Runaway Train

If Con Air and Speed were secretly into each other and wanted to do the nasty, they'd do it in a theatre playing Runaway Train. (Please don't ask me how in this metaphor two movies could go see a movie) Suspenseful and enjoyably nihilistic at times, cheesy B-filmish at others. Features a Jon Voigt being amazingly unhinged throughout and Eric Roberts in the role he was born to play.

Considered by many (who worked on Golan Globus films) to be the best (Golan Globus film), Runaway Train is a knight (escaped convict) in shining (runaway) armor (train). Despite spending half their budget on a time machine to travel 10 years into the future and watch Under Siege and the end of the Shawshank Redemption (on AMC at 2 am) so they could use both as inspiration, Yoram & Menahem still had enough yen left to pay for an authentic Kurosawa script they found at a garage sale in Van Nuys.

Potentially Cannon Films' most respectable outing, Runaway Train is nearly a sustained action scene after getting through some clunky prison politics at its onset. A script by Kurosawa and an impressive shooting location give even more heft to the film. For those of us who prefer non-respectable Cannon Films productions, you still have a film staring Jon Voight's prosthetic teeth and day's worth cocaine as portrayed by Eric Roberts.

I can imagine a remake of this being legitimately good, but the acting is so bad it kills the film. Voigt oscillates between terrible and ok, and gives the film its best moments, but Roberts is way off the deep end and De Mornay is totally sleepwalking, the rest of the cast isn't much better.

Akira Kurosawa first conceived of this premise, but another A.K.--Andrei Konchalovsky--realized it. It's often highly impressive: constantly suspenseful (deservedly Oscar-nominated editing), starkly photographed, well-directed, and written with a worldview both savage and blackly amusing. The acting is a bit variable, the over-the-top nature of the film inspiring most, but swamping a few (also, one of the fakest looking heart attacks ever); it was, however, one of Jon Voight's last good roles.

Ok, I'm done catching up on short reviews I was too lazy to write. Left the best for the last. I watched this film over the last New Year night (don't ask). It's simply awesome movie. The kind of bad good I love. Man that's some cool characters.

No-one should be able to screw up this premise this badly. Mismatched convicts on an unstoppable death train should be a surefire hit, but the dialogue, acting and general direction are so awful, that everything soon feels dull and pointless. There are any number of cheap 80s action directors who could have injected a bit more style and verve, but I guess Konchalovsky was cheapest. But actually, I think the 4 writers deserve more blame. I can't think of a worse speeding train movie.

Love the idea of it a lot more than the execution. Eric Roberts is a terrible actor and Voight isn't strong enough to carry it. Still well worth seeing it, but can't help but feel slightly underwhelmed.

Through the cheesy dialogue and mediocre acting the premise shines through and the plotline becomes gripping early on. Voight is the only one who stands out from the rest, his character Manny is intriguing yet brutal. Still a worthwhile watch overall.

A very fun watch. But I can't help thinking about how much better it would've been if it weren't plagued by bad acting and cliche, overdone dialogue. Voight's character is quite a badass. I THOUGHT WE WAS FRIENDS

Voight overacts, Roberts irritates, and De Mornay is almost unrecognisable in this attempt that – while undoubtedly a bad film in many ways – has enough in it to make it more entertaining than it deserves to be. I almost turned off after the first 20 minutes but then things pick up in the mid-section (with the actual runaway train stuff) before becoming utterly ridiculous towards the end. I’ve seen Terminators less persistent than that prison warden.

The opening prison scenes are nothing special in this movie. But the excitement efficiently picks up with the scenes on the train.The main characters are not likeable at times. Overall I would recommend this film.

It seems like a scattered cast and crew, but it comes together neatly, perfectly plotted and excitingly shot. I'm not heaps convinced by the prison-hardened toughness of the Oscar-nominated performances from the actors, but their characters are compelling and contrast well with each other. It's pretty basic stuff, flirting with some psychological depth, but it manages to keep an appropriate tone that deals well with an admittedly silly concept.

I remembered loving this movie and watching many times in the 1980s. On this viewing, I wasn't as impressed as most of the characters are not likable at all. However, I'm a sucker for train movies, and the train remained the star to me.

Enjoyable actioner takes its time kicking into gear, only taking flight once the train gets moving, but Konchalovskiy and his team expertly balance and service the competing story threads of train, chopper and control room, making the low-key, gritty action scenes bracing and thrilling (and even credible under the circumstances). Not quite seeing the greatness of Voight and Roberts, but they comfortably inhabit their roles like the professionals they are.

I love this movie. If only Eric Roberts character talked a bit less.

This is one of the few films that could probably do for a remake.

Viewed July 31, 2020.

Cool title but not much depth beyond that. It tries to add some more meaning and justify Voight's actions, but still...it's 3 people stuck on a train in Alaska? Fav scene: Voight gets stabbed through the hand and we all act like it heals quickly.

This started as a movie Akira Kurosawa was going to direct in the mid-60's (starring Henry Fonda and Lee Marvin ... I'd like to see that), the screenplay ended up at Cannon where Russian art director Andrei Konchalovsky crafted this amazing blend of exploitation action grit and existentialist art.

Seeing another director take on a Kurosawa premise is interesting enough, but, well, it's also actually good.

I remember seeing this in the cinema in the 90s in a very cold room so the freezing atmosphere in the movie did not help at all

runaway train 1985. this.....this is a GOOOD FUCKING MOVIE!!! i found the hidden gem of 1985!!! MAN. this, this is up there with a broken mans vengeance/redemption and personal, spiritual (in the non metaphysical way) freedom themes of flicks like cool hand luke and one flew over the coo-coos nest. THIS IS GOOOD SHIT. and the ending ........the ending is fucking glorious. watch this film. it is worth it. it is drama, in the most masculine sense possible.

Runaway Train is one of the few worthy mentions and exceptions in the back catalogue of Cannon made disasters. This doesn't stand out as a memorable 80's action film, but it remains something of a cult classic and after several repeated viewings it's still an enjoyable and suspenseful watch. The dialogue is horrible throughout and an incredibly melodramatic Eric Roberts annoys. But I do love the equally melodramatic John Voight and the set pieces, practical effects and stunts all entertain.

Great film. UNSTOPPABLE borrows liberally from this. Voight is of course excellent, and the set and stunts look fantastic.

Wash it down with some Shakespeare!

Not very interesting, a fairly typical 80's/90's action thriller including a lot of clichés. I am not a fan of the glorification of obvious criminals.

31/1/13

Jon Voight and Eric Roberts (both in full-on crazy mode) hijack a far too obvious phallic metaphor. From there, it's just complete insanity, what with the actors chewing every bit of scenery and spouting incredibly ridiculous dialogue. Gotta wonder what kind of shit cast and crew must have been on when they made this, truly one of the most bizarre entries in the action genre.

add cast to Danny Trejo and Tommy "Tiny" Lister with their debuts.

A strange film. I found it reasonably entertaining but hard to "get into" and ended up watching it in about 6 sittings.

Runaway Train is one of the lesser-known films in 80s that influence on 90s and 2000s major studio films. Magnificent synthesis of action and drama, unforgetable train travel in both of this genres. I Think Voight's career's best performance in this film.

"Runaway Train" is an extremely well-made action drama, featuring magnificent set pieces and assured direction by Andrei Konchalovsky. Still, it is impossible not to get distracted by the ridiculously cheesy dialogue and manufactured melodrama, especially in the second part, or the god-awful acting (see De Mornay), that makes most of the characters unpleasant to watch. The sole exception is Voight, who is riveting as the hard-headed convict. The tragic ending is stunning and purgative, though.

For a movie that takes place almost entirely in a train car it sure is thrillin'

Riveting action thriller with strong existential themes. Voight and Roberts are perfect in this, the Alaskan wilderness is pitiless. A class act.

One of the few standout movies that Cannon made before they capsized. Jon Voight and John P. Ryan are outstanding in what are, for them, very atypical roles

Wow... the acting in this was terrible. I guess the idea was pretty cool... but... Jon Voight!

Classic!

from a script by Akira Kurosawa, I think.

What a marvelous, intense movie, which I like very much. Beautiful train roadmovie and great performances of Voight and Roberts. Excellent music fits in this snowy, icecold movie. Super !

Filmens styrke ligger i omgivelserne, uendeligheden og afmagten...

"This movie is a piece o' shit, sucka!"

Bu "soguk ve hizli" aksiyon filminde, Jon Voight ve genc Eric Roberts'in en iyi performanslarini seyrettigimi soyleyebilirim. Hele Jon Voight, azili hapishane kackini rolundeki performansiyla hayranlik uyandiriciydi. Degisik bir yol filmi Runaway Train. Eric Roberts'in da gordugum en iyi performansiydi bence. Veeee bir surpriz daha: Gengecik Rebecca De Mornay! Yetenegini taa o zamanlarda ispat ediyor. Basarili bir film, bulup izleyebilirsiniz umarim.

Manny!

I really liked this at the time, but haven't seen it in ages, would be curious to see how it's dated.

Score based on distant memory.

It's a marvelous premise, and the dramatic beats are all excellent. It could really be a top-shelf movie, if only it hadn't been so severely hampered by such lousy acting (across the board, too... not a single decent performance in the whole cast) and such over-the-top dialogue. Perhaps it would have been better in Japanese, where such things aren't so easily noticed, or at least more readily forgiven.

Decent thriller.