John Ryan is a movie character who was created by film director Paul Haggis. He is played by actor Matt Dillon in the movie Crash. The movie is set in Los Angeles and John Ryan is a corrupt police officer. His character is shown to be racist, sexist, and overall just a bad person. Despite all of this, he is still human and has moments where he shows compassion and empathy. This makes him a complex and interesting character to watch on screen.
The character I will be analyzing is John Ryan, played by Matt Dillon. Ryan is a white middle-aged police officer who has been with the force for some time and appears to be racist, as displayed through his interactions with black characters. From the beginning of the movie, it is clear that John is an arrogant person; he carries himself in a superiority complex and speaks down to other characters.
Even his own partner seems to be afraid of him. John Ryan is the type of person who believes that he is always right and that everyone else is wrong. He is very close-minded and doesn’t seem to be open to new ideas or perspectives. This becomes very clear when he is talking to his wife about the possibility of getting a divorce. He completely shuts down any idea that she brings up and doesn’t even try to see things from her point of view. John Ryan is a very unhappy person and it’s pretty clear that he takes out his frustrations on the people around him.
Despite all of these negative qualities, John does have some redeeming qualities. He is fiercely loyal to his family and friends. This is seen when he goes to great lengths to protect his family from the gang members. He is also shown to be a brave person when he stands up to the gang leader despite being outnumbered and outgunned. John Ryan may not be the most likable character, but he is a complex and interesting one.
The media often portrays blacks, Hispanics, and Middle Eastern ethnicities as stereotypes. In the movie, the characters are stereotypical so that the audience can easily understand or identify with them.
John is a police officer who interacts with other officers of minority groups but he seems to have some respect for them because they are a part of his most prominent social group – the police force. The other major characters he interacts with in the film are Officer Tom Hansen (played by Ryan Phillipe), and Cameron and Christine Taylor (a black couple played by Terrence Howard and Thandie Newton).
John is partnered with Tom and the two have a good relationship. Tom is the only one who seems to really understand John and what he’s going through. John is also shown to be friends with Cameron, even though they are on opposite sides of the law. Christine is the one person that John can’t seem to connect with, which ultimately leads to his downfall.
John Ryan is a character in the movie Crash who is a police officer. He is a white male and is in his early-to-mid 30s. Not much is known about John’s past, but it is hinted that he comes from a wealthy family. He joined the police force because he wanted to help people, but he quickly became disillusioned with the system. John is a racist and uses racial slurs against minorities. He is also sexist and misogynistic, as evidenced by the way he talks to and treats Christine. John is a volatile character who is quick to anger and often uses violence to solve problems. While he is not a completely bad person, his racism and sexism ultimately lead to his downfall.
Even though plenty of people would call out his behavior as wrong, others would justify it because of how blacks are generally portrayed in society. The media is partly to blame for this stereotype- often depicting black men as gang members, criminals, uneducated, and poor.
In the movie Crash, John Ryan is a character that embodies many of these perpetuate stereotypes. He is a black man who is a drug dealer and is often associated with gang activity. However, he is not just a one-dimensional character; there are many layers to his personality that are revealed throughout the movie.
One scene in particular that illustrates this is when John Ryan is talking to his daughter about her future. Although he is seemingly tough on the outside, it is clear that he cares deeply for his daughter and only wants what is best for her. In this scene, he tells her that she needs to focus on getting an education so that she can have a better life than he did. This shows that he is aware of the struggles that black people face in society and he does not want his daughter to go through the same thing.
Although John Ryan is a complicated character, he ultimately represents the negative stereotype of blacks that is often perpetuated in the media. His gang activity, criminal past, and lack of education all contribute to this.
However, there are also many aspects of his character that show he is more than just a one-dimensional stereotype. He is a loving father, has deep conversations with his daughter about her future, and expresses remorse for his past actions. These layers to his character help to humanize him and remind us that everyone is more than just their stereotype.
Since John’s father’s business failed, every time a black person commits a crime, it strengthens John’s false beliefs about the entire black population. Instead of viewing each criminal as an individual, he now associates all black people with criminality. He assumes that their race is the reason they commit crimes and often looks for ways to harm or demean any black person he encounters.
Even when he is at work and a co-worker, who is black, makes a simple mistake, John overreacts and yells at him. His father used to own a business and because of that, John feels that he is better than anyone else, including black people. When his father’s business went under, John lost everything and blames the black population for taking what was rightfully his. From then on, he has been looking for ways to get revenge. Even though John may not be an explicitly racist person, his actions and words prove otherwise.
When John first appears in the movie, he is shown to be a very angry person. He is quick to anger and does not hesitate to lash out at those around him. He is also very impatient and does not like to be kept waiting. For example, when he is waiting for his wife to come out of the store, he honks the horn repeatedly and becomes visibly agitated.
John is also shown to be a very afraid person. He is afraid of the black population and what they might do to him or his family. He is also afraid of change and anything that might disrupt his way of life. For example, when he learns that his daughter is dating a black man, he immediately tries to put a stop to it.
