Runaway Train

Runaway Train was a complex movie, yet simple at the same time. The whole message of the movie is that humans are more barbaric than animals. The quote that proves this is:

You are an animal!

No worse! Human.

He's trying to get the point across that humans are more cruel and have more harsh actions than animals do. I think there is more behind this though. Buck is a serial rapist (so we think) and harasses the woman the first time he meets her on the train. He is cruel to woman, but as time goes on they start to bond. When they come to the realization that the train is going to crash, the girl makes Buck cuddle with her saying she doesn't want to die alone. It shows the desperateness of human nature and how when faced with death, reputations don't matter.

Another theme in this movie is the idea of being free. In jail you are obviously confined, but Manny considers himself to be free even when trapped on the train with Rankin. I believe his mind set is that he knows he is dying, so he is being freed from the life he was tragically trapped in. Manny knows he is a bad person with many flaws, and he does not try to hide it or change it. He accepts himself the way he is, and I feel as if that is why he considers himself trapped. He is trapped in his mindset, not in jail, or with Rankin. All he wanted was to be set free from the life he was leading, and finally be at peace.