Is he really a bad person? At the beginning of the film, he is portrayed as a villain, a selfish individual who only cares about his own. He clearly had no respect for others, exemplified by his utter humiliation of Cameron and Christine. He did not hesitate to take advantage of these two innocent minorities. However, as the film progresses, you see his softer side. He is shown living with his father who takes care of his health problem. You see him go out of his way to make sure his father gets the best care, even if he insults yet another person in doing so. Finally, in one of the most powerful scenes in the film, you see him risk his own life to save a woman of color. This proves to me that Agent Ryan is not a horrible person. He can't really be racist, at least not right now, because someone who really hates minorities would let Christine die. Which brings me to the lesson Officer Ryan teaches. Bitterness and circumstances can cloud our perception of people. He let a few events change his view of an entire race. The bitterness he felt about what had happened to his father consumed him. Observing all the negative aspects of black people and other minorities, the events he saw daily as a police officer, lead him to classify all African Americans as bad.