Nabulsi 1
3
Duha Nabulsi
SOC 155
29 October 2022
Training Day (2001)
Brief Film Description
Training Day (2001) is a crime thriller film that focuses on a veteran officer and a rookie’s first day with the LAPD’s tough inner-city narcotics unit (Silver, Newmyer, & Fuqua, 2001). In this thrilling action drama, the plot exposes the audience to the dilemma of what is necessary, lawful, and unlawful when it comes to fighting urban crime. The film’s central focus is the action by Alonzo Harris and Jake Hoyt, the two LAPD narcotics officers. Alonzo Harris’ crime was that he had killed one of the men belonging to the Russian mob. He was thus to compensate for the killing by paying $1 million to the Russians (Silver et al., 2001). Unable to pay the $1 million, Alonzo Harris pays Smiley to kill Jake Hoyt. However, Jake Hoyt is left by the gang members, and Alonzo Harris decides to flee to LAX (Silver et al., 2001). Eventually, the Russians manage to locate his location and kill him.
Brief Explanation of the Crime
The crime committed by Alonzo Harris was the murder of a member of the Russian Mafia. The Russian Mafia had thus asked for remuneration totaling $1 million, or they would kill Alonzo Harris as a form of revenge. Alonzo Harris’ decision to kill a member of this mob was not well defined, but it is apparent that he wanted to gain leverage over the Russian Mafia. The theory discussed in class that could explain committing such a crime includes the rational choice theory. According to this theory, individuals commit crimes deliberately. Jancsics (2019) adds that criminals are rational actors. These sentiments imply that crime is a deliberate practice in which individuals rationalize their unlawful acts to maximize profit and benefit from outcomes. In the case of Alonzo Harris, he benefits from killing the Russian Mafia as he intimidates the mob. He thus seeks to show them his power and, by intimidating them, gains leverage to manipulate them.
Theory
The rational choice theory effectively establishes the decision-making process that informs Alonzo Harris’ conduct. In other terms, the theory focuses on the underlying factors that prompt individuals to engage in crime without necessarily focusing on the crime committed. Instead, it focuses on the criminal. It links the criminal (individual) and their conduct (criminal activity). However, the theory tends to shift its focus away from the crime committed. Thus, this model does not fully explore the basis and implications of the crime.
Alternative Explanation
The social control theory is an alternative theory that could help discern the underlying reasons for Alonzo Harris to commit the crime. The theory implies that people’s relationships, values, norms, beliefs, and commitments tend to encourage them not to commit crimes. Bouhana (2019) implies that people who see violent crimes and extremism as justifiable are more likely to engage in criminal conduct. Based on this viewpoint, it can be inferred that Alonzo Harris possesses beliefs, norms, and values that see criminal conduct as justifiable. Therefore, he was more prompt and likely to engage in crime. His belief system and overall outlook on life might have influenced him to commit this crime.
References
Bouhana, N. (2019). The moral ecology of extremism: A systemic perspective. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10079100/7/Bouhana_TheMoralEcologyofExtremism.ASystemicPerspective_report_VoR.pdf
Jancsics, D. (2019). Corruption as resource transfer: An interdisciplinary synthesis. Public Administration Review, 79(4), 523-537. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Jancsics/publication/330445511_Corruption_as_Resource_Transfer_An_Interdisciplinary_Synthesis/links/5d4df254a6fdcc370a89cd1e/Corruption-as-Resource-Transfer-An-Interdisciplinary-Synthesis.pdf
Silver, J. (Producer), Newmyer, B. (Produce), & Fuqua, A. (Director). (2001). Training Day. [Motion Picture]. United States: Warner Bros. Retrieved from https://ww6.0123movie.net/movie/training-day-4859.html