Con Air Worldview

When looking through many different movies, and lyrics I chose the movie Con Air, starring Nicolas Cage. Cage portrays Cameron Poe, an ex Army ranger who has just returned from the Gulf war. Right from the start Poe is faced with adversity. His return was not what he had hoped for. After he had spent time with his wife, Poe decided to call it a night, however a local gang decided to start a fight while they were leaving the parking lot. Poe easily wins the fight due to having such extent training in the military. After the brutal fight scene, he ended up killing one of the assailants on accident. This is where the movie takes a sudden turn for Poe. He is charged for that act, even though it was in self-defense. We next find Poe at a high-security prison where he is to spend the next 7 years. Throughout that time we learn about his new daughter Kaci who is Poe's major purpose for getting out of jail. He gains a new friend in his cellmate Baby-O. After many years in prison, Poe learns that his pardon was granted; all that separates him from being with his family is one flight. Little did he know the plane would be filled with crazed convicts trying to overtake the plane.

For the most part, the entire movie portrays a worldview similar to that of the Naturalist stance. Excluding Poe and Baby-O, the entire cast doesn't even acknowledge God. Many times the two friends are faced with difficult situations. When Poe was about to leave prison, Baby-O asks who will watch his back Poe replies God will. In another scene, Baby-O is shot through a struggle on the plane. He then questions Poe about if there is a God. His answer, I'm going to show you that God does exist! These two take a very theistic view towards God, although they don't admit to being a Christian, they do acknowledge "a" God of some form. The entire "gang" of convicts follows a naturalist worldview exactly. There is no God; they can altar their own destiny. This is very evident throughout the entire movie. The character that portrays the naturalist world best would be Cyrus Grissom, the leader of the renegade convicts. Cyrus feels that he has total control over every situation. God doesn't exist; therefore humans act as supernatural beings.

There are obviously two sides to this struggle, good and bad. Good being Cameron Poe and bad being Cyrus Grissom. Each has a small following. Poe leads Baby-O and various law officials. They feel that human beings are under God. Although they don't exactly say which God, they feel that he does play a vital role in their lives. On the other hand, Cyrus and his following have very different opinions. Cyrus, in a way, plays the role of God. He controls everyone on the plane, and has the power to do anything he wants. When someone on the plane is not useful to him, he'll simply kill him or her. They have no respect for anyone or anything. They show complete disrespect the law officials. Man is just a finite being. Whatever they do, even evil, will have no consequence on their souls. Man is here with no real purpose; the individual must make something "exciting" during their time here on Earth.

For Poe and his followers, God is the truth. We again, do not clearly find out which specific God is the truth, however, we do see that he has some type of moral values. They feel that God has all truths; it is up to the individual to follow those truths he has set. Humans don't control their fate, God does. Grissom's view of truth is that there is no truth. In a way, they are their own God's to a degree. This is very evident throughout many scenes during the film. Cyrus has a feeling of "godliness." He