No one can expect all my predictions to be correct; the railway worker barely comes out in one piece, but we finally get to meet the fourth major character and how crazy Ranken has become. There are hardly any words to say what it is I have to say, but I want to make myself as clear as possible.
First off, about Sara, it's a breeze of fresh air that she's not conventionally attractive. In the movies nowadays, you see a lot of women all dolled up, even when it doesn't fit in with the situation. If the acting's good enough, the audience avoids such things, but most of the time, it's jarring to the viewer. In Sara's case, she's actually a normal person, not some statuette to oogle over. Like Buck and Manny, she has grime and dirt all over her face, and her clothing is practial. Note that there is absolutely no make-up on her whatsoever. In fact, she looks like a tomboyish young girl with her heart-shaped earrings and her braided pig-tails. Please don't think me shallow, dear readers; I NEVER judge people by their looks. I just wanted to bring this up in light of current times. There is much more to Sara than that.
As we already know, Sara is one of the railway workers, and like our protagonists, she has been stranded. With her expertise, a first-time viewer could have mistaken her as a deux ex machina, the one who could possibly put a stop to the runaway train. This is not to be. The train is as unstoppable as circumstance. Our heroes can try to eliviate their situation, but most of the time, it's all for naught. At least it goes a little slower, but not slow enough.
We also see another side of Buck, Manny, and Ranken. Obviously, none of them are perfect; two are convicts, another is a crooked cop. All the same, old habits die a slow and painful death. Buck obviously never lays a hand on Sara, but there's still a chance he might. He's the one who suggests helping her when we first see her, and he is the one who pulls himself together and rescues her when she nearly falls onto the tracks. Then again, I wouldn't really trust a man if the first question he asks me is "You wanna ****?" You fill in the asterisks for yourself.
Speaking of Buck, I think Sara has a crush on the guy. This sounds immature, but she always stands up for him whenever Manny insults him. After all, even though Buck's not right in the head, he is still vulnerable. It'll do him a lot of good to tell him he's "so brave" (even though Manny is more than eager to disagree). This is also just another inference, but he may have had an abusive childhood at one point. He mentioned being in reform school and he has a lackadaisacal approach to everything, yet when Manny gets cabin fever and pummels him, I can't help but feel sorry for the poor guy. He is merely an overgrown child, in need of some consensual love. His expression after the fighting ends is one of shock, of disappointment, of shattered hopes. It's clear he had few idols in his life. Manny "was a hero... to all of [the prisoners]", yet his attack is the ultimate betrayal. Going back to Mr. Bennett's theory, if Manny is the Messiah, his fellow prisoners are his disciples, Buck is his right-hand man, and Sara is Mary Magdalene. He wants to help, but he is incapable at the moment. At the moment, Manny becomes his own Judas, but this may be a little early to make assumptions.
When I was reading Frankenstein in Mrs. Johnson's English Class freshman year, we discussed feminine and masculine balance, and in the film's case, Sara represents sympathy and sanity in an otherwise mad world. She also believes "there are miracles", which don't even calculate in Manny's mind, and definitely not in Ranken's. It's clear that Manny is getting frostbite and going insane now. Cabin fever could do that to absolutely anyone. However, the madman inside him breaks out and he nearly beats him to death. Note that Sara is the one to talk them out of fighting. Manny has become "an animal", a man "willing to sacrifice someone else's life instead of [his] own." It's going to take a lot to make up for what's happened, but at least he threw out the knife.
Ranken has also gone nuts. There is no cabin fever, no attacks, so there is no reason for him to be the way he is. The only thing Barstow has done is tell him to wait... and then he gives him a "swirly" - in his own piss! It's unprofessional if I say I was absolutely disgusted by this scene... and we had to see it twice... Even though it's cringeworthy, the film smashes all sympathy we could've have for Warden Ranken. It's hard to be a warden at a high-security prison; the pay is lousy, the prisoners are lunatics, and you have to keep a level head at all times. Normally, I would have had some kind of respect for the man, but now it's gone.
It's a very interesting film, and now that Ranken knows where they are, I want to see how it plays out. Will they get out alive? Will Ranken catch up with them? Will the railway company safely stop the train? It's up to the viewer to decide.
OH, I never commented on this post. But I did read it. Frankly, it's hard to say something on every posting. But, you should know that I read all your work, and I think it's great stuff. I can't imagine why you didn't want to see the "swirly" twice. I have toned down over the years. I used to show that half a dozen times!
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