MovieChat Forums > Training Day (2001) Discussion > If you were Alonzo...

If you were Alonzo...

posted 8 years ago by dcobbimdb
2 replies | jump to latest

and knew that you were going to be killed within 24 hours by the Russian mob if you didn't pay them a million dollars, and had a feasible but very illegal way of obtaining a million dollars. Would you really roll the dice and decide to take on a new guy you knew nothing about the day you're planning on pulling all this off and involve him in it?

I love the movie and think Washington and Hawke were brilliant, and I realize the viewer is seeing the movie from Hawke's perspective so we don't know any better, but after all the dust is settled and you start to think about things after the fact, well...

[–] mikeyg24 8 years ago

I never really saw it as a roll of the dice myself. First he's well in with powerful men more bent than an Alpine highway. He get's Jake liquored up and high as a kite so nobody will believe him and after that he figures one of two things happen. Jake takes the cash and Alonzo has a new loyal terrier or he doesn't and Alonzo takes him around to Hill Side for a 'bath'. Where's the risk?

The plan was flawless in theory and except for Jake saving Smiley's cousin it would have been perfect in practise.

Hey! You're not old enough to drink! Now go and die for your country!!!

[–] redban (6198) 4 years ago

1). He didn't exactly roll the dice. The plan was going to work until Smiley realized that Jake saved his cousin, which was a freak occurrence. You run that scenario 999,999 times out of a million, then Jake dies and Alonzo wins.

2). Alonzo's goal was to get the money, but he also had to avoid suspicion of foul play. An Internal Affairs investigation could fairly surmise that Alonzo and his guys were in cahoots, as they knew each other. That's how Jake factored in the equation --- Jake is a fresh-faced, clean-cut rookie who didn't know them. The Internal Affairs investigation wouldn't suspect collusion if Jake was the shooter.