The famous speech from Andrei Konchalovsky's 1985 action film "Runaway Train". Starring Jon Voight and Eric Roberts, both in Oscar nominated performances. Based off a screenplay by Akira Kurosawa, rewritten by Eddie Bunker.
Basically an unknown film as well. Love how Konchalovsky gives a bit of that Soviet Siberia (Siberiade) feel to the exteriors. Wonderful blend of Russian and American cinema.
Firstly, Voight's delivery is astounding- truly gripping. The movie almost stopped in its tracks when he expressed his pain. Moreover, the script succinctly glimpses into the mind of a sociopath. 'I wish I could...' Chilling stuff.
An extremely under rated movie and something of a masterpiece. John Voight's character "Manny" is, despite being an utterly brutal and savage individual, one of the smartest people around. The only thing holding him back is his utter addiction to his life of crime. Summed up so perfectly in this speech, specifically the 4 words "I wish I could.".
Plot wise, the movie wasn't my cup of tea, but this scene (and the other scenes about prison mentality) really struck a cord with me. A contributing writer on the movie was ex-convict Eddie Bunker (who later consulted for the movie _Heat)_ and in scenes like this the characters are fucking real.
I love that brief shot of Manny running his hand over the gauges--it's like he never had an electric train as a kid, and NOW he's sitting in one of the most powerful trains on Earth and can't believe how lucky he is.
I Love that eerie look in his eyes when he says "I wish I could..." Once I talked to a fellow I knew who start messing with H (I've been using for twenty years, more half my goddamn life) and I said a similar sentence to him : "I wish I could go back to this 14 years old stupid and angry kid I was and say to him "Don't start messing with that shit...Cause you can't beat it." The young guy never touched it again , and it was the better reward I ever got, At last I felt human again....
A cry for help.....but I'm wondering-Was Manny telling Buck:"I'm too far gone. It's too late for me"? I mean, you can hear his very heart's cry, when he actually took a moment out of his own life, and tried to get this youngster to realize the error of his ways, and to learn to do things honestly. Something inside of Manny, even though he was angry with Buck, cared about him, like a True Father cares about his Son. When Buck hears what Manny says, at the end of that particular conversation, the look of utter shock and sadness is something that you can see all over Buck's face. Maybe that scolding that Manny hit Buck with did some good, though. You can see how Buck begins to change..... Unlike Manny, who died. However, even in his death, there was a bit of a victory, because Buck finally learned to care about people, other than himself. He began to care about Manny in a different way, about 3/4ths of the way through the movie, and he learned to care about the young Lady, too..... So... that's what I call a good start.
And it makes the role and scene much more believable because (pure speculation of course) it feels like Manny got so enraged because Buck’s naivity reminds him of his own views when he was younger and began to circumvent the challenges to live a successful live by becoming a criminal and thus spending most of his adult life in prison, ending up in an Alaskan supermax.
a very few movies make an impact on me. i’m almost 53 years old. i love good movies. there’s about ten that have made said impact. this is one of those.
Back when they made real movies.. Real feelings.. Real acting... Now all we have is every weekend another team of comic book hero's saves the world from complete destruction... Wanna save the world? Live by Manny's advice
this is one of the worst movies i've ever seen. the acting and writing are so bad they don't even pass muster. voight talks like he's retarded. this movie wasn't released, it escaped. throw in some dollar store philosophy, and they even have the balls to quote shakespeare at the end! at least the comic book movies you alluded to are actual movies, i don't know what this was supposed to be.
Without any action or movement, just two actors talking, this is one of the most harrowing scenes ever committed to film, perfectly complimented by the bleakness of the environment around them. Magnificent filmmaking.
That second "I wish I could", you can really see the humanity coming out of a character who otherwise seemed superhuman. Voight and Roberts gave SUPERB performances in this underrated film. Roberts gives his own monologue later in the film with as much heart and gravitas that resonates just as well. What a film this was.
This is one of the great scenes in cinema history by a great actor. It has stuck in my head for thirty years since I first saw it. Profound writing and message.
I’m 55 and rewatch this whenever I want to quit my job. 11 years now and this is the longest I’ve held on to any job without quitting. Tonight is one of those nights I have to focus on the goal - 3 more years but it is hard!
No one...but no one could possibly watch this scene without being affected by it. It stands repeated watching. In one of the biggest misjudgements in cinema history, Jon Vought didn't get Best Actor Oscar for Runaway Train, his greatest performance. But Eric Roberts played his part as well; together, a beautifully crafted piece of drama that will live on thru cinema history. The ending of this outstanding film defies description.
EPIC PERFORMANCE, by Voight,i saw this at 22years of age,he actually frightened me .You're right about the acting, at the very least the TRAIN, should have won an OSCAR!
No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity, but I know none and therefore am no beast, one of the very best lines used at the end of any movie ever
My two boys watched this yesterday. Awesome. I watched it back in the 80s. Too bad most people have never head of this remarkable film. I am looking for the soundtrack.
Gentry Deck I wish they would re-release this movie into theatres, at least for a limited release, and see how it fares. Aside from the violence, this is an absolutely stellar film, & It's the kind of movie that can make you cringe in horror, laugh, cry, and make you feel that, no matter how we try to hide it, perhaps there's at least some goodness inside of us all.
I saw this film, when I was young. I didn’t appreciate it at the time. But, two things always stayed with me. Voights performance and the end shot. Utterly haunting. I look at it now and wish John p Ryan got some love. His performance was so good as the nemesis.
Manny's words & character remind me of my father so much. He'd sit there with his bottle of whiskey like always, and he would teach me about life just like this.
Regret. He is a lifer, and will never be able to be free. He is trying to teach this youngster, that getting out to go do some dumb shit isn't worth it. Regret, and rage is all he feels now, and honestly, can you blame him?
jazzthieve why you got to be so ugly. What do you get out of saying that to someone? Please give me an honest answer and don't just insult me. Or better yet insult the hell out of me, but at least answer my question honestly.
@@russellpaloor8225 okay. What I mean is that In wont be dreaming. I will keep my head down. Clean that spot(metaphor) and get that shiny clean. Because a job is gold
Tons of pages reading in just two minutes talk. Fourty years have passed and it still fascinates me. Unsurpassed movie , masterclass direction, talented acting, great music !
“Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?”― Tennessee Williams.
2 years since a comment?.........I gotta correct that. This is one of the most memorable short scenes in cinema. Assisted ably by a magnetic Eric Roberts, Voight is spellbinding.in his anger at young lofty, unattainable pursuits.'That little bitty spot' could be an anthem for all the dreamers out there who want it all now. Voight lost out that year to William Hurt, for Best Actor; a travesty. Watch the film and you'll see what I mean..
Some of the most powerful scenes in the cinema are found in out of the way nearly forgotten films like this, I’ve seen this movie about 3-4 times it’s very good if you haven’t watched it I highly recommend it.
I think the final scene is simply GENIUS!! I think it's impossible to see it and not feel real moved by it!! It should be watched from when they discover the train is going to a dead end - the powerful scene when he disconnects the wagon .... check the girl's face ..... IT SAYS IT ALL!!!!!
YoSoyZuri He even loses the fingers on his left hand! BUT! He doesn't let that stop him from freeing the lead engine from the rest of the train, so that the young woman and man live! That is a powerful scene in itself!
A great film with an extraordinary performance by Voight. This monologue, short as it is, is compelling and says a lot more than just words...." I wish I could".....what more plaintiff words could you find for the doomed Manny? Eric Roberts was just right; the two together, perfect.....the ending, sublime. Voight lost out to William Hurt that year for the Best Actor Oscar..........don't ask!
This scene should be used as a fourth of teaching throughout any schools for any want to be a criminal. Genuine reality check for most who thinks it’s clever and worth it. Outstanding scene and mentality
Thanks for putting this up - perfect edit. I was talking to someone about the film and this scene stuck with us. Thanks to you, we were able to throw it onto the big screen and enjoy it instantly. Much appreciated Powerful film with superb acting throughout the entire cast, great soundtrack and beautiful cinematography
nick pat The sad part is that Manny realizes that it's too late for himself to turn his life around, and just work for a living. I nearly cried when I heard this. He does, however, try to wise this young man up. Before the movie ends, though, the young man seems to wake up to the harsh realities of life. 1:He defends the young lady. 2:He actually stands up to Manny! 3:When he thinks that all hope is lost, and the young lady persists in asking him to hold her, he does. 4:When he realizes that they won't die, he's screaming at the top of his lungs for Manny to stop the lead engine. That happens after Manny frees the lead engine from the rest of the train, so that the young man and woman won't have to die. Manny had some goodness in his heart, after all!
This movie is a classic! The screams of the young man asking for Manny to return, the old man in prison with an empty gaze perhaps thinking of the free Manny, the music of Vivaldi, the final sentence of Shakespeare....
@@yacovlk7924 He realizes that he has written his life script for too many decades to change. He also sadly knows himself so well as to know that he has a side to him that prevents him from being able to adjust to living amongst normal society, as much as he knows that it would have benefited his life greatly. There is a deep sorrow inside of him.
Great movie, great acting, great camera work. The accent would sound more familiar if you knew any hard felons. The cross between gutter mouth and Shakespeare is genius on film!
I don,t think it,s a social statement but psychological.If you are willing to compromize your pride, ego, dreams and feelings then you evolve.But if you have the will to be yourself, unchanged under all circumstances you are walking your heroic way to a dead end
I love that scene is such a lesson from Manny.... what a great scene!!!! I love everything about this film!!! John Voight is the ultimate heroe .... such an actor! Erick Roberts proved his talent in this movie!
You know, I get that the Oscars are political and they like to award artsy stuff, liberal stuff, stuff that's viewed as socially progressive and so on. I get their POV and I learned to respect their POV. William Hurt is also a great actor and he delivered a damn good performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman. But on no planet, in no universe is it better than Jon Voight's work in Runaway train. I don't care if Voight is a dick, if he insulted anyone and I don't care that he plays a lowlife in a genre action movie that wasn't made with awards in mind. But when someone knocks it out of the park, he knocks it out of the motherfucking park. And you give that person his, or her rightly earned points. I mean if he had some good competition, like when Joaquin Phoenix for example lost to Phillip Seymour Hoffman, but that was not the case here. Voight should've won the Oscar that year, plain and simple.
This is BY FAR the best performance of Jon Voight's career. I've always considered him one of the most underrated actors of his generation, and sadly a lot of people have given him a lot of shit over the past few years just because of his political stance. As far as I'm concerned Voight is a cinematic icon who has worked his ASS off for decades in the business, always giving it his all, and whatever you think about his politics, he is a true actor's actor who paid his dues and never did anything halfway, and I'd be thrilled to have a drink with him any day of the week despite not being a Trump guy myself. Sometimes art just transcends all the other bullshit in life.
Manny is trying to show him it ain't to late for him. And if he could follow those simple rules for someone who has started down a wrong path, then there is still a chance for him. For manny, it's to late. He knows he's to old and fucked up one to many times, but eric roberts character can still be saved, he isn't as hardened as manny yet, and manny sees a little bit of his former self in eric. It's not about being a janitor or being ceo of chase manhattan, it's about respect, humility,controls, morals, living in a real society. Being able to deal in the real world, instead of wasting your life scheming and robbing, hurting and cheating people. For many wishes he could be that now in hindsight. Eric roberts only wants to keep on partying, and fighting, fuxking, and not caring about what consequences are in store for him. He's trying to show him, the other side of the coin. I apologize for ranting and ultimately saying the same thing over and over. My dad and I love this move!
