Runaway Train (1985)

Director:

Andrei Konchalovsky

Writers:

Edward Bunker (screenplay)
Ryuzo Kikushima (story)

Release Date:

17 January 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Once it starts, nothing can stop it!

Plot:

Two escaped convicts and a female railway worker find themselves trapped on a train with no brakes and nobody driving.

Plot Keywords:

Alaska | Escape | Helicopter | Prison | Runaway Train

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Jon Voight	...	Oscar 'Manny' Manheim
Eric Roberts	...	Buck
Rebecca De Mornay	...	Sara
Kyle T. Heffner	...	Frank Barstow
John P. Ryan	...	Warden Ranken
T.K. Carter	...	Dave Prince
Kenneth McMillan	...	Eddie MacDonald
Stacey Pickren	...	Ruby
Walter Wyatt	...	Conlan
Edward Bunker	...	Jonah
Reid Cruickshanks	...	Al Turner (as Reid Cruikshanks)
Dan Wray	...	Fat Con
Michael Lee Gogin	...	Short Con
John Bloom	...	Tall Con
Hank Worden	...	Old Con (as Norton E. 'Hank' Worden)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA | Israel

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:18A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-18 | Norway:16 (cut) | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Montana, USA

Company:

Golan-Globus Productions

Trivia:

Manny's moustache was suggested by John Voight after he watched the prison documentary _Scared Straight! (1978)_

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Prior to the train crashing through the wall, we see a head-on view from the locomotive. Looking over to the right, you'll see a group of people (possibly the crew and cameraman) amassed by the wall, waiting to see this destructive stunt occur.

Quotes:

Manny: Win, lose, what's the difference?

Movie Connections:

Edited into Con Express (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

Gloria in D major (RV589) - Et in terra pax

Great predecessor to 1994's "SPEED"!

Oscar "Manny" Manheim (Jon Voight), a brutal lifelong criminal, escapes from a remote Alaskan prison with an annoying, talkative tag-along (Eric Roberts) and hops a train that goes on a long, dangerous, out-of-control ride when the engineer drops dead of a heart attack and falls off the train. Rebecca De Mornay plays a young train employee who shares their hopeless situation (she was asleep on the train when the heart attack happened) and John P. Ryan is the associate warden of the prison who is deadly determined to bring Manny down - no matter what he has to do.

One of the best action thrillers that I've ever seen! This is a gripping and compelling and, yes, thrilling movie that never lets up. It has all these nail-biting scenes and a superb performance by Voight. It has good photography and a good script (to that end, it is a refreshing change of pace from action movies that revel in their stupidity). You can't really go wrong with this movie - it even has a good villain, well performed by Ryan. Ranken (Ryan) and Manny really do make for good adversaries. It is a long movie but it did manage to hold my attention.

Features a memorable scene where Ranken forces railroad employee Frank Barstow's (Kyle T. Heffner) head into a toilet bowl AFTER HE HAS JUST PEED IN IT. How humiliating is that!

The screenplay was co-written by real-life criminal-turned-author Edward Bunker (based on a screenplay by legendary Japanese film-maker Akira Kurosawa), who appears in the movie as "Jonah".

Look for future film tough guys Danny Trejo (whom I know best from his roles in Robert Rodriguez movies) and Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr. in their film debuts.

10/10!!