Was Alonso Harris really a villain?

[Benjamin Sisko]

Yes he was a villain, ya'll need to stop playing mental twister, it's perfectly ok to be honest about liking the bad guy

Lol what made me question his role was his ability to take down the high-rolling drug dealers off the streets...yes he was corrupt and slimy but he did his job extremely well.

 

[Benjamin Sisko]

Trash dude with trash morals and only out for himself. Yes he’s a villain

Setting up Jake was cold but everything else he did was justifiable IMO. And I believe he wouldn’t have set Jake up if he took the money.

 

[MajesticLion]

Yeah Roger was a former cop, it’s how he got info on Jake and how him and Alonso was so tight, also confirmed by the wikis. I also think he was Alonso’s mentor.

Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all. Anybody can edit a wiki.

 

[MartyMcFly]

Setting up Jake was cold but everything else he did was justifiable IMO. And I believe he wouldn’t have set Jake up if he took the money.

Homie you can justify anything. Doesn’t mean it’s not villainous. You can justify genocide if you want, doesn’t mean you’re not a villain lol.


The “justifiable” argument doesn’t hold weight

 

[Benjamin Sisko]

aren't they supposed to be doing one? I read that on this board a while back.

‘Training Day’ Prequel In Development At Warner Bros. – Deadline

This article is very recent so I hope it’s still in the works

 

[Benjamin Sisko]

Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all. Anybody can edit a wiki.

Roger (Training Day)

His bio made sense. How he got info on Jake? Why Alonso needed permission from the Wise Men to take him out?

 

[Benjamin Sisko]

Homie you can justify anything. Doesn’t mean it’s not villainous. You can justify genocide if you want, doesn’t mean you’re not a villain lol.


The “justifiable” argument doesn’t hold weight

You can never justify genocide because killing innocent people was wrong no matter how you spin it (even though some dictators tried).

Everyone Alonso harassed, stole from, killed was a drug peddler/user. He harassed Snoop and put him in a wheelchair because he knew he was going to be helpful later on. He stole from the Sandman to buy the warrant to kill Roger but he was just another drug pusher. He killed Roger, who turned out to be one of the biggest kingpins in LA (for the money) but he said it was justified because he poisoned the streets with those drugs. So in turn rather he was bullshytting Jake and decided to finally take him out because there was a bounty on his head, he killed two birds with one stone.

 

[dblive]

Roger (Training Day)

His bio made sense. How he got info on Jake? Why Alonso needed permission from the Wise Men to take him out?

Ehhhh, my interpretation of Roger was that of a drug dealer/CI (a little older than Alonzo) that Alonzo works with similar to the guys in the Jungle and the Mexicans. Since Rodger was a high roller, his tax to operate was high. To take him out would be cutting into a lot of policemen (maybe judges) pockets at the top. So if Alonzo was dead, they wouldn’t have a line on him anyway, that is why they approved his warrant (which is also why Alonzo needed the cash from Sandman)

edit: The wiki makes sense too, but I don’t think it was explained that way in the movie

 

[MartyMcFly]

You can never justify genocide because killing innocent people was wrong no matter how you spin it (even though some dictators tried).

Everyone Alonso harassed, stole from, killed was a drug peddler/user. He harassed Snoop and put him in a wheelchair because he knew he was going to be helpful later on. He stole from the Sandman to buy the warrant to kill Roger but he was just another drug pusher. He killed Roger, who turned out to be one of the biggest kingpins in LA (for the money) but he said it was justified because he poisoned the streets with those drugs. So in turn rather he was bullshytting Jake and decided to finally take him out because there was a bounty on his head, he killed two birds with one stone.

And again all those actions work to benefit Alonzo. He did all those things, set up his partner, was willing to fukk over everyone in the neighborhood, and everyone who knew him, for his own benefit. That’s what makes him a villain. There’s no redeeming quality there to say “well he’s not that bad.” The minute you’re commit acts against the law for your own benefit while also endangering the lives of others? You’re a villain. HE justifies it by saying these are had people but doing bad against bad people for your own needs doesn’t make you any better.


Alonzo is basically asking which piece of shyt smells worse

 

[Rekkapryde]

Cmon OP

 

[jwinfield]

Lol what made me question his role was his ability to take down the high-rolling drug dealers off the streets...yes he was corrupt and slimy but he did his job extremely well.

Doing his job "extremely well" was going to get a cop blasted in the head with a shotgun in a bathtub his first day on the job

Setting up Jake was cold but everything else he did was justifiable IMO. And I believe he wouldn’t have set Jake up if he took the money.

Oh, he wouldn't have set up a rookie cop to be killed if he took part in the cover up of a murder? What a good guy

 

[Benjamin Sisko]

And again all those actions work to benefit Alonzo. He did all those things, set up his partner, was willing to fukk over everyone in the neighborhood, and everyone who knew him, for his own benefit. That’s what makes him a villain. There’s no redeeming quality there to say “well he’s not that bad.” The minute you’re commit acts against the law for your own benefit while also endangering the lives of others? You’re a villain. HE justifies it by saying these are had people but doing bad against bad people for your own needs doesn’t make you any better.


Alonzo is basically asking which piece of shyt smells worse

It is debatable that he set Jake up because he didn't take the money. That will lead problems for him AND his crew of narc officers.

As for the bolded, cmon breh there are TONS TONS of protagonists in movies that were "anti-heroes" who did what you said and they were labelled the "good guys" who did what they had to do to achieve that goal.

 

[MartyMcFly]

It is debatable that he set Jake up because he didn't take the money. That will lead problems for him AND his crew of narc officers.

As for the bolded, cmon breh there are TONS TONS of protagonists in movies that were "anti-heroes" who did what you said and they were labelled the "good guys" who did what they had to do to achieve that goal.

yes there are. Alonzo an anti hero. Anti heroes ultimately serve the greater good in the end. Not themselves. Batman is an antihero. His methods are questionable but he’s working to better the city even if it means his life. His purpose is to make Gotham a better place and he’ll do almost anything to make it happen.

Alonzo on the other hand is doing anything he can to save his own ass and rationalizing it. That’s not an antihero. That’s a delusional person.

 

[dblive]

And again all those actions work to benefit Alonzo. He did all those things, set up his partner, was willing to fukk over everyone in the neighborhood, and everyone who knew him, for his own benefit. That’s what makes him a villain. There’s no redeeming quality there to say “well he’s not that bad.” The minute you’re commit acts against the law for your own benefit while also endangering the lives of others? You’re a villain. HE justifies it by saying these are had people but doing bad against bad people for your own needs doesn’t make you any better.


Alonzo is basically asking which piece of shyt smells worse

Exactly. Jake wants to be a narcotics officer with his hands clean.....Alonzo letting him know it wouldn’t be that way even if he (Jake) tried. They all dancing with the devil. I can respect the fact that Alonzo was good at it....even as a snake. No one in the movie really liked him, they just dealt with him. I know the feeling

 

[ShaDynasty]

The guy is a total scuzzbag, complete snake. Genius performance by Denzel.