THIS IS KIMBERLY

"Training Day" taps into the world of bad Los Angeles neighborhoods and does not withhold from using any stereotypes in the film. Minorities are portrayed as low class criminal gangs. There is only one white man shown in a bad light in this film: the addict rapist. There is a sense of realism here though; most gangs in the L.A. area are of a minority ethnicity. Alonzo Harris seems to be more accepted in these neighborhoods, the question is whether it is because he is black or because he is known. He advises Hoyt never to come to a certain block, "The Jungle," without him. However, there is irony at the end when Hoyt is given the upper hand there and Harris becomes the outsider. The relationship with Harris and Hoyt is very complex. Instantly, Harris has the upper hand because Hoyt is the new guy and Harris uses this power unjustly. Through a couple of betrays, Hoyt continually goes back to Harris and accepts that he was trying to teach him something. Hoyt is very trusting and naïve, which shows his unfamiliarity with the area and the people in it. Everything Harris does is corrupt, and everything Hoyt witnesses that is corrupt he does not approve. Hoyt sort of plays a conscience to Harris’s bad decisions, but does not succeed. Harris is stuck in his ways and eventually influences Hoyt to stoop down to his level. At the end of the movie when Hoyt has nearly survived being killed by a group of Mexicans (who Harris paid to kill Hoyt), he returns to bring justice to the neighborhood and battle Harris. He could have easily walked away from the day and went home. Therefore, Harris influenced him to protect himself and fight when not necessary. Hoyt and Harris influenced each other, although Hoyt was the sole person to live to experience it. I believe “Training Day” produced a good film about corruption among cops in bad neighborhoods.