi (2001, November 4). Training Day [Video file]. Retrieved
Norden, M. F. (Ed.). (2007). The changing face of evil in film and television (Vol. 41). Rodopi.
Tatti, T. (2015). Characterization in Training Day.
