Now that this deadly tale is finished, I wish to close with some remarks.
I've been told that this was "one of the most underrated film in the 1980's," and it is. The cinematography is brilliant, the atmosphere is top-notch, and we have an iconic ending that couldn't be done differently if anyone tried. In a situation like this, the film could have ended with the front of the train crashing and bursting into flames. Instead, Konchalovsky's crew let Ranken and Manny go out in dignity and let the viewers think for themselves.
Though some people complain about Eric Roberts and his character Buck and how over-the-top Manny becomes, it's no surprise that they turn out the way they do after years in prison. Did anyone expect them to be calm, cool, considerate men? Manny is much brighter than Buck is, but as time goes on, he becomes a border-line lunatic. In the end, he keeps his principles and he goes out the way he always wanted to - a free man who has fulfilled his revenge against society. If they had been innocent men who have been wrongly convicted instead of the criminals they are, it would have attracted a wider audience and more appeal from critics at the time; it would have killed the entire message and tone of the story, but it would have been much more successful than it already is. Then again, unrecognised genuises are always rewarded in the end, and this is one of those instances.
I also have some slight beef with the Academy Awards website's descriptions. In the section for "Best Supporting Actor" in 1985, the writers describe Buck as Manny's "vicious convict co-escapee". If he were truly vicious, he would have killed and raped Sara on the spot. Instead, he helps her out on a couple of occasions. It is daring on the writers' part that he is a rapist. In any other situation, he would have been depicted as the villain and have no redeeming quality whatsoever. As Mr. Bennett told us, rape is the only crime that is never okay to commit. It's true that Buck is lasvicious, it's true that he is hedonistic, and it's true that he is lackadaisical. However, Sara is compassionate to him and then she bites Manny in the hand when they fight each other. Humanity itself is incredibly complex. We all have our best and worst traits; it just depends on how we handle them. To go against what the Academy Awards description implies, he is a patsy compared to the villain. As our protagonists suggest, Ranken is a hypocrite; he tries to make himself a pillar of moral strength, but in reality, he is an overgrown bully (and a closet sadist).
Going back to the ending, it is incredibly well-done. Manny is enigmatic as he stands over the engine in triumph and Ranken is defeated once and for all. Although existentialist at heart, the movie has religious themes from the very beginning. The penitentiary represents Hell, the prisoners are Christ's followers, Ranken and the guards are Satan and his minions, Buck is Peter, Sara is Mary Magdalene, Frank Barstow is Ponctius Pilate, the rail control booth are the Pharisee judges, Jonah is God, and Oscar "Manny" Manheim is Jesus Christ. As the title of this post suggests, Manny and Ranken's off-screen deaths represent Christ's crucifixion and his sacrifice to mankind. Like the apostles before them, Buck, Sara, and the prisoners are incredibly melancholy about the situation, but only God and Jonah knew that it was meant to be.
Even though Ranken and Manny "are both scum", Ranken is much worse than Manny. Unlike our protagonist, Ranken never risks his life to get what he wants. Instead, he sends somebody else to do the job. He feels no remorse when one of the officers get killed, and he only goes after Manny himself as a last resort. The way he reacts to being chained up also shows what kind of man he is: a sorry, snivelling, self-pitying coward. He is "as afraid to die as anyone else", and all he wants to do is prove he is more powerful than Manny. His response? "What's the difference?"
Life waits for no one. Fate waits for no one. It doesn't give a damn about what station we have in life, what role we play in our societies. The only thing that counts is if you live for yourself or if you live for others. This may not have been easy to stomach when it first came out. I do not blame them. It is a bleak message, but it is better to be selfless and honest than it is to be selfish and hypocritical.
Unlike Citizen Kane and All Quiet on the Western Front, Runaway Train will be on my mind for perhaps an entire month. It is certainly surpasses All Quiet on the Western Front, and it certainly blows Citizen Kane out of the water. Maybe the next film will surpass this one; maybe it won't. Let's wait until Monday or Tuesday to find out. I wish to know your opinions, if you have any. Let me know what I've missed.
P.S. Even though it may be childish, I keep on imagining what kind of books the characters might read. Buck might skim through Playboy, Sara could read the King James Bible, Jonah and Manny could've indulged in Nietzche's works, Ranken could have gotten his advice from Machiavelli's Morals of the Prince, and Barstow and the rest of the control members could have read The Complete Idiot's Guide to Running a Train Station. It's just some random thoughts.
Diana, you are the only student in the class who is really flexing her muscles on her blog. It's always very interesting to read your thoughts. Thank you dedicating so much time and effort to my class.
ReplyDeleteI thought your person by person link up iwth the Bible to be a lot of fun. I think there are some problems with it, though. A film/novel like this is never quite so clear. It is more a hint of meaning, kind of like a poem where the rhyme doesn't work perfectly.