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Runaway Train
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Runaway Train (1985)

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User Rating: 7.3/10 (6,411 votes)
Photos (see all 8 | slideshow)

Overview

Writers:
Edward Bunker (screenplay)
Ryuzo Kikushima (story)
more
Release Date:
17 January 1986 (USA) more
Tagline:
Once it starts, nothing can stop it! more
Plot:
Two escaped convicts and a female railway worker find themselves trapped on a train with no brakes and nobody driving. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Criminal-Turned-Actor Bunker Dead at 71 (From WENN. 25 July 2005)
Actor James Doohan Dies at 85 (From IMDb News. 20 July 2005)
User Comments:
Great predecessor to 1994's "SPEED"! more

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)

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)
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
111 min
Country:
USA | Israel
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Rankcolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Filming Locations:
Montana, USA more
MOVIEmeter: ?
^ 42% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Manny's moustache was suggested by John Voight after he watched the prison documentary _Scared Straight! (1978)_ more
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. more
Quotes:
Manny: Win, lose, what's the difference? more
Movie Connections:
Edited into Con Express (2002) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Gloria in D major (RV589) - Et in terra pax more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
26 out of 32 people found the following comment useful:-
Great predecessor to 1994's "SPEED"!, 27 February 2004
10/10
Author: Scott LeBrun from Winnipeg, Canada

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!!

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Message Boards

Discuss this title with other users on IMDb message board for Runaway Train (1985)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Stacey Pickren raynerchris
Would be much better without Eric Roberts madjohnw
Greatest prison movies stderr
DOES SOMEONE LOSE A HAND?SOLVED benjamminad
Akira Kurosawa? ringholt
A Better Title... spuhworm2003
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